Texas Longhorns Odds

Texas Longhorns 2026 Season Preview

The Texas Longhorns enter 2026 with something to prove. Texas opened last season at No. 1 in the AP Poll for the first time in program history, then lost 14-7 at Ohio State in Week 1 and slid to a 3-2 start.

Steve Sarkisian's group recovered, finished 10-3, and hammered Michigan 41-27 in the Citrus Bowl. The Longhorns still missed the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2022.

Arch Manning passed on the NFL Draft and returns for his second full season as the starter. He threw for 3,163 yards and 26 touchdowns a year ago, added 10 scores on the ground, and played his best football down the stretch.

Sarkisian reloaded around him. Cam Coleman (Auburn), Raleek Brown (Arizona State) and Hollywood Smothers (NC State) headline a transfer class that also rebuilt the offensive line. Will Muschamp takes over the defense in his second year running the unit.

The coaches poll slots Texas fourth, with the AP preseason rankings arriving Aug. 17. The schedule offers no mercy: Ohio State comes to Austin in Week 2, Tennessee and Oklahoma follow before mid-October, and road trips to LSU and Texas A&M close things out.

Expectations that high open up plenty of angles. Texas sits around +300 to win the SEC and in the +650 to +750 range for the national title, with a regular-season win total of 9.5. Dig into the college football futures markets before you lock anything in. 

Want more data first? Our college football power ratings show where Texas actually stacks up against the field. And Manning shares favorite status in the Heisman market at roughly +750, so his Heisman odds deserve a closer look.

Texas Longhorns Point Spreads

College football bettors have to know the details of a point spread bet, the single most popular wager in college football. A point spread sets the margin of victory that the favorite has to clear and the underdog has to stay within.

Texas went 6-6 against the spread (ATS) during the 2025 regular season, an even split that left plenty of bettors wanting more. Longhorns backers expect a sharper number in 2026.

This example makes it clear:

• Oklahoma Sooners (+2.5)
• Texas Longhorns (-2.5)

Texas carries the minus sign (-), which marks the favorite. Oklahoma carries the plus sign (+), which marks the underdog.

As 2.5-point favorites, Texas has to win by three or more points for a bet on the Longhorns to cash. A bet on Oklahoma cashes if the Sooners win outright or lose by one or two points.

Longhorns Moneylines

For bettors who skip the hassle of rooting for a team to win by a certain number, moneyline bets offer a straight-up wager on which team wins the game. A minus sign (-) marks the favorite and a plus sign (+) marks the underdog, same as a point spread.

Reusing our example from earlier:

• Oklahoma Sooners +110
• Texas Longhorns -130

The numbers next to those signs show the odds in American format. Read them as a math problem where $100 serves as the answer.

As -130 favorites, Texas requires a $130 risk to win $100. As +110 underdogs, a $100 bet on Oklahoma returns $110 in profit if the Sooners pull the upset.

Texas Longhorns Over/Unders aka Totals

Betting the result of the game or the margin of victory covers only part of the football market. The over/under, also called a total, sets a number for the combined points both teams score, and bettors pick a side.

Say oddsmakers set the total for the Red River Rivalry at 64 points. The over needs 65 points or more to cash. The under needs 63 points or fewer.

A combined 64 points exactly creates a push, and sportsbooks refund every ticket on that market.

Texas Longhorns Props

Bets that fall outside the three main buckets, meaning moneylines, point spreads, and totals, usually go by the name prop bets.

Props split into two broad categories.

Player props target a specific player's statistical output in the game. Fantasy football players recognize these instantly. Common examples include a running back's rushing yards, a quarterback's passing yards, or a certain player scoring a touchdown.

Game props cover specific events during the game instead. Bettors pick which team reaches 21 points first, whether the opening kickoff goes for a touchback, or heads versus tails on the coin toss.

Prop menus vary from book to book, so read Action Network's review of the best sportsbooks to find the shop that fits you.

Texas Longhorns Futures

Futures cover bets that settle only after the season ends.

Some futures track a team's full-season performance. Bettors back the Longhorns to clear their season win total or to win the national championship, for example.

Other futures track individual players. That group includes season-long player props, such as Arch Manning topping his passing touchdown total, along with end-of-season awards like the Heisman or the Maxwell.

Futures odds move at the drop of a hat, so follow the latest news and shop for the best line with the Action Network app.