The UTSA Roadrunners take on the Texas Longhorns in Pittsburgh, PA. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET on SEC Network+.
Texas is favored by -30.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -8000. The total is set at 58.5 points.
Here’s my UTSA vs. Texas prediction and college football pick for Saturday, September 19, 2026.
UTSA vs Texas Prediction
- UTSA vs. Texas Pick: Texas -30.5
My Texas vs. UTSA best bet is on the Longhorns to cover the spread. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page and make sure to download the Action Network app for more picks and analysis!
UTSA vs Texas Odds
| UTSA Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+30.5 -115 | 58.5 -105o / -115u | +2200 |
| Texas Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-30.5 -105 | 58.5 -105o / -115u | -8000 |
- UTSA vs Texas point spread: Texas -30.5 (-105), UTSA +30.5 (-115)
- UTSA vs Texas over/under: 58.5 (-105o / -115u)
- UTSA vs Texas moneyline: UTSA +2200, Texas -8000
UTSA vs Texas College Football Preview
UTSA Roadrunners Betting Preview: Approaching Roadblock
Under Jeff Traylor, UTSA has made a bowl game in six consecutive seasons. The Roadrunners are off to a 2-0 start after defeating UT Rio Grande and Texas State, which is looking promising for a seventh.
They will look for a third consecutive victory over an in-state opponent to begin this season, but this week's task will be much more difficult as they are traveling to Austin to take on the new No. 1 team in the country.
The Roadrunners have averaged over 30 points in each of the last five seasons. They are off to a fast start once again, having scored 76 points in their first two games. It helps that they have been able to maintain a level of continuity, which is becoming more and more rare for Group of Six programs in the transfer portal era.
Quarterback Owen McCown is in his third year as the starting quarterback and has thrown for over 6,000 yards and 55 touchdowns in the last two years. This season, he is completing 72.5% of his passes while throwing four touchdowns and averaging 244.5 passing yards per game thus far.
His skill players, running backs Will Henderson III, A'Marion Peterson, Brandon High Jr. and wide receivers DJ Allen Jr., Mekhi Anderson and AJ Wilson have all spent at least a year in the program.
High returned to San Antonio this week after a year at Cal. Last week, he was the hero with a 25-yard touchdown run with 14 seconds left to go to give UTSA a 31-26 victory over Texas State to claim the Battle of I-35 and the 100th victory in program history.
The Roadrunners should again have one of the best offenses in the AAC, but they likely will not find much success this week.
Texas Longhorns Betting Preview: Defense Holding it Down
Last week, the eyes of the college football world were in Austin as Texas hosted Ohio State for the third consecutive top-10 meeting between the powerhouse programs.
However, Texas got off to a disastrous start with two turnovers in its four offensive snaps that quickly turned into a 10-0 and eventually 23-3 Ohio State lead. It likely had many thinking, "Here we go again. Arch Manning and Texas are going to fold in another big game."
Instead, Manning made two tight window throws on fourth downs to extend drives and spark a Texas comeback. Manning did not put up eye-popping numbers, throwing for 195 yards, a touchdown, and an interception while adding 24 yards on the ground.
However, he managed the game well, particularly considering Texas' early mistakes.
The Longhorns stormed back behind two one-yard Hollywood Smothers touchdowns, the latter with 25 seconds left to go and secured a stunning 24-23 comeback victory.
According to Sportsradar, it was the largest fourth-quarter comeback (20 points) against the No. 1 team in the AP Poll. It was also arguably the biggest regular-season win for coach Steve Sarkisian at Texas and certainly for Manning as a starter, who improved to 10-0 as a starter at home.
In addition to his touchdowns, Smothers ran for 74 yards on 21 carries. He may be emerging as the 1A in the Longhorns backfield duo with Raleek Brown, as he had 11 more carries in week 2.
The Longhorns only averaged 3.4 yards per carry, but it was enough to outgain the Buckeyes 141-94 on the ground.
Along with Texas State, the Longhorns have faced two of the nation's best offenses in their first two games, but they have only allowed 30 points. They currently rank 26th in explosiveness allowed and 24th in havoc. They enter this week ninth in defensive SP+.
UTSA vs Texas Pick, Betting Analysis
Texas will be coming off the high of its thrilling comeback against Ohio State and is now the No. 1 team in the country.
This game is also sandwiched between the Ohio State game and a trip to Tennessee and the Red River Shootout to follow. The Longhorns should dominate as they are the far superior team in this matchup.
UTSA enters the week 104th in success rate allowed and 112th in havoc and now will face the best offensive line it will see all season. That means Manning should have a field day distributing the ball to his deep group of playmakers.
Then, filling in for an injured Quinn Ewers, Manning's first significant action came against UTSA and he accounted for five touchdowns in a 56-7 victory.
That was a Texas team that also made the CFP, like this year's group is expected to do. The Longhorns already have a 59-7 win over Texas State on the ledger this season. A repeat of either score would comfortably get the Longhorns a cover this week.
Pick: Texas -30.5 (Play to -31)
