The Texas Longhorns are among the most prolific college football programs in the history of the sport and they enter the 2025 college football season as the favorites to win the SEC and national championship. The Longhorns have quietly built a powerhouse under head coach Steve Sarkisian, making back-to-back trips to the College Football Playoff and establishing themselves as a force in the SEC. Even though Texas lost a lot of talent to the NFL and graduation after the 2024 season, the Longhorns have reloaded through the portal and a top recruiting class, along with a quarterback who has fans excited about a potential title coming to Austin.
If you’re looking to get into college football betting and make futures bets at the top sportsbooks, read on for the best Texas Longhorns college football picks and analysis from SportsLine expert Thomas Casale.
All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
Texas Longhorns odds (via FanDuel)
- +550 to win National Championship
- +280 to win SEC
- Win total 9.5 (Over -192, Under +154)
We know Texas is officially back. The Longhorns are coming off two straight trips to the College Football Playoff semifinal and have arguably the most talented roster in the country. The question is, can Texas get over the hump and win its first title since 2005?
Texas is the favorite to win both the SEC and National Championship heading into the season. It says a lot about the Longhorns’ talent that they can lose 14 players to the NFL and still be the preseason favorites to win it all.
Head coach Steve Sarkisian does bring back some key pieces from last year’s 13-win team, along with the country’s top-rated recruiting class. While Texas is stacked with elite talent, there is one player who has Longhorns fans in a frenzy.
The Arch Manning era is finally here after the highly touted quarterback waited his turn behind Quinn Ewers the last two seasons. Look for the offense to be more versatile under Manning because of his threat as a runner, something Texas didn’t have with Ewers. We won’t have to wait long to see if Manning can live up to the hype. The Longhorns open the season at defending national champions Ohio State on Aug. 30.
Sarkisian also used the transfer portal to fill in holes, especially at defensive tackle, where Cole Brevard (Purdue), Travis Shaw (North Carolina) and Hero Kanu (Ohio State) will all have an immediate impact. Texas must replace the entire starting defensive line and Thorpe Award winner Jahdae Barron in the secondary, although the talent is there for the Longhorns to field one of the top defenses in the country.
I have Texas rated No. 1 in my power rankings heading into the season. The Longhorns have a deep, talented roster and Manning will prove to be an upgrade over Ewers at quarterback. However, Texas does have some question marks entering the season as well.
Texas Longhorns best bets
- Texas +280 to win the SEC
- Texas +3 vs. Ohio State
Texas is the favorite to win both the SEC and College Football Playoff, although the Longhorns find themselves underdogs in their opening game at Ohio State. That explains why the win total is set at just 9.5. While I like Texas to go over its win total, I’m not laying -192 to bet it.
The bet I like is Texas to win the SEC at +280. This wager takes the Ohio State matchup out of the equation because it’s not a conference game. The SEC schedule isn’t bad with road games against Florida and Georgia being the two toughest tests. The Longhorns can lose to both Ohio State and Georgia and still have a good chance at playing in the SEC Championship Game.
I just don’t see a team this talented losing three games during the regular season. The fact Texas can lose its two hardest games of the season and still cash this bet makes it worth a shot at +280.
If you like the Longhorns to win the National Championship, it’s probably best to bet it now. If Texas wins at Ohio State, the +550 odds will likely be gone for good.
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