Texas Longhorns vs. Kansas Jayhawks Odds and Predictions

Kansas Jayhawks (6-4) will play host to Texas Longhorns (6-4) during Week 12 of the college football season. The Longhorns were locked (pun intended) in a defensive battle with an undefeated TCU Horned Frogs team last Saturday but lost the war of attrition 17-10. The Texas offense was blanked in the first half after scoring 68 points combined in the previous two weeks. The only Longhorns touchdown came via a defensive fumble recovery returned for a touchdown. Star running back Bijan Robinson put up, arguably his worst collegiate stat line to date, totaling 29 yards on 12 rushes. TCU had little trouble stacking the box with Robinson's fellow backfield mate, QB Quinn Ewers, going 17-of-39 for 171 yards and a pick.

Texas vs. Kansas Betting Odds

Team	Spread	Over/Under	Moneyline
Texas Longhorns	-9.5	063,5	-350
Kansas Jayhawks	+9.5	u63,5	+260

All Lines Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook

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Meanwhile, Kansas lost a shootout to the Texas Tech Red Raiders, 43-28. The Jayhawks tallied 525 yards but turned the ball over twice compared to the Red Raiders' failure to register any. QB Jason Bean finished 17-of-28 for 270 yards and four touchdowns. Jalon Daniels, the starter at the beginning of the year, looks set to return to action this week, clouding the QB situation heading into the Texas game.

Tale of the Tape

The Texas Longhorns are in year two of the Steve Sarkisian experience. After a disappointing 5-7 campaign in 2021, the Longhorns have improved but are yet to return to their early 2000s glory. Quarterback Quinn Ewers, who made waves last season for skipping his senior year of high school to take a million-dollar NIL deal at Ohio State, is having a solid freshman campaign, throwing for 13 touchdowns against six picks. The Longhorns' offense features two of the best skill position players in the Big 12, if not the country. Bijan Robinson, projected to be the first running back off the board in the 2023 NFL draft, leads the league in yards from scrimmage, while WR Xavier Worthy is the Big 12 leader in receiving touchdowns at nine. Overall, Texas has one of the better offenses in the Big 12, a conference littered with high-octane passing attacks and ferocious run games.

Longhorns' defense is stellar against the run but struggles with the opposition's aerial attack. Texas allows 3.4 yards per rushing attempt, the second-best mark in the conference, just behind Iowa State. Opposing passers complete 64.8% of their passes for 244.7 yards per game. They rank near the bottom of the Big 12 with regard to turnovers forced per game at 1.1.

Kansas Jayhawks, an annual bottom feeder in the Big 12 for the last decade, were a pleasant surprise in the early part of the season. The Jayhawks started 4-0, a feat they have not managed since the Bush administration era, and were ranked in the AP top 20 for the first time since 2009. At 6-4, they have a realistic chance of matching their win total from the previous five seasons combined. Kansas are tied for the conference lead for passing touchdowns per game at 2.5 while averaging the least number of attempts. The rushing attack has been stellar, leading the Big 12 with 7.3 yards per pop.

While the Jayhawks are highly efficient on offense, they tend to struggle, often allowing big plays on defense. They are second to last in the conference in passing yards per game allowed (277), rushing yards per game allowed (166.7), and opponents yards per play (5.8). Their saving grace is forcing nearly two turnovers per game.

Texas vs. Kansas Prediction

As abysmal as the Jayhawks have been on defense this year, they have been equally electric on offense. The addition of Jalon Daniels back into the starting lineup should provide a spark to an already solid Jayhawks run game. Meanwhile, the UT offense was stellar before last week's debacle against TCU. So a date with the Jayhawks' defense should be all the Longhorns need to get back on track.