ESPN bowl projections: Matchups against historical programs

Currently at 9-3, Texas could end up anywhere this bowl season. ESPN projects the Camping World Bowl and the Alamo Bowl for the Longhorns.

Currently sitting at 9-3, which bowl game the Longhorns will make is still up in the air. They could go as high as the Allstate Sugar Bowl or they could end up as low as the Texas Bowl. According to ESPN’s bowl projections, Texas is somewhere in between there.

Here is a look at where ESPN thinks the Longhorns will be bowling:

First, Kyle Bonagura projects Texas to participate in the Camping World Bowl in Orlando, FL. Since 2015, it has been a bowl game between Big 12 and ACC teams. If the Longhorns were to play in the Camping World Bowl, it would be the first time they would participate in it. What sticks out is their opponent, Notre Dame. Two of the most historic programs of all time, both schools are in the top 10 in all-time wins in NCAA history.

Playing as recent as 2015 and 2016, the Fighting Irish and the Longhorns have played a total of 12 times, with Notre Dame leading the series 9-3. The latest game in 2016 is the infamous “Texas is back folks!” game when Tyrone Swoopes scored a touchdown to beat the No. 10 ranked Irish in Austin, 50-47.

With Mark Schlabach projecting both Oklahoma and Baylor to get spots in a New Year’s Six Bowl game, that would leave the second-best Big 12 bowl game, the Valero Alamo Bowl, open for the Longhorns. Texas has not played in the Alamo Bowl since doing it in back to back seasons in 2012 and 2013 when they played Oregon State and Oregon respectively. Playing Pac 12 opponents, Schlabach says Texas will face the Trojans of USC.

These two teams have a lot of recent history and if they met, would be playing each other for the third year in a row. The Longhorns lost a heartbreaker on the road in 2017, while they beat the Trojans by 23 at home last season.

As usual when talking about Texas and USC, you have to mention the 2006 Rose Bowl game for the National Championship. Widely considered the greatest college football game of all time, Texas fans will be remembering this game for the rest of their lives.

Even if the Longhorns are not able to make the most prestigious bowl game this season, these matchups could still be some fun ones. Especially when you are playing against historical blue blood programs like Notre Dame and USC.

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Texas-Iowa State odds: Longhorns underdogs in Ames

Previewing Saturday’s Texas at Iowa State college football matchup, with college football betting odds, picks and best bets

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The Texas Longhorns (6-3, 4-2 Big 12) and Iowa State Cyclones (5-4, 3-3) hook up at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa, at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday, and though Texas is ranked NO. 19, Iowa State is favored by nearly a touchdown.

We analyze the Texas-Iowa State odds and betting lines, while providing college football betting tips and advice on this matchup.

Texas at Iowa State: Three things you need to know

1. Texas has a marginal record, but it’s no fault of the offense. The Longhorns are 20th in the country in total yards (476.7), 16th in passing yards (303.7) and 14th in points scored (37.8). Defensively, however, Texas is 109th in total yards allowed (447.6) and 124th in passing yards allowed (299.6).

2. Iowa State can match Texas offensively, as ranking 16th in total yards (479.2), eighth in passing yards (323.2) and tied for 19th in points scored (36.4). It is on defense where the Cyclones separate from the Longhorns, ranking 32nd in rushing yards allowed (128.4) and 43rd in total yards allowed (359.8).

3. The home team is 5-2 against the spread in the past seven meetings in this series, and the under is 4-0 in the past four battles.


Get some action on this game or others by placing a bet at BetMGM!


Texas at Iowa State: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 2:20 p.m. ET.

Prediction

Iowa State 41, Texas 38

Moneyline (ML)

Iowa State (-257) is too steep at this price, although the Cyclones should be able to pull it out at home. Still, while they’re nearly a touchdown favorite, this one really could go either way.

New to sports betting? A $10 wager on Iowa State to win would return a profit of $3.90.

Against the Spread (ATS)

TEXAS (+6.5, -106) is ranked in the Top 20 for a reason. Between QB Sam Ehlinger and WR Devin Duvernay, this offense can roll up a lot of points and hang with anyone. Iowa State (-6.5, -115) also sports a high-powered offense, led by QB Brock Purdy. Remember, though, the Longhorns are 14-2 straight up in this series, and 6-1 in their seven trips to I-State.

Over/Under (O/U)

The OVER (65.5, -115) is the play, although you’ll be betting against all of the trends. The under is 38-16 in the past 54 for Texas against winning teams, while going 46-20 in the past 66 Big 12 battles. The under is also 19-9-2 in the past 30 for Iowa State and 7-2-1 in the past 10 against winning teams. However, both of these offenses are explosive, and the Longhorns defense is very giving.

Get some action on this game or others, place a bet with BetMGM today. And for more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Can Texas still make the Big 12 championship?

Even with losing twice, Texas is still alive for the Big 12 championship game. They’ll need to win out and get some help from other teams.

Despite losing the Red River Shootout to Oklahoma and losing on the road to TCU, Texas is still alive for the Big 12 championship. It has come down to three teams: Baylor, Oklahoma, and Texas. Here is a look at those three teams, how they have done this season, and what games they have remaining.

Baylor Bears 9-0 (6-0) Remaining games: Oklahoma, Texas, @Kansas

Baylor started the season out 3-0 in the nonconference, sneaking past Rice in their third game of the season, 21-13. In Big 12 play, the Bears have gone to double overtime with Texas Tech and triple overtime with TCU. Their impressive win of the season was a 31-12 road victory against Kansas State. All but two of their conference games have come down to one possession and have yet to make a statement. They can make that statement with a win against Oklahoma that would no doubt put them in the Big 12 championship game.

Oklahoma Sooners 8-1 (5-1) Remaining games: @Baylor, TCU, @Oklahoma State

After wrecking their way through Houston, South Dakota, and UCLA, Oklahoma came out firing in the Big 12, winning their first four games by an average of 28 points. That included a huge 34-27 win against Texas that seemed to put them in the driver’s seat in the conference. Then, a 48-41 loss on the road to Kansas State opened the doors up for teams like Texas to sneak back in. If the Sooners win out, not only are they still in contention for the Big 12 but the College Football playoff.

Texas Longhorns 6-3 (4-2) Remaining games: @Iowa State, @Baylor, Texas Tech

Starting the season out with now No. 1 LSU, Texas began the year 4-1 before coming across Oklahoma. The Sooners were able to take care of business in Dallas and the Longhorns have been struggling ever since. Losing to TCU and needing a game-winning field goal to get past Kansas and Kansas State is not what was envisioned for Texas this season. Despite all the struggles, the Longhorns are still in the race for the Big 12 championship game, they just need a little help.

That help will be determined based off of Saturday’s Baylor-Oklahoma matchup. One path is easier than the other for the Longhorns, but it may come at a cost. Here are the scenarios for Texas making the Big 12 championship:

Texas must win out

This is first and foremost the most important thing the Longhorns must do. If Texas loses any of its last three games against Iowa State, Baylor, or Texas Tech, they are more than likely done. It would still mathematically be possible, but odds are it will not happen. Texas’ schedule is the most difficult out of the three and faces an uphill battle.  Let’s assume the Longhorns are able to win against Iowa State so the other scenarios can play out.

If Oklahoma beats Baylor…

Then the Longhorns control their own destiny for the rest of the season. The Sooners would be in the driver’s seat to wear the home colored jerseys in the Big 12 championship game, but who they play would come down to Texas’ matchup against Baylor in Waco next week. It would become the most important matchup this season in the Big 12 for a couple reasons. If Texas were to win, a shot at a rematch against Oklahoma could save their season and propel them into another New Year’s Six Bowl. If Baylor were to win, they could avenge their loss against the Sooners and jump into the College Football Playoff. For any of that to happen though, Oklahoma must win in Waco Saturday night.

If Baylor beats Oklahoma…

Then the road becomes a lot more difficult. Baylor would become a lock to participate in the Big 12 championship, even if the Longhorns found a way to beat them next week. It would become a competition between Texas and Oklahoma. Each with two conference losses, if both teams are able to win out, the Sooners would get a rematch with Baylor at AT&T Stadium. Since Oklahoma beat the Longhorns back in October, they have the tiebreaker to get into the Big 12 championship. In order for Texas to get into the championship game, they would need to beat Baylor and Texas Tech, plus have Oklahoma lose one of their final two games against TCU and Oklahoma State.

Can they do it?

Yes, they can do it. As painful and weird as it may sound, Texas will most likely be cheering for Oklahoma to be beating Baylor Saturday night. Controlling your own destiny is easier than relying on TCU or Oklahoma State to beat Oklahoma. This would then set up a rematch of this year’s Red River Shootout. It would be the second year in a row these two teams met in the Big 12 championship game and would have College Football Playoff/Sugar Bowl implications on the line.

Texas will play Iowa State on Saturday at 2:30 P.M. CST on FS1, while Baylor and Oklahoma will play at 6:30 P.M on ABC.

Look: Former Longhorn DJ Augustin gets flashy with the no-look assist

32-year-old former Longhorn D.J. Augustin is reaching deeper into his bag of tricks for this no-look assist

Now in his twelfth NBA season, 32-year-old former Longhorn D.J. Augustin is reaching deeper into his bag of tricks. Check out this no-look pass he made during a game for the easy assist:

In his two seasons at Texas, Augustin averaged 16.9 points on 36.5 minutes per game, and shot the three at an impressive 40.2% clip. In the NBA, Augustin has averaged 9.8 points on 24 minutes per game with a collection of different teams, currently the Orlando Magic.

Texas DB Jalen Green issues statement on his targeting penalty during Kansas State game

Texas DB Jalen Green issues statement on his targeting penalty during Kansas State game

In the second half of the Longhorns’ matchup with Kansas State, Jalen Green was ejected for targeting, which kept him out the remainder of that game in addition to the first half of Texas’ upcoming matchup with Iowa State. Texas released this statement regarding the penalty on behalf of Green:

Here is the hit that got Green ejected:

This is an avoidable hit that is quite reckless, and Green deserved the ejection. The Longhorns need to tighten up and play more disciplined on defense to avoid hits like this. Texas is set to take on the Iowa State Cyclones this Saturday at 2:30 CT.

Texas’ series history against Iowa State

Only meeting 16 times, Texas has dominated Iowa State. With ISU only winning twice, the stakes have been raised the past two years.

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Texas plays a crucial road game against Iowa State and must win if they want to stay alive in the Big 12 championship picture. These two teams have a short history as they have only met a total of 16 times. The Longhorns dominated the begging of the series, winning seven straight. Even after an Iowa State win in 2010, Texas continued to win, beating the Cyclones seven out of the last eight.

Here is the series record between the Longhorns and Cyclones:

All-time series record: Texas leads 14-2-0

Largest wins: Texas 56-3 in 2007, Iowa State 24-0 in 2015

Latest Texas win: Nov. 17, 2018

Last season’s matchup with Iowa State was a ranked matchup as No. 13 Texas played host to the 18th ranked Cyclones. This was a strange game for the Longhorns, as both Sam Ehlinger and Shane Buechele got snaps.

Ehlinger was only able to play in the first half as he picked up a shoulder injury. Before he was forced to leave the game, he was able to get the Longhorns off to a strong start, scoring 17 points on five drives. He went 12-15 with 137 yards and a touchdown. He was also effective on the ground, having 32 yards and a touchdown.

Without Ehlinger, the Longhorns struggled, punting on four out of their six second-half drives. The other two ended with a Daniel Young fumble and a Shane Buechele 27 yards touchdown to Lil’ Jordan Humphrey. On the other hand, the Texas defense was outstanding, stopping an Iowa State offense that was averaging 427.2 yards over their five-game winning streak, to 210 yards. David Montgomery only ran for 33 yards as the Cyclones struggled running the ball.

The 24-10 win ended up being huge for the Longhorns as it was the reason they made it into the Big 12 championship game. Had Iowa State won the game, the Cyclones’ win against Kansas State the next week would have propelled them into the title game. Instead, Texas went on to beat Kansas and played in its first Big 12 championship game since 2009.

Latest Iowa State win: Oct. 31, 2015

2015 was a miserable year for the Longhorns and the matchup against Iowa State was no different. Going into the game, the Cyclones were 2-5, on a three-game losing streak, and allowing nearly 34 points a game on that streak.

Naturally, a Texas offense being led by Tyrone Swoopes and Jerrod Heard at quarterback put up a goose egg. Swoopes and Heard threw for 85 yards on 12-22 passing. The running game was not much better, as they averaged 3.7 yards per carry. Swoopes led the team in that category, rushing for 58 yards on 10 carries.

Iowa State’s offense pounded the ball on the ground, as they had 54 rushing attempts. They got 238 yards on those 54 attempts and added on two touchdowns. Running back Mike Warren had a career-high 32 carries with 157 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Joel Lanning was a mediocre 19-37 with 188 yards and a touchdown.

After defeating the Cyclones four years in a row, Texas shut out on the road, 24-0. It was their second time being shut out in two years after going a decade without it. Texas ended the season at 5-7, the first of back to back Charlie Strong 5-7 seasons.

Texas will play Iowa State on Saturday at 2:30 PM CST on FS1.

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WATCH: Highlights from Texas basketball’s win over California Baptist

Watch the highlights from the Texas Longhorns win over the California Baptist Lancers

On Tuesday night, the Texas Longhorns moved to 3-0 on the season and stay undefeated with a win over the California Baptist Lancers.

The final score: 67-54

The top scorers for the Longhorns were sophomore guard Courtney Ramey with 19 points and both Jericho Sims and Andrew Jones tallied 11 points each. Sims also added 11 rebounds, giving him a double-double.

Watch the highlights from the game below:

Via Stadium on YouTube

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Former Longhorn Malik Jefferson waived by Cleveland Browns

Former Texas Longhorns linebacker Malik Jefferson was waived by the Cleveland Browns on Tuesday

On Tuesday, former Texas Longhorns linebacker Malik Jefferson was waived by the Cleveland Browns.

Jefferson is in just his second year as a pro. He was drafted in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals.

With the Browns in 2019, Jefferson only made an appearance in one game, and that game came in week one against the Titans. In that game, Jefferson recorded just one tackle.

Hopefully, we see Malik find a new home soon. After all, he was a third-round pick last year for a reason.

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Texas basketball stays undefeated with win over California Baptist

The Texas Longhorns stay undefeated as they defeat the California Baptist Lancers

Texas basketball is off to a hot start!

A few days ago, Texas pulled off an incredible upset on the road against Purdue with a final score of 70-66.

For an encore, the Longhorns hosted and defeated the California Baptist Lancers, 67-54. Texas now moves to 3-0 on the season. Guard Courtney Ramey was a standout for the Longhorns. He helped carry the team with 19 points on 8/11 shooting, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals. He was, as some would say, a “stat sheet stuffer.”

Sophomore guard Andrew Jones was a huge plus off the bench for Texas. In 28 minutes of action, Jones shot 5/9 for 11 points. He also brought in five boards and two steals.

Up next for the Longhorns, Prarie View A&M comes to Austin on November 15th.

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WATCH: Jase Febres gets a vicious block vs California Baptist

Watch as Texas Longhorns guard Jase Febres swats a shot attempt by the California Baptist Lancers

Already three games into the 2019/20 Texas college basketball season, and the Longhorns are off to a 2-0 start.

On Tuesday night, the California Baptist Lancers came to Austin, also sitting with a 2-0 record.

With about 12:37 left in the game, Texas guard Jase Febres swats away a weak layup attempt by the Lancers. Febres may have learned a thing or two about blocking from former Longhorn Jaxson Hayes. On the night, Febres has six points on 2/9 shooting. He has averaged eight points per game.

Check out the highlight block below.

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