Texas Longhorns open as heavy favorites against Vanderbilt

AUSTIN – The Texas Longhorns will head into Nashville on Saturday as heavy road favorites over the newly ranked Vanderbilt Commodores.

After a 30-15 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs in Austin, No. 5 Texas is ahead of No. 25 Vanderbilt by 18.5 points, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.

The Commodores held on against Ball State on Saturday, securing a 24-14 win. Vanderbilt has now won three straight against Texas, highlighted by a 40-35 victory over then-No. 1 Alabama on October 5th.

After the loss to Georgia, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said the Longhorns will have a chance to regroup in preparation for Vanderbilt.

“The beauty of this format is that losing a game like this doesn’t kill you,” Sarkisian said. “Everything we want is still ahead of us. The challenge for us is to regroup, get back off the mat and get ready for a Vanderbilt team next week that will be hungry for us to come to town and get it. “We’re back in the swing of things , going in the right direction, finishing the second phase of the season, trying to get a W and working our way back in the direction we want to go.”

Given how they have played so far this season, the Commodores will be hard-pressed to get close to the Longhorns and demand Texas’ full attention.

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia had an all-around productive year, completing 102 of 154 passes for 1,391 yards, 11 touchdowns and one pick. He leads the team in rushing attempts (118) and rushing yards (470) while using his legs to find the end zone three times. Tight end Eli Stowers, a native of Denton, Texas, leads the Commordores in catches (33), receiving yards (463) and has caught two touchdowns.

No. 5 Texas and No. 25 Vanderbilt will kick off in Nashville on Saturday at 3:15 p.m. CT on SEC Network