Texas Longhorns vs Washington Huskies Point Spread Picks

Texas lost only to Oklahoma and beat Alabama while going 12-1 to get into the College Football Playoff. The Longhorns are No. 4 in the country in rush defense allowing only 81.1 yards per game and that will be important in containing Washington running back Dillon Johnson, who has 1,113 rushing yards and 14 TDs this season. Michael Penix Jr. has thrown for 4,218 yards and 33 TDs with nine interceptions. Texas will counter with a strong defensive line featuring T'Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy II that will pressure Penix as he attempts to find his wide receivers and downfield matchups have been a major factor in Washington's success. Texas QB Quinn Ewers has 3.161 passing yards and 21 TDs with only six picks in 2023 and he completed 35 of 46 for 452 yards and four TDs in the Big 12 championship game against Oklahoma State. The Huskies have won nine straight games by 10 points or fewer, but the Longhorns also have won some clutch close games while blowing out teams such as Kansas, BYU Texas Tech. Lay the points with Texas as a Max Play.

Steve Sarkisian coached Texas to a winning record in his second season with the school improving to 8-4 straight-up and ATS after finishing 5-7 in 2021. The Longhorns won and covered their final two games, including a 55-14 rout of Kansas and then defeated Baylor 38-27. Texas QB Quinn Ewers threw for 1,808 yards with 14 touchdowns and six interceptions in nine games in his first season with the school and he bounced back well following a poor performance against Oklahoma State. The Longhorns will depend on him in this game as running backs Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson have opted-out. Texas is #29 in the country in scoring defense with 21.2 points per game and #28 in rush defense. Washington doesn't have any opt-outs, but its pass defense is #90 in yards allowed per game, which makes the focus on Ewers even more pronounced. Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. has thrown for 4,354 yards and 29 TDs in his first season with the Huskies, who still are 3-1-1 UNDER their past five games and it is a high posted total in this game. Washington allows 26.3 points per game. The Longhorns are 18-6 ATS their past 24 non-conference games and Washington is 1-4-1 ATS versus Big 12 teams. The UNDER is 7-2 in Texas' past nine December games and the Huskies have gone UNDER five of seven bowl games. Take Texas (Max Play), and take this game to stay UNDER.