By Charles Jay
The Texas Longhorns have had a tumultuous first season under Charlie Strong, but they like to think that they have a basis to move forward in rebuilding the program. And now they have a chanced to go out out of the 2014 season on a winning note as they take on the Arkansas Razorbacks in Monday’s Texas Bowl, as college football betting action kicks off at 9 PM ET at NRG Stadium in Houston, which is home to the NFL’s Houston Texans.
These two teams have proud histories, and some of it has taken place against each other, when they were a part of the Southwestern Conference. Of course, Texas moved on to the Big 12, while Arkansas is now in the SEC. Both of the programs have been down recently, but have made a lot of progress during this season.
Both Texas and Arkansas finished the season with 6-6 straight-up records. The Longhorns were 7-5 against the football pointspread, while the Razorbacks went 9-3 versus the number.
In the college football betting odds that have been posted at Vietbet on this game, Arkansas is the favorite:
Arkansas Razorbacks -6.5
Texas Longhorns +6.5
Over 44.5 points -110
Under 44.5 points -110
When Strong came over from Louisville to Texas, he initiated discipline, and that left some players off the team. Injuries also took their toll; the Longhorns suffered some attrition on the offensive line, and also lost quarterback David Ash, who had to retire because of recurring concussions. Sophomore Tyrone Swoopes had to take over behind center, and he is still a work in progress, with a 13-10 ratio (touchdowns to interceptions). He has his lapses, however, as was evident when he turned the ball over five times against TCU.
Arkansas’ quarterback, Brandon Allen, is probably more solid (19 TD’s, 6 INT’s), but he is going to be dependent more on the running game. Vietbet customers should keep in mind that coach Bret Bielema came from Wisconsin, where he had a bruising ground attack, and he wants to pound the ball, without question. The Hogs averaged 5.2 yards per carry. Texas may be relatively unsure of itself on offense, but they can play some defense; after all, despite the 48-10 loss to TCU, they held the Horned Frogs to their lowest yardage total of the year.
Arkansas has handled more capable offenses than Texas; indeed, the Razorbacks gave a scare to Alabama (lost 14-13) and Mississippi State (lost 17-10), then turned around and shut out LSU 17-0 and Ole Miss 30-0. There was little doubt that they were one of the top 25 teams in the country. They just were not able to consistently prove that.
Vietbet patrons must take note of the way these teams has performed relative to the college football betting total. Arkansas has played its last four games under the total, while Texas has gone “under” in four of its last five games. Strong pulled off a bit of a shocker over Florida in the Sugar Bow three seasons ago when he was the head man at Louisville. Bielema has been in seven bowl games, but has never been favored in any of them.
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