Texas vs Louisiana Odds and Picks – Sept. 4th

• The #23 Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns travel to Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas to take on the #21 Texas Longhorns at 4:30 pm ET on Saturday, Sept. 4th
• Steve Sarkisian will make his long-awaited Longhorns’ coaching debut; Billy Napier looks to win his 2nd straight season opener against a Big 12 program
• See the odds, spread, and best bets below

The last time the Texas Longhorns won the National Title they opened their season against Louisiana. The Longhorns absolutely demolished the Ragin’ Cajuns 60-3 that day, but a lot has changed since 2005. Saturday at 4:30pm ET, when we turn our televisions to FOX, we’ll see exactly how much has changed.

One change that is noticeable is that gambling is becoming legal all across the country. The line on this game opened at Texas -10.5 but has been bet all the way down to -8 at many shops including DraftKings.

The total has stayed pretty steady but bettors seem to be liking the Ragin’ Cajuns.

Louisiana vs Texas Odds

Odds as of September 3rd at DraftKings

Bijan Robinson Won’t Be Stopped

It’s Steve Sarkisian’s first game as the Longhorns’ head coach but it’s pretty obvious that he will run the offense through Bijan Robinson. Texas will be lead onto the field for this one by a second-year freshman quarterback, so Robinson’s value can’t be understated. The Longhorns need him to be a workhorse in the new offense and judging by what he did last year, that won’t be a problem.

https://twitter.com/DP_NFL/status/1383863304641126409?s=20

Sarkisian had Najee Harris last year at Alabama so we have an idea of what Robinson’s role will look like. It will be up to the Longhorn offensive line to make things happen. Former Alabama offensive line coach, Kyle Flood, was hired in the offseason which should go a long way in developing a young unit.

If the offensive line can hold their own and get Robinson going, it will take pressure off of their freshman signal caller. That’s just a fact. Even if Card struggles, the Longhorns can always go back to last season’s Alamo Bowl star, Casey Thompson. Texas is loaded.

Louisiana is No Joke

The Ragin’ Cajuns aren’t just some random school that is a trendy pick this week. They are a team that only lost one game last year and they rolled the Iowa State Cyclones in their opening game. They are more than capable of playing with the “big boys” especially given the fact that Levi Lewis will be under center.

🗣 If you don’t know about Levi Lewis, now you do. pic.twitter.com/DF1TYyihqr

— Jovan Alford (@Jovan10) September 12, 2020

Levi Lewis is more than just a guy with a sweet name. Louisiana doesn’t necessarily throw the ball much, as they were 12th in the country in yards per rush last season but they still need Lewis to be at his best. I would think his role will grow in this offense so we could see him run even more than he did last season. That will give another element to the offense for the Longhorns to contend with.

Best Betting Angle

Nobody wants to take an under but that could be the way to go in this one. Both teams will likely want to run the ball – especially Texas. While I don’t think Louisiana will be able to do much to stop it, I also don’t think Robinson will be breaking off 80-yard runs every couple minutes.

I know that Iowa State hung 31 points on Iowa State last year, but two touchdowns came on kick returns. They 95-yard kick return and an 83-yard punt return. Even the touchdown on offense was a 78-yard bomb. If the big plays are contained, this one could easily finish in the 40s which will ruin an over bettor’s day.

Pick: Under 58 (-105)