The No. 11 Texas Longhorns will open the season against the Rice Owls on Saturday afternoon, with expectations continuing to rise under third-year head coach Steve Sarkisian. Texas went 8-5 last year, ending the campaign with a loss to Washington in the Valero Alamo Bowl. Rice went 5-8 last year, but it made an appearance in a bowl game for the first time since 2014 due to the team's high APR rate. The Owls are playing in their first season in the AAC after leaving Conference USA in July. 

Kickoff at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin is set for 3:30 p.m. ET. The Longhorns are 35.5-point favorites in the latest Texas vs. Rice odds, per SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 59. 

Before making any Rice vs. Texas picks or college football predictions, you NEED to see the predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Since its inception, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of almost $2,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen HUGE returns.

The model knows that Texas is entering one of its most anticipated seasons since making a run to the national title game in 2009. The Longhorns went 8-5 last year, with all five of those losses coming by seven points or fewer. They lost by one point to Alabama and by seven points to TCU, which eventually played in the College Football Playoff title game. Texas has been picked to win the Big 12 for the first time since 2009 before it leaves for the SEC in 2024. 

The model also knows that Rice went to a bowl game for the first time since 2014 last year, finishing with a 5-8 record. There were not enough teams that reached the six-win bowl-eligibility mark, so Rice earned an opportunity due to its high APR rate. Quarterback JT Daniels is facing Texas for the third time in his career, with his first coming in 2018 (USC) and his second coming last year (West Virginia). 

Now, the model has set its sights on Texas vs. Rice. We can tell you it is leaning Over on the total, and it also says one side of the spread hits well over 60% of the time! You ABSOLUTELY need to see it before locking in any college football picks!

Who wins Rice vs. Texas, and which side of the spread hits well over 60% of the time? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the Texas vs. Rice spread you should be all over on Saturday, all from the model that's up nearly $2,500 on top-rated CFB spread picks since its inception!