Texas, fresh off the first No. 1 ranking in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 poll in program history, finds itself a 2.5-point underdog to No. 3 Ohio State for their Week 1 showdown in Columbus, according to ESPN BET lines.
Barring significant line movement, this would make the Longhorns the first top-ranked team to be an underdog in Week 1, according to ESPN Research data dating back to 1978.
The previous tightest Week 1 point spread for a No. 1 team was when Florida State lost outright as a four-point favorite at No. 8 Miami in 1988. Auburn also lost as a five-point favorite against No. 10 Miami in 1984, while Notre Dame won and covered as a five-point favorite against No. 4 Michigan in 1990.
ESPN BET reports Texas-Ohio State as its most-bet college football game in early betting, with the Longhorns attracting 54.1% of the handle on the spread and 73.6% of the handle on the money line (+115). On the total (48.5), 26.4% of bets and 56.4% of money are on the under (-115).
Texas and Ohio State are the two betting favorites for the national championship, as they both show +550 odds to win the College Football Playoff; No. 2 Penn State, which missed the top spot in the AP poll by just five points, is next on the odds board at +600.
The Longhorns and Buckeyes are also popular among the betting public in that market, as they’ve racked up 21.7% and 13.9% of the tickets, respectively, to be the two most-backed teams by bets. Penn State (11.7%) edged out Ohio State (11.0%) for national championship handle, but Texas reigns supreme for money taken with 12.2%.