Texas opens as heavy favorite against Mississippi State

The Texas Longhorns narrowly avoided another late-game disappointment at the hands of the Ole Miss Rebels and opened as a 20.5-point favorite against the Mississippi State Bulldogs, according to FanDuel .

Early in the season, the Bulldogs were one of the country's top offenses, rattling off four straight wins, including a big win over then-ranked Missouri Tigers. However, multiple injuries to star quarterback Kamario Taylor have sapped all of their momentum, dropping three consecutive games, including a pair of blowout losses to Alabama and LSU. Taylor started the game against OU, but left the game early due to another injury, which probably contributed to the Bulldogs' status as heavy underdogs.

Freshman Billy Puckett stepped in for him, throwing just one touchdown pass and two interceptions in his four appearances. They have leaned on running back Fluff Bothwell, who averaged more than 6.5 yards per carry against a salty Oklahoma Sooners defense as OU tries to move up the standings in the season's waning weeks. The Texas front will have it work cut out for them yet again as they try to do their part to dig out of the SEC cellar.

On the other sideline, Texas got a narrow win over the Ole Miss Rebels, but will seemingly be without both star left tackle Trevor Goosby and wide receiver Cam Coleman, who both left the game early due to injury. While there are no official updates on their status for the game against the Bulldogs, Goosby was on crutches Saturday night and Coleman returned to the sideline in street clothes after his early exit.

For the year, Texas is 2-5 against the spread, with the lone covers coming in the opener against Texas State and the narrow victory over the Rebels in Austin. Much like their on-the-field result, Mississippi State started the season 4-0 against the spread, but lost the last three games, dropping the last three against Alabama, LSU, and Oklahoma.