Saturday's contest marks the 14th meeting between the Longhorns and Jayhawks on the football field, where Kansas has lost 11 in a row to Texas after winning the first two match ups in the series... in 1901 and 1938. The Jayhawks hope to end that streak facing a banged up and thinned out Texas roster playing its first true road game of the season.
Or maybe Tyrone Swoopes will follow Vince Young and Case McCoy and take his turn stealing a victory from Kansas late in the 4th quarter. Obligatory:
VY forever and ever, Amen.
Alright, let's get to it. Here's everything you need to know for Longhorns Game Day.
Texas at Kansas Game Day Vitals
Kickoff: 3:15 pm CDT (BON game thread will go up at 1:00 pm)
A mid-afternoon kickoff in Austin in August is likely to be torturously hot, but it's damn near ideal for a late September tilt in Lawrence. It's not the depressing, too-early noon slot that's best spent dozing on the couch to the soothing sights and sounds of Pam Ward and Hoosier football, nor is it a road game under the lights amidst a raucous crowd jacked to beat Texas after drinking all day. This isn't exactly a 2:30 pm ABC Game of the Week match up, but we're getting the golden time slot. I'll take it.
Weather: Sunny, with a high of 83 degrees and a light 5-10 mile-per-hour wind.
That's pretty well perfect in my book: Warm, but not hot. A slight breeze, but nothing disruptive. Sorry, but I'm not one of those insane people who loves it when autumn's falling temperatures force you into a jacket.
Television: Fox Sports 1 (online tool for finding FS1 on your television)
Announcers: Tim Brando (play-by-play) and Brady Quinn (color)
No complaints about Tim Brando, one of the better play-by-play guys out there, but Brady Quinn is an unknown, manning the booth as a color analyst for the first time in 2014. I haven't heard any of his work so far this year, so I really don't know what to expect. Given the track record of guys like Joey Harrington and Joel Klatt, my expectations are low.
Texas Record: 1-2 (BYE last week)
Although the bye week came at a pretty decent time for Texas and its young starting quarterback, we still managed to lose a key player, as Kennedy Estelle smoked his way out of the program. You almost can't help but wonder who will be lost for the year this week?
Kansas Record: 2-1 (W, 24-10 vs Central Michigan last week)
Sure, the Jayhawks got walloped against ACC powerhouse Duke, but a two-touchdown win over the Chippewas is respectable. Right? Central Michigan won at Purdue, after all. Okay, maybe that doesn't mean much.
Game Previews: Start with the official game day Media Guide, then get to know the Jayhawk personnel with Wescott's positional breakdown. Elsewhere, Rock Chalk Talk and Barking Carnival got together to exchange questions, and Scipio Tex ventured to offer a match up preview.
Las Vegas Line: TEXAS (-12) over KU; Over/Under = 41.5 points.
Texas opened as a 16.5 point favorite, which means a lot of money came in the other way. Smart money, if you ask me. It may be sensible to peg the Longhorns as favorites in this one, but it's not hard to envision a path to victory for Kansas -- and quite hard to see this UT offense posting a big number on the scoreboard. If Kansas can pop some big runs on us -- as they have this season and in recent match ups against Texas -- they could easily find themselves with a victory to celebrate on Homecoming.
Prediction: All that being said... I still can't bring myself to call it for KU. Rock Chalk covers, but the good guys find a way in the end: Texas 22 Kansas 20
Enjoy your Football Saturday, and Hook 'Em!