College Football Week 13 Picks: TCU Horned Frogs vs. Texas Longhorns

Head coach Mack Brown has grown accustomed to spending Thanksgiving Day on the sidelines, as the Texas Longhorns (8-2) prepare to take on the TCU Horned Frogs (6-4) in Austin, with the opening kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

The Longhorns opened up as eight-point home favorites in the Week 13 college football betting odds (courtesy of SBR Forum), while the total stands at 58 in the market.

Brown has led Thursday night's host to four consecutive victories, including a 33-7 blowout win over the Iowa State Cyclones as 10.5-point home favorites on Nov. 10.

Let's take a closer look at this Big 12 Conference matchup from a betting perspective while offering up an against-the-spread (ATS) pick along the way.

TCU Horned Frogs

The TCU Horned Frogs have compiled a solid 13-9 record against ranked opponents during the Gary Patterson era, as they look to bounce back from a disappointing 23-10 loss to the Kansas State Wildcats as 6.5-point home underdogs.

Sports bettors will find that the Horned Frogs have covered the spread in nine of their last 10 games following a setback.

Texas Longhorns

The Texas Longhorns have won 15 consecutive home games against the TCU Horned Frogs—a statistic that will attract a lot of betting action on their side.

Sports bettors will find that the Longhorns have compiled a disappointing 2-7 ATS record in their last nine games in Austin when facing a team with a winning road record.

Las Vegas Perspective

I reached out to Jimmy Vaccaro earlier this week about this high-profile affair. He serves as the public relations director for William Hill U.S., and here's what he had to say: 

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Both sides have had disappointing seasons, but both still fighting for a marginal to above-average bowl game. I'll take Gary Patterson over Mack Brown in this situation.

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Prediction

I'm going to recommend that readers back the TCU Horned Frogs in this Thanksgiving Day affair, as the Texas Longhorns have gone 1-5 ATS as a home favorite of 7.5 to 10 points since 2010.

College Football Week 13 Pick: TCU Horned Frogs +8

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