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Texas playing host to Vanderbilt is one of just two games on the college football slate this weekend featuring two Top 20 teams. While the one-loss Commodores have looked like a team of destiny this season, and the two-loss Longhorns have looked gettable seemingly every week, it's where this game falls on the schedule that makes it that much more intriguing. With Texas favored by just 2.5 points at home against Vanderbilt, Vegas sees the contest as a pick'em, but the calendar points to this being a nightmare spot for Vandy and the perfect spot for the Longhorns. Saturday's game will mark Texas' first home game since playing host to Sam Houston on September 20. During the Horns' brutal stretch away from home, it included trips to Florida, Kentucky, and Mississippi State, plus a neutral-site game against Oklahoma on October 11. It's safe to say that Texas and the 100,000 fans who will fill Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday are looking forward to the opportunity to play at home for the first time in 42 days. On the other side, Vanderbilt has played just one game outside of Nashville since September 14, which was a 30-14 defeat at Alabama. Vandy could very well keep things rolling and avoid the potential of a ‘schedule loss,’ but it's impossible to ignore how great the matchup looks in favor of Texas, exclusively on paper, that is. Texas is also the more desperate team of the two, given that the Longhorns must, at the very least, win three of their last four games of the regular season if they want a chance at getting into the College Football Playoff. With a game at Georgia and visits from Arkansas and Texas A&M left on the slate beyond that, losing to Vandy and having to beat the Bulldogs and Aggies is an incredibly tall order for Texas. Vanderbilt could still get into the Playoff field with a loss at Texas on Saturday, with Auburn, Kentucky, and a trip to Knoxville left on its schedule to end the season. Saturday's contest in Austin is a massive one and very well could be a make-or-break spot for both teams when we close the book on the 2025 regular season next month.
