Texas opened as a 9.5-point favorite over Oklahoma at BetMGM. By Saturday’s 1:45 p.m. Central pregame report, the Longhorns were −7.5 after spending several days moving between −7.5 and −8.
That two-point move made a difference to Texas backers. A Longhorns win by eight or nine would cover −7.5 but lose at the opening −9.5. Oklahoma bettors who took the opener had two more points of protection than those taking +7.5.
Even at the shorter number, BetMGM reported substantial money coming in on Texas and said it wanted Oklahoma +7.5 to cover. The line had moved toward Oklahoma from the opener, while the reported later action favored Texas.
That is the interesting tension in this matchup: the direction of the line and the book’s preferred result tell different parts of the story. The report did not identify the early bettors as sharps or give a numerical betting split.