Texas Longhorns vs Kentucky Wildcats Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 10/18/2025

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Saturday, October 18, 2025

Venue:  Kroger Field at Commonwealth Stadium, Lexington, KY

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Texas -12.5, Kentucky +12.5; Over/Under:  42.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Texas -12.5, Kentucky +12.5; Over/Under:  42.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Texas -12.5, Kentucky +12.5; Over/Under:  42.5 points

Texas Longhorns:  4-2 (1-1) (10th place, SEC)

Kentucky Wildcats:  2-3 (0-3) (15th place, SEC)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Brian Bitler is on a HOT STREAK in college football on a 22-11-2 CFB RUN for +$10,000 PROFIT! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Texas Longhorns:  won their last game at a neutral site against the Oklahoma Sooners 23-6.

Kentucky Wildcats:  lost their last game on the road against the Georgia Bulldogs 35-14.

Texas is entering this game with a 4-2 record overall and they have a 1-1 record in their conference games too. They are 3-0 in their home games, 0-2 in their road games, and they are also 1-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against Oklahoma 23-6. Arch Manning was the starting QB and he completed 21/27 passes for 166 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 0 interceptions. Quintrevion Wisner led the team in rushing yards with 94. DeAndre Moore Jr. led the receivers with 50 receiving yards on 3 receptions and 1 TD. Michael Taaffe led the defense in that game with 6 solo tackles and 2 assisted tackles while Colin Simmons led the defense in sacks with 2.5. Malik Muhammad came away with 2 interceptions while Graceson Littleton came away with 1 INT for them in that one.

 

 

 

Kentucky is entering this game with a 2-3 record overall and they have a 0-3 record in their conference games too. They are 2-1 in their home games, 0-2 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They lost their last game against Georgia 35-14. Cutter Boley was the starting QB and he completed 25/41 passes for 225 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Seth McGowan led the team in rushing yards with 44. Kendrick Law led the receivers with 64 receiving yards on 6 receptions and 1 TD. Jonquis Hardaway led the defense in that game with 7 solo tackles and 4 assisted tackles while no one on the defense recorded a sack for them. Jordan Lovett and Grant Grayton each came away with 1 interception for them in that one.

The current betting odds have Texas listed as a 12.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Texas has looked good in their games this season with their 4-2 record overall, but their 1-1 conference record has them lower in the SEC. Their defense has looked great this year as they have one of the best defenses in the nation that hasn't been giving up many points, but their offense has looked terrible with Arch Manning not living up to the hype. He has looked better in their last few games though and they are coming off a big 23-6 win over Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry which will give them some momentum going forward. Meanwhile, Kentucky hasn't looked good in their games this season with their 2-3 record overall and their 0-3 conference record which has them right near the bottom of the SEC. They are coming out of their bye week after losing their last one to Georgia 35-14, but their offense has been a big issue all season. They have already made a change at QB this season and the offense hasn't looked any better as they struggle to move the ball. The defense hasn't looked great when they have had to face better offenses too. Texas has a lot of their own issues on offense this season, but they still have one of the best defenses in the nation that isn't going to let Kentucky do much in this game. Texas should also have some momentum from the win over Oklahoma which will carry into this one. The best way to place a bet here is on Texas to cover the spread in this game. 

Texas Kentucky Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, October 18, 2025 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Texas 28 Kentucky 7.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this Texas Longhorns Kentucky Wildcats prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NCAAF predictions and previews.

Texas Longhorns: 1-4 ATS when playing against a team with a losing record. 42-59 ATS after a game with a turnover margin of +2 or better. 3-7 ATS on the road in games played on turf. 7-2 UNDER when the total is between 42.5 and 49. 14-6 UNDER against conference opponents. 

Kentucky Wildcats: 4-1 ATS vs. good defensive teams who give up 17 or less points/game. 5-1 ATS versus good defensive teams - allowing 310 yards/game or less. 4-1 ATS versus good defensive teams - allowing 4.5 yards/play or less. 27-19 UNDER in a home game where the total is between 42.5 and 49. 

Texas Longhorns:  C. Baxter Jr. (RB) Questionable - Hamstring. A. Cojoe (OG) Out - Knee.

Kentucky Wildcats:  J. Smith (CB) Questionable - Undisclosed. E. Brown (TE) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. Wilcox (RB) Questionable - Personal. N. Addison (CB) Questionable - Undisclosed. D. Washington Jr. (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. P. Bowman (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. N. Smith (DL) Questionable - Undisclosed. D. Waller Jr. (CB) Questionable - Undisclosed.

“We learned how to fight today. We saw the true character of the men in that locker room.” - Steve Sarkisian after his team’s win against Oklahoma in their last game. 

“I’d hate to give anything like that legs. There’s zero chance I’m walking away. There’s no quit in me, so that’s unequivocally 100% false. Anyone who tells you that is lying.” - Mark Stoops after his team’s loss against Georgia in their last game. 

WR Wingo, Ryan

WR Livingstone, Parker

WR Moore Jr., DeAndre

TE Endries, Jack

QB Manning, Arch

RB Wisner, Quintrevion 

WR Farrier II, Fred

WR Maclin, Ja'Mori

WR Law, Kendrick

TE Kattus, Josh

TE Rodriguez, Willie

QB Boley, Cutter

RB McGowan, Seth

Passing: Arch Manning (1,317)

Rushing: Arch Manning (194)

Receiving: Parker Livingstone (308)

Touchdowns: Arch Manning (5)

Passing: Cutter Boley (627)

Rushing: Seth McGowan (431)

Receiving: Kendrick Law (174)

Touchdowns: Seth McGowan (7)

Coaches:

Texas Longhorns: Steve Sarkisian (5th season)

Kentucky Wildcats: Mark Stoops (13th season)