2012 Alamo Bowl: Texas vs. Oregon State odds and lines

The No. 23 ranked Texas Longhorns are not traveling too far when they face the No. 13 ranked Oregon St. Beavers in the 2012 Alamo Bowl. The crowd will likely be an overwhelming pro-Texas crowd, and that could be why Oregon State is only a field goal favorite over Texas. The line actually opened up with Oregon State being just a one-point favorite.

One key item that will affect the outcome, as well as the line, is the quarterback play for each team. Both the Beavers and Longhorns have played different quarterbacks this year. Oregon State started the season with Sean Mannion under center, but he missed a few weeks with an injury and in came Cody Vaz who performed well. Mannion was moved back into he starting lineup once healthy, but head coach Mike Riley has elected to go with Vaz to play against Texas.

Texas has primarily played David Ash at quarterback this year, but there was a chance that backup Case McCoy could earn the start since Ash was injured during the TCU game and did not play in the season finale against Kansas State. However, head coach Mack Brown announced on Dec. 17 that Ash would be the starter.

Both quarterbacks have seen plenty of playing time, including multiple starts, so this is not a situation where either team is going to be playing an inexperienced player.

If the coaches do decide to swap their quarterbacks during the game, it could have an effect on the over/under, which is currently 57.5 points. That is down after the opening number was 60.