The line for Thursday’s Texas A&M at Texas football game may seem a little extreme on first glance. The Longhorns are favored by 35 points. Talk about a smack in the face of the Aggies, who have defeated the Longhorns the last two years.

This is a bitter rivalry, which may lead some people to think taking the Aggies and their five touchdowns is the smart play. I’m not buying it. Here’s why: BCS.

At No. 2 in the only poll that matters, Texas wants to stay ahead of No. 3 Oklahoma, which will travel on the road to No. 12 Oklahoma State on Saturday. An OU victory on the road, coupled with the 65-21 beating the Sooners gave the Red Raiders last week, could be all OU needs to get to No. 2 and in the BCS Championship game.

Therefore, the Longhorns need style points. Colt McCoy won’t come out of the game should they build a sizable lead. It may seem disrespectful, but UT coach Mack Brown may be forced to run up the score just to keep UT in the BCS Championship hunt.

Prediction: Texas 56, Texas A&M 17.