A four-pack of College Football Playoff games take place this weekend, and I’ve got prop picks on three of them.
The pregame narrative: In Friday’s opening matchup, Justice Ellison should have enough opportunities to clear his rushing yard total. On Saturday, Cade Klubnik is worth fading in a nightmarish matchup, and Jeremiah Smith has plus-money value to score.
Check out the best College Football Playoff prop picks for first-round action on Dec. 20-21.
College Football Playoff prop picks
Best Bet: Ellison over 49.5 rushing yards (-136)
The No. 10 Indiana Hoosiers have played in one hostile road environment this year, which was on Nov. 23 at The Horseshoe against then-No. 2 Ohio State. It did not go well.
But the Hoosiers’ main problem that day was in the passing game, as quarterback Kurtis Rourke threw for just 68 yards on 18 attempts.
No. 7 Notre Dame should give Rourke fits on Friday night, as the Irish have allowed the lowest completion percentage in the country (48.7%). That has me looking at Ellison for some production.
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Against Ohio State, Ellison chugged for 62 yards on 17 carries. That’s not efficient production by any means, but it’s not a total flop.
Ellison doesn’t have the Hoosiers’ backfield to himself, but he’s the 1A in a two-tailback system.
The Wake Forest transfer leads IU in carries and yards, and he’s averaging 67.6 yards on the ground.
Ellison has had no fewer than nine carries in any game this season. His floor is high, and Notre Dame’s pass defence should force him into action.
Key stat: Ellison has 50-plus rushing yards in nine of 12 games.
Quick picks
Klubnik under 213.5 passing yards (-120): This pick is all about the No. 5 Texas Longhorns and their stout defence.
- Texas ranked No. 2 in total defence this year, allowing 300-plus total yards only once.
- Opposing quarterbacks went under 213.5 passing yards in 12/12 games vs. the Longhorns.
The Longhorns aren’t as mean up front as last year after the NFL departures of Byron Murphy and T’vondre Sweat. But they’ve got two ballhawks in the secondary — including Clemson transfer Andrew Mukuba, who has three interceptions and three tackles for loss in his past six games.
The closest thing Klubnik has seen to this Texas defence was in the season opener against Georgia. In that game, the junior QB had a season-low 142 passing yards on 29 attempts.
Smith anytime TD scorer (+114): Smith cashed this bet in nine of 12 games, pacing the Big Ten with 10 receiving touchdowns on the season.
As the No. 1 player in the 2024 class — per 247 Sports — Smith isn’t your average true freshman. He scored in each of Ohio State’s first seven games this year, cementing himself as the go-to weapon in Columbus.
Coming off a truly embarrassing 13-10 loss to Michigan, Ohio State needs to return to a more pass-heavy attack. More passes should mean more opportunities for Smith.
Smith did score the Buckeyes’ lone TD against the Wolverines, and I don’t expect the Tennessee Volunteers to keep him out of the end zone.
Picks made at 2:40 p.m. on 12/18/2024.
Jordan enjoys writing data-driven game previews and analysis articles — especially for MLB markets or NFL/NBA props. And as a proud Ohio University grad, he’ll always have a soft spot for college sports (especially if the Bobcats are involved). Previous stops include mlb.com, Sportsnet and The Athletic.