The opening weekend provided some spectacular performances, both individually and as a team for numerous college football teams. While many power conference squads beat up against lower-level competition, a few marquee games dotted the national landscape.
This week, only two games will feature ranked opponents as No. 3 Texas travels to Ann Arbor to face the No. 10 Michigan Wolverines while the No. 14 ranked Tennesse Volunteers travel to Raleigh to play the No. 24 ranked North Carolina State Wolfpack.
Despite having multiple big-game matchups, the second full week of college football has plenty of juicy matchups for player prop bets. We’ll cover our top four player prop bets from the college football landscape below.
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Polls are recognizing that Georgia Tech’s surprising victory over Florida State to open the season may not have been a fluke. The Yellow Jackets followed that victory up with a 35-12 beating on in-state rival Georgia State thanks to Haynes King’s 275 passing yards.
King’s top target on the young season is junior wide receiver Malik Rutherford. The 5-foot-9 speedster has three straight contests – dating back to last year – with at least one 40-yard reception.
Expect the Yellow Jackets to push Syracuse down the field with Rutherford as this wide receiver covers his player prop bet.
The Wildcats return their leading rusher from a year ago in junior D.J. Giddens. Last week, Giddens finished his day early as he recorded 13 carries for 124 rushing yards.
It was his fifth straight game with at least 100 rushing yards, dating back to last season. Tulane was a darling last season after finishing 11-3, but head coach Willie Fritz bolted to Houston after the season.
The Green Wave should give Kansas State a better game but expect the Wildcats to use their power rushing attack to win with Giddens exceeding 100 yards on the ground.
The Iowa Hawkeyes scored! No, for real. And they scored a lot! Granted, 40 points against an FCS opponent isn’t normally something to be excited about, but consider this: between Nov. 4 and Jan. 1, the Hawkeyes scored 60 total points in six games, including two straight shutouts.
Returning for a second year, Iowa QB Cade McNamara finished the game 21 of 31 for 251 yards and three touchdowns. That was nearly half his production in an injury-shortened 2023 season, so the senior signal caller is already showing he can be a difference-maker for Iowa.
In a rivalry game against the Iowa State Cyclones, expect McNamara to continue his throwing prowess and easily eclipse the 165.5-yard mark to cover his player prop bet. As an extra prop bet, book him to go over 1.5 passing touchdowns, too.
Listen, I can barely pronounce Nico Iamaleava, but Tennessee’s new starting quarterback is going to be another star in Josh Heupel’s offense. In limited playing time last season, Iamaleava recorded 314 passing yards and 71 rushing yards for the Vols.
This season, Iamaleava already has tied his 2023 production in passing, but UT Chattanooga barely forced him out of the pocket all day.
The Wolfpack will, and I-am-a-leava this prediction at that; expect the red-shirt freshman to beat NC State with his feet over his arm and fall short of this passing yards prop wager.