The work Kenny Dillingham has done at Arizona State is impressive. In his second year, the alum took the school to the college football playoffs after bringing home their first Big 12 championship.
Year three hasn’t disappointed either. The No. 24-ranked Sun Devils (5-2, 3-1 Big 12) knocked off the conference’s top team last week, removing Texas Tech from the ranks of the unbeatens.
On Saturday, Dillingham’s Sun Devils face another tall task when the unranked Houston Cougars (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) come into town. Can Arizona State win out to make another magical run to the college football playoffs? We’ll cover that and provide bettors with our top three player props for this Big 12 Conference contest.
Sophomore quarterback Sam Leavitt has been efficient for the Sun Devils. The 6-foot-2 signal-caller has completed 62.3 percent of his passes for 1,358 yards, nine touchdowns, and three interceptions in seven games.
Before his outburst against Texas Tech last week, Leavitt had not thrown for 300 yards in a single game. He did so against a Red Raiders defense that is among the league’s best.
Houston’s defense does not fall into that category. The Cougars have allowed over 200 passing yards to all but one of their last five opponents. That bodes well for Leavitt, and bettors should expect him to cover this passing prop total on Saturday.
It’s a tall task to replace Cam Skattebo, but Sun Devils running back Raleek Brown has exceeded his projections. The 5-foot-9 athlete has rushed for 642 yards on 110 carries, netting three touchdowns thus far. He’s also caught 25 passes for 139 yards through seven outings.
Bettors should expect Brown to have a big game on Saturday. Houston’s run defense has allowed more than 200 rushing yards to two of its last three opponents. That makes Brown a strong candidate to cover this large rushing prop bet against the Cougars.
Junior wide receiver Amare Thomas has the potential to play on Sundays following his collegiate career at Houston. The UAB transfer is a big-play receiver, nabbing 27 receptions for a team-best 510 yards and four receiving touchdowns.
Quarterback Conner Weigman has found Thomas for at least one pass of 36 or more yards in four consecutive games. Expect Thomas to continue that streak, especially as Houston sets up its play-action pass scheme. Take him to cover this player prop bet.
This is an under-the-radar, sneaky good matchup. The Cougars aren’t your dad’s Run-N-Gun offense. Houston utilizes a Pro-Style attack that has run the football on 60 percent of their offensive snaps, relying on their offensive line to provide holes for Weigman and his backfield cohorts.
Houston’s lone blemish was a 35-11 beatdown by Texas Tech. That looks more like an outlier than a prognostication for Saturday’s game. Arizona State has had close contests in four of its five Power 4 outings, showing that the Sun Devils aren’t an overwhelming matchup for the Cougars.
That’s why bettors should expect this game to be close throughout, allowing Houston to cover the 7.5-point spread. As a bonus, this game will finish over the 44.5-point combined total as both offenses will shine on Saturday.