Sam Avellone
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College football is back! With a loaded Saturday card, there are plenty of options for action. If you do not see value in a spread or a game total, check out the player props! Here are a couple props that stand out in the marquee night game between Notre Dame and Ohio State.
Marvin Harrison Jr over 75.5 receiving yards (-114)
Odds available at FanDuel at the time of publishing.
With the departure of Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave, Ohio State will turn to its young receivers to produce for quarterback C.J. Stroud. Jaxon Smith-Njigba will likely fill in as the primary wide receiver after a dominant Rose Bowl performance against Utah. However, outside of JSN, the Buckeyes do not have much proven talent for Stroud to throw to.
Insert Marvin Harrison, Jr. You may recognize the name, as his father is the iconic receiver who caught passes from Peyton Manning in Indianapolis. However, Harrison Jr is set to make a name for himself in his sophomore year in Columbus. Standing at 6’4”, Harrison Jr possesses elite size to pair with great speed — two intangible traits that you cannot teach. He does not have much experience on the field, but in the little playing time he has had, he has flashed greatness. He drew the start in the Rose Bowl last season and posted 7 receptions, 71 yards, and 3 touchdowns in the Buckeye win over the Utes.
Harrison’s matchup with Notre Dame is a good one. His size will be difficult for the Fighting Irish secondary to defend, especially considering Notre Dame will likely be hyper-focused on where JSN is at all times. For as good as the Notre Dame defense was last year, it struggled to defend the pass — ranking 62nd in opponent passing yards per game and lacking physicality to match opposing receivers. If the Buckeye offense is clicking, Harrison should surpass this total with ease.
C.J. Stroud over 345.5 passing yards (-114)
Odds available at FanDuel at the time of publishing.
This is a high total, especially for a college quarterback. However, CJ Stroud has had no issues surpassing this total in his time as the starting Buckeye quarterback. In fact, he surpassed this total in 7 of Ohio State’s 12 games last season — his first year as the starter. Moreover, 5 of those 7 games resulted in Stroud throwing for more than 400 yards.
Coach Ryan Day and the Buckeyes have been known to test their opponents with deep passes and unique route trees. With the amount of elite talent Ohio State possesses, the Buckeye receivers often beat opposing defenders and set Stroud up for easy passes that result in big gains. Expect much of the same against Notre Dame. As previously mentioned, the Fighting Irish struggled with their pass defense last year — ranking in the middle of the pack in terms of opposing passing yards per game. Notre Dame’s opponents picked up on this, which resulted in an opposing pass play percentage of 50.7%. That ranked 108th out of 130 college football teams.
With what is projected to be a strong front 7 in 2022, the weakness of Notre Dame’s defense is projected to be its secondary yet again. Expect Ohio State to pass on most plays and put as much pressure on the Irish secondary as possible. Despite lack of on-field experience, Ohio State’s receivers should have a size and athletic advantage against Notre Dame and should provide Stroud with the opportunity to flirt with 400 passing yards.
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