College Football Player Props: Peach Bowl (Oregon vs. Indiana)
One final ticket to the College Football National Championship is on the line Friday night, and this Peach Bowl showdown between the #5 Oregon Ducks (13-1) and the #1 Indiana Hoosiers (14-0) is a Big 10 rematch. Indiana pulled off a 30-20 upset in Eugene back on October 11th. Friday's CFP semifinal kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.
After closing a 7.0-point home favorite in October, Oregon finds itself as a 3.5-point underdog in this neutral-site showdown. Friday's total is 47.5 points (-105/-115). I've got you covered from a player props angle for Friday's Peach Bowl, and below you'll find my three favorite props for the CFP semifinal between Indiana and Oregon.
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Friday's Best College Football Player Props (Peach Bowl)
(Odds Courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook)
Charlie Becker Over 43.5 Receiving Yards (-115)
Indiana wideout Charlie Becker was essentially non-existent through the first nine games of the season, totaling only 157 yards on seven catches. The sophomore burst onto the scene in a big way against Penn State, hauling in seven passes for 118 yards. Including the Maryland game (1 REC for 52 yards) just prior to the Penn State road win, Becker has cleared 50+ receiving yards in five of his last six games. This is a trend that I expect to continue in Atlanta on Friday night.
Diving a bit deeper into the matchup, Becker, who is a certified deep threat, should have ample time for his routes to develop. Oregon is just 68th in sacks per game (2.07) this season. They're also a modest 23rd in yards allowed per pass (10.49). Becker has 2+ receptions in four of his last five games, and considering he's averaging 20.2 yards per catch, we should see him eclipse this total with just a couple of catches.
Fernando Mendoza Over 1.5 Touchdown Passes (-130)
I was initially looking to play the under 1.5 touchdown passes (+100) for the Heisman winner, but after looking at some of the stats, I anticipate Fernando Mendoza slinging at least two touchdowns.
First and foremost, Oregon's red-zone defense was a weakness this season, allowing 21 touchdowns in 31 opposing trips to the red area. Eleven of those touchdowns came through the air. Mendoza has compiled a monster resume this season, tossing a nation-leading 36 touchdowns while posting the second-best QBR (89.5). He has thrown multiple touchdowns in nine of his last 13 games, including racking up three touchdowns in the quarterfinal blowout of Alabama (38-3).
I'm officially on the Mendoza train. He's well-coached and clearly a fantastic decisionmaker. I don't expect a lot of points in this game, but I can see Mendoza adding exactly two more touchdown passes to his resume on Friday.
Noah Whittington Under 58.5 Rushing Yards (-115)
It will be the "Noah Whittington Show" for the Ducks on Friday night, as the second piece of their two-headed monster in the backfield, Jordon Davison, is listed as "out" for the game with a broken collarbone. However, I actually believe this presents us with a great opportunity to buy back and bet the under on Whittington's rushing yardage total.
For starters, Whittington has failed to break through this threshold in three consecutive games. And, it's not like the workload wasn't there, considering he logged 13+ rushing attempts against both Washington (17 attempts for 47 yards) and Texas Tech (13 for 31), more recently.
In the initial meeting with Indiana, Whittington recorded only 27 yards on five totes. He'll also have to deal with arguably the best front seven in the nation. Pro Football Focus (PFF) has the Hoosiers graded as the fourth-best run-stopping group (94.4), while also sitting second in tackling (91.2). As for the baseline metrics, Indiana is allowing only 2.8 yards per rush (7th) and a total of 73.7 rushing yards per game (2nd).