Thursday night features a meeting between the Texas State Bobcats and the Troy Trojans. How will running back Ismail Mahdi fare against the Trojans' run defense? On Friday night, Josh Hoover looks to throw for 300 yards for the fifth time this season, as his TCU Horned Frogs take on the Houston Cougars. Will Aidan Chiles' turnover troubles be just as bad as usual against the Oregon Ducks?
Here are the best college football PrizePicks player predictions for Week 6's Thursday and Friday games.
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Thursday night features a meeting between the Texas State Bobcats and the Troy Trojans. How will running back Ismail Mahdi fare against the Trojans' run defense? On Friday night, Josh Hoover looks to throw for 300 yards for the fifth time this season, as his TCU Horned Frogs take on the Houston Cougars. Will Aidan Chiles' turnover troubles be just as bad as usual against the Oregon Ducks?
Here are the best college football PrizePicks player predictions for Week 6's Thursday and Friday games.
Get instant alerts when a line reaches your target via the BettingPros App >>
College Football Week 6 PrizePicks Player Predictions
Josh Hoover Less Than 316.5 Passing Yards
Despite their 1-4 record, the Cougars’ defense has been really good about holding opponents to very few yards in each game this season. They currently rank 21st in the nation, allowing just 294.2 yards per game. This line expects Josh Hoover to top that number by 22 yards by himself.
Hoover has thrown for over 350 yards in four of his five games this season. Those have also been pretty intense, high-scoring football games. The Cougars haven't scored more than 12 points against a single team other than the Rice Owls this season. With how good the Houston defense has been, the Horned Frogs are going to find themselves in a low-scoring game for the first time this season. I think they'll win, but Hoover will throw for fewer than 300 yards for the second time this year.
Aidan Chiles More Than 1.5 Interceptions
For inflated odds, there is no reason not to play this player prediction. Aidan Chiles is tied for the second-most interceptions in the nation, having thrown eight in 135 pass attempts. He's thrown multiple interceptions in three of his five games this season. The only time he didn't throw a pick was when he played against Prarie View A&M.
The Ducks only have three interceptions this season. However, with how good their offense has been, they're destined to play this game with a huge lead. The Ducks haven't faced a quarterback as turnover-prone as Chiles. With him throwing the ball more than he's comfortable, he's bound to have numerous terrible passes. The Ducks will take advantage of those throws, just like every team that has faced Chiles this season.
Ismail Mahdi More Than 76.5 Rushing Yards
Right now, the most popular college football player prediction on PrizePicks is Jordan McCloud to throw for more than 293.5 passing yards against Troy on Thursday night. While McCloud has been impressive, and the Trojans' defense has been bad, that's a really high number for a quarterback who has thrown for fewer than 300 yards twice this season.
Instead, I'm looking to take advantage of a player who's being overlooked in this game. The Trojans are allowing over 200 rushing yards per game. Ismail Mahdi hasn't topped 76 rushing yards since Week 1, but he's also carried the ball 17 times or fewer in each of his last three games. He's still managed 57 and 68 yards in his last two performances. Against a defense that can't stop the run, Mahdi will top this, even if McCloud has a huge game.
Phil Wood is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Phil, check out his archive and follow him @Phil_Wood_Jr.
