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5 Best College Football Player Prop Bets for Week 1

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5 Best College Football Player Prop Bets for Week 1

College football is filled with wild shootouts, big plays, and lopsided performances. A fun way to get in on the action is through player prop bets via the college football odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Prop markets range anywhere from touchdown scorers to yardage props.

Which college football props are the best ones to target this week? Let's take a look.

College Football Player Prop Betting Picks for Week 1

Georgia Tech at Colorado

Omarion Miller Over 49.5 Receiving Yards (-114)

Omarian Miller (COLO) - Receiving Yds

Omarian Miller (COLO) Over
Aug 30 12:00am UTCMore odds in Sportsbook

It's a new era in Boulder. Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter are in the NFL, so we'll see what staying power that Coach Prime's Colorado Buffaloes have in the Big 12 race.

This non-conference opener with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets is a tough assignment, which is why CU is a 4.5-point underdog. That could be fine news for the counting stats of Omarion Miller.

The 6'2" wideout is the new No. 1 target for Liberty Flames transfer Kaidon Salter at QB. Miller popped for 21.6 yards per reception last year as the Buffs' No. 4 wideout even if the sample (2.1% target share) was tiny.

Hunter led the team in target share (29.2%) last year, and CU's pass rate (60.6%) was third in FBS. Colorado chucks it, and GA Tech's 86th-ranked pass defense -- 7.7 yards per attempt (YPA) allowed -- isn't too frightening.

Even forecasting a conservative 22.0% share of the looks for Miller this season, I'm still projecting 89.6 median receiving yards in this matchup.

Texas at Ohio State

Jeremiah Smith Under 77.5 Receiving Yards (-114)

Jeremiah Smith (OSU) - Receiving Yds

Jeremiah Smith (OSU) Under
Aug 30 4:00pm UTCMore odds in Sportsbook

Jeremiah Smith's Heisman campaign could get off to a rough start.

As my colleague Riley Thomas pointed out in his Texas-Ohio State best bets, Smith was held to one catch for three yards in the playoff matchup between these squads last season. That game had just 42 points, and this total (47.5) isn't great, either.

Jahdae Barron and Andrew Mukuba are in the NFL, but this is a deep, talented Texas Longhorns secondary that allowed the fewest passing YPA (5.7) in FBS last year. Short of a bust in coverage, the matchup is still brutal for Smith as quarterback Julian Sayin makes his first career start.

Fans are understandably excited for the Ohio State Buckeyes' star in a world where he's not sharing targets with Emeka Egbuka, but even with me being the most aggressive about his projected target share of any receiver this weekend (28.0%), I've still got Smith projected for only 58.4 median yards.

Players like this are tough to project and explain to prospective bettors because Smith has the ceiling -- AKA "boom" upside -- to cash this on literally one catch. However, this median outcome is pretty quiet.

LSU at Clemson

Adam Randall Over 90.5 Rushing and Receiving Yards (-114)

Adam Randall (CLEM) - Rushing + Receiving Yds

Adam Randall (CLEM) Over
Aug 30 11:30pm UTCMore odds in Sportsbook

There isn't a better marquee game this weekend for offense. A 57.5-point total between the LSU Tigers and Clemson Tigers shows that.

I'm excited for Clemson's Adam Randall this season -- and in this matchup. LSU didn't change a thing for a defense that was 65th in rushing YPA allowed (4.3) a year ago.

Randall inherits Phil Mafah's role, which was 15.4 carries per game and a 5.8% target share. Mafah eclipsed 20 carries four times, and they were all in the rare competitive contests for Clemson where he had breathing room. The Tigers had just five games decided by fewer than 14 points, so I think it's undersold how much Dabo Swinney's staff is willing to ride their lead back.

Randall was mostly deployed in a pass-catching role a year ago with 4 total carries compared to 30 targets. Averaging 11.0 yards per rush and 9.7 yards per catch, Randall has explosive elements to his game.

I've got Randall projected for a hefty role -- and a hefty rushing plus receiving total of 133.8 yards. That projection is likely way too high because of the tailback's per-touch efficiency last year, but it's a ton of breathing room on this prop in an environment we know will be solid for offense.

Barion Brown Anytime Touchdown (+260)

Any Time Touchdown Scorer
Barion Brown (LSU)

LSU's receiving corps is pretty fascinating, too.

By most accounts, LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier is a potential first-round pick, but there's no clear answer of who will be his top target in 2025. The late Kyren Lacy and Mason Taylor have left the school. Aaron Anderson (16.0%) has the team's highest returning target share.

Two high-profile transfers join him. Nic Anderson and Barion Brown transferred in from the Oklahoma Sooners and Kentucky Wildcats, respectively. The latter is intriguing to me in betting markets Brown topped 525 yards with big-play upside at UK as an underclassman in 2022 and 2023. In 2024, he fell apart to catch just 26 passes as UK's quarterback situation torpedoed.

Though projecting all three of Nussmeier's weapons at the same target share (18.0%), Brown's nose for the end zone resulted in a touchdown projection of 0.38. I'd have set his odds closer to +216.

Virginia Tech at South Carolina

Kyron Drones Over 214.5 Passing and Rushing Yards (-114)

Kyron Drones (VT) - Passing + Rushing Yds

Kyron Drones (VT) Over
Aug 31 7:00pm UTCMore odds in Sportsbook

Though dual-threat passer LaNorris Sellers is the main event in this neutral-site clash, Kyron Drones is looking to take a seismic leap in his final year of college.

Drones started five games as a true freshman in 2022, so he's experienced a ton of Virginia Tech Hokies football. He's never been a true vertical passer but completed a decent 60.7% of his throws last year while adding a career-low 3.6 yards per carry on the ground after a pretty bad leg injury.

Last year, the South Carolina Gamecocks were 13th in yards per play allowed (4.7 YPP). I just don't quite trust the stickiness of that mark when they lost four stud NFL Draft picks on the defensive side of the ball and don't have the same pipeline to fill in as a school like Texas does.

Regardless, with VT a 13.5-point underdog, a lot of this game should be on Drones' inconsistent shoulders. If he takes a leap in efficiency or returns to rushing the ball at a high level, this line could be far too low.

I've got the quarterback projected for 237.3 combined passing and rushing yards in Sunday's tilt.


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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.

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