3 Best College Football Player Prop Bets for the CFP Semifinals

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.

Top Player Props for the College Football Playoff Semifinals

Notre Dame vs. Penn State

Jordan Faison Over 42.5 Receiving Yards (-114)

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Penn State Nittany Lions are both teams who would prefer to pound the rock and control the time of possession when they have the ball. While the Fighting Irish don't ask quarterback Riley Leonard to put the ball in the air often, the Nittany Lions may force Notre Dame to play a bit out of its comfort zone on Thursday.

Up to this point, Penn State's defense is 4th in expected points added per rushing attempt allowed (-0.110) and 24th in defensive rushing success rate (38.5%), compared to 7th in expected points added per drop back allowed (-0.101) and 16th in defensive passing success rate (36.3%). After Penn State allowed a run-heavy Boise State Broncos team to throw for 304 yards in the quarterfinals, I expect Jordan Faison to remain involved in Notre Dame's aerial attack.

Faison has emerged as Leonard's go-to target in the passing game during the playoffs, leading the team in targets (13), receptions (11), receiving yards (135), and yards per route run (2.76) in ND's first two postseason contests, per PFF. At the moment, Faison has -138 odds to record four-plus receptions, and he's notched 46-plus receiving yards in all three games this season in which he recorded four-plus catches -- including his last two games.

With Penn State's standout edge rusher Abdul Carter potentially out or limited in this matchup, Leonard may have a bit more time to operate in the pocket.

Ohio State vs. Texas

Jeremiah Smith Over 5.5 Receptions (-106)

There aren't enough adjectives in the dictionary to describe how good Jeremiah Smith has been in his freshman season with the Ohio State Buckeyes. Through 14 games, Smith has logged 70 receptions, 1,224 receiving yards, and 14 receiving touchdowns while saving his best performances for the playoffs.

In Ohio State's first two playoff bouts, Smith has accumulated 13 receptions, 290 receiving yards, 4 receiving touchdowns, and a jaw-dropping 5.58 yards per route run. While I wouldn't blame anyone for taking the over on Smith's receiving yards prop, I'll side with his receptions prop against the Texas Longhorns.

This is obviously a must-win game for the Buckeyes, and head coach Ryan Day is under a ton of pressure to deliver in the college football playoffs. Taking that into account, Ohio State isn't going to hesitate to feed the ball to their best skill player as much as they can.

While the Longhorns rank third in expected points added per drop back allowed (-0.160), the Tennessee Volunteers were fifth in expected points added per drop back allowed (-0.120), and Smith still managed to tally 6 catches for 103 yards and 2 touchdowns in that matchup.

Matthew Golden Over 67.5 Receiving Yards (-114)

Even with all four teams remaining in the college football playoffs boasting stout defenses, I'm finding a decent amount of value with receiving props for the semifinal matchups. On the other side of the Ohio State-Texas showdown, Matthew Golden is someone who is emerging as a dangerous weapon for the Longhorns.

Across his last five games, Golden is pacing Texas' offense in targets (38), receptions (27), receiving yards (519), and yards per route run (3.20). Golden has flashed his explosiveness in recent outings, averaging 21.7 yards per reception over his last four contests, and he's achieved 73-plus receiving yards in four of his last five appearances.

While Ohio State's D is sitting at second in both expected points added per drop back allowed (-0.169) and defensive passing success rate (33.9%), they just allowed two receivers to post 71-plus receiving yards in their victory over the Oregon Ducks in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, the Longhorns are sixth in expected points added per drop back (0.126) on offense, and they average a modest 12.5 yards per completion.

With Golden being a dynamic wideout who can stretch the field or manufacture yards after the catch, there are multiple avenues to him reaching 68-plus receiving yards in Friday's bout.

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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.