College Football Playoff: 5 Best Player Prop Bets for the First Round

The first round of the College Football Playoff is this weekend. 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 Playoff First Round Player Props

Indiana at Notre Dame

Omar Cooper Jr. Under 29.5 Receiving Yards (-114)

I'll roll the dice that Omar Cooper Jr.'s declining usage doesn't produce a big day in one of the hardest matchups in college football.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish secondary is elite, allowing the second-fewest passing yards per attempt in the country (5.6 YPA). They're a tough ask for a player that is getting legitimate work, but I'm surprised to see Cooper even on the board.

In the last five weeks, he's run just 16.0 routes per game on average, drawing 10 total targets. That's an 11.0% share of the Indiana Hoosiers' passes. He had no catches on two targets against the Ohio State Buckeyes -- Indiana's only ranked opponent this year -- two weeks ago.

The sophomore is -250 to catch two or fewer passes, and Notre Dame, Pro Football Focus (PFF)'s third-ranked coverage team, isn't prone to allowing huge plays. Another shutout is on the table for Cooper with him seeing the field so little.

SMU at Penn State

Kevin Jennings Under 18.5 Rushing Yards (-114)
Tyler Warren Over 70.5 Receiving Yards (-114)

If you're just now getting into college props, this is a good reminder that sacks count as negative rushing yards in college football.

That's why Kevin Jennings' rushing under is so appealing this weekend. If it were a matter of having the ability to scoot, Jennings has posted 31.8 rushing yards per game against the SMU Mustangs' schedule. That schedule hasn't included a win over a ranked team, and he needed a 24-yard breakaway to top this mark against the Clemson Tigers two weeks ago.

The Penn State Nittany Lions are a bear to face for QB rushing yards. They're 33rd in FBS at 2.5 sacks per game, and their sack percentage (8.2%) ranks 23rd. I truly don't have any idea if SMU's pass protection can hold up facing such a different test than even Clemson posed.

Jennings has just 58 total rushing yards in the Mustangs' last five games on only 21 designed runs or scrambles. He's not extremely mobile to offset what surely will be some noise made by PSU game-wrecker Abdul Carter and company.

Let's double dip in this game with the highest total of the weekend (56.5 points), shall we?

SMU's notorious pass-funnel defense held up against Clemson, limiting the Tigers to just 62 total rushing yards. They got beat via the pass, and Penn State might have to do the same on Saturday.

If the Nittany Lions are headed to the air, Tyler Warren is by far the most likely target. The Mackey Award winner leads all players in the CFP First Round -- not just tight ends -- in target share (31.6%).

He's topped this yardage line in four of his last five games, catching at least six passes in all of them. Warren's yards per reception (12.2 YPR) is atypical for a big man, and he'll surely be busy if PSU struggles to run the ball.

If Warren was listed as a receiver on the depth chart in this matchup, I'd be stunned if his yardage prop was south of 90. He's a threat to find the century mark.

Clemson at Texas

Cade Klubnik Over 217.5 Passing Yards (-114)

Clemson is going to need Cade Klubnik to be their hometown hero.

Klubnik, a five-star recruit from Austin, has a chance to dish some major revenge on the Texas Longhorns this Saturday. An 11.5-point spread doesn't give him a great shot, but it does bolster the argument for his passing yards prop.

Like SMU, Texas' defensive metrics might be boosted through a weak schedule. The Georgia Bulldogs posted at least 275 yards of offense on Texas in both meetings, but as it stands, UT is allowing just 3.1 yards per carry (7th in FBS). That's bad news for Clemson when Phil Mafah has fallen off a cliff to average just 2.4 yards per carry over their last four games.

Therefore, it's likely on the Tigers' signal-caller as he's caught fire. Klubnik has topped this line in 10 of his 13 games this season despite some extremely run-heavy game scripts, and he's inched up to 15th in the country in QBR (78.9).

I've got Klubnik projected for 6.6 YPA in this one, which isn't ideal. At that mark, he'd need 33 attempts to top this line, but he's tossed the rock at least 33 times in eight of Clemson's last nine contests, including a 41-attempt effort against SMU.

Tennessee at Ohio State

Emeka Egbuka Over 4.5 Receptions (-114)

If Ryan Day forgets about his star wide receivers again on Saturday, the Buckeyes might be looking for a new coach.

Ohio State's battle with the Tennessee Volunteers is an odd doppelgänger of run-first offenses that will be forced to play backwards against a fellow top-six rush D (on a YPA basis). The edge for the favored Bucks should be Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka on the outside.

Egbuka, specficially, could be very busy against a Vols pass rush that is 27th in sack rate (7.9%). His low average depth of target (7.8 yards) and 80.6% slot rate might be Will Howard's best choice -- compared to a deep threat like Smith -- if the Buckeyes' QB is under duress.

Plus, Egbuka has the best target share on the team (24.6%). The senior has averaged 6.7 catches on 6.7 targets -- yes, a 100% rate -- in three ranked matchups this season. They've gone to him often against top competition.

He's missed this mark in five of his last six games with the exception of -- you guessed it -- a ranked matchup with Indiana. Expect Howard's security blanket to be busy on Saturday.

Check out our latest 2024-25 College Football Playoff printable bracket.

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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.