College Football Props (Week 1)

Israel Abanikanda & Tony Mathis

We saw mixed results on Week 0 for College Football. Johnny Ford, who was my favorite play, was scratched. Zion Bowens also got injured after his first catch in the game. Overall, we went 3-2 with an asterisk on Bowens or it could’ve been a great week to start. Let’s get into some plays for Week 1!

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It’s important to note that this is my first season betting College Football props, specifically on PrizePicks. I’m not 100% sure what to expect. Make sure you’re only playing bets that you like. I’ll outline my reasoning for everything I post, though!

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CFB Props

Once again, I’m not exactly sure how quickly these props are going to move. As I said above, I’m completely new to playing CFB on PrizePicks. I’m getting these out as early and quickly as I can to you so you can get the same numbers I’m getting.

Tony Mathis Rushing Yards

Mathis is taking over as the starter after years of Leddie Brown handling the duties. There have been reports that the former has been taking on a significantly larger leadership role. There are also reports that West Virginia isn’t expecting him to handle all of the duties in the backfield.

Mathis is the starter, and he will see the most work at running back. Head coach Neal Brown’s stated that Justin Johnson Jr., Jaylen Anderson, and even CJ Donaldson could get some touches as well. Although I acknowledge Mathis as the starter, it doesn’t sound like the is a position where there will be one focal point.

It may not matter, though. This is as tough of a matchup as Mathis and West Virginia will get on the ground. Phil Steele ranks Pittsburgh’s defensive line as the second-best in the nation entering the season. He’s projecting the group to give up the fourth-fewest rushing yards per game (83.4) this season.

On the other side, West Virginia isn’t expected to have a dominant rush offense. They’re projected for the second-fewest rushing yards per game (103.6) in the Big 12.

Overall, I’m not expecting the Mountaineers to find success on the ground in this matchup, and I believe they’re going to use multiple backs rather than riding Mathis as a workhorse.

Israel Abanikanda Rushing Yards

This is 100% a situation I’m looking to take advantage of. It’s a risky situation, but I feel I have a good read on it, and it’s exactly why we’re getting such a good number here.

Last season, Pittsburgh used three running backs. Abanikanda ranked second on the team in carries, but I believe that’s going to change this season. There’s a new offensive coordinator, and I’m expecting him to lean much heavier on one running back than they did last year.

Here’s the thought process behind it. Pittsburgh released their depth chart and had Abanikanda as their sole first-string option. Generally, teams will write “OR” on their depth charts if anyone is close (as Pittsburgh did with their backup quarterback position).

Offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti told the media that Abanikanda separated himself from the other two running backs with his speed and decisiveness.

Granted, this isn’t going to turn into a one-back offense. All of these players have proven they can play, and they are going to. Steele is projecting Pittsburgh to average 196.8 rushing yards per game this season. Obviously, that isn’t all going to come from one player.

Abanikanda averaged 5.3 yards per carry last season. He saw double-digit carries in 6 games last season, posting 53+ rushing yards in 5 of those contests. Overall, he averaged 74.7 yards and 0.5 touchdowns on 13.8 carries per game.

I wouldn’t say I love this matchup, but I’m also not scared of it. If Abanikanda is playing a big role in this offense, he should have no problems hitting this total.

Bet Tony Mathis u59.5 RuY & Israel Abanikanda o52.5 RuY (3x)