Week 9 of the college football season has a great slate of Saturday games, headlined by an SEC matchup between South Carolina and No. 4 Alabama.
Alabama enters as 12.5-point favorites, with the total set at 47.5 points. These are the best college football player prop bets to consider on DraftKings Sportsbook for South Carolina vs. Alabama, one of the biggest games of the day.
UCLA vs. Indiana Player Props
Fernando Mendoza 270+ Passing Yards (-114)
Fernando Mendoza has taken Indiana to the next level this season. The Hoosiers had a special 2024 season in Curt Cignetti’s first year in Bloomington. Kurtis Rourke was a nice player for the Hoosiers, but they were somewhat limited by Rourke’s ability. Indiana improved significantly in the trenches, which has been a massive help, but Fernando Mendoza has also been one of the best quarterbacks in the country. Mendoza leads the nation with 21 passing touchdowns and has only two interceptions on the season. Mendoza is a big part of the reason that Indiana has leveled up and is capable of beating anyone in the country this season.
Against UCLA, Fernando Mendoza should throw for at least 270 yards. The Bruins have had a good run since making a coaching change, but this team is still not very talented. They are starting to look less impressive each week since the coaching change, barely beating a Maryland team last week. This will be the first real test since the upset over Penn State, and they don’t seem up to the task. The Bruins rank 132nd in defensive success rate and 135th in defensive third-down success rate. The Hoosiers rank second in the nation in offensive passing success rate. Curt Cignetti has every reason to keep his foot on the gas throughout this game as he hopes to ensure Indiana a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff. Mendoza threw for 332 passing yards last week against Michigan State, and it should be another big game for the Indiana signal-caller against UCLA.
Elijah Sarratt Anytime 2+ TDs (+240)
Elijah Sarratt is another key factor in the rise of Indiana. Sarratt transferred from JMU to Indiana along with Curt Cignetti last season. In 2024, Sarratt led the team in all receiving categories and was the only real game-breaker on offense for Indiana. In his junior season, Omar Cooper Jr. has become the second part of a dynamic duo at receiver, alongside Sarratt, that Indiana was missing last season. Having another receiver take some of the defensive attention away has only made Sarratt more dangerous. Not to mention the upgrade at quarterback to Fernando Mendoza.
Sarratt once again leads the team in all receiving categories this season. He is on pace to top all of his numbers from last season, which were already great. Sarratt’s experience and savvy have made him the go-to guy for Fernando Mendoza in the red zone. Sarratt is great everywhere on the field, but if Mendoza needs to throw a jump ball or into a tight window, he trusts Sarratt above all others. That is why Sarratt doesn’t just lead the Hoosiers in receiving touchdowns; he leads the nation with nine receiving touchdowns this season. In three of seven games this season, Sarratt has scored at least two touchdowns. Against a poor UCLA defense, Sarratt should have an explosive game and has a great chance to score multiple touchdowns.
