The quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff kick off on New Year’s Eve with Miami vs. Ohio State and continue into New Year’s Day.
These are the best player prop bets to consider on DraftKings Sportsbook for the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
College Football Playoff Prop Bets
Ohio State vs. Miami: Bo Jackson 72+ Rushing Yards (-123)
Bo Jackson is one of the most underrated players on the Ohio State roster. Julian Sayin was a Heisman finalist, Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate are lauded as the best wide receiver duo in the nation, and the Ohio State defense is praised for its dominance. However, Jackson has added an essential ground game to keep the Ohio State offense balanced. Last season, Ohio State had two running backs who were fantastic in the NFL this season: Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson. That is impossible to replace, but as a true freshman, Jackson has done a fantastic job leading the backfield.
Jackson was a 1,000-yard rusher for Ohio State this season and showed incredible consistency. He rushed for at least 75 yards in 9 out of 12 games this season, including each of his final six games. Jackson rushed for 83 yards against Indiana in the Big Ten title game and for 117 yards against Michigan, two of the best defensive fronts in the nation. Miami also has an elite defensive front, but they are better rushing the passer on the edge than they are stuffing the run on the interior. Ryan Day should commit to the ground game to control the time of possession in this game. That should lead to Jackson clearing this number for the seventh straight game.
Indiana vs. Alabama: Fernando Mendoza Anytime TD (+210)
Fernando Mendoza is the Heisman Trophy winner because of the incredible numbers he put up through the air this season. However, Mendoza is also underrated as an athlete and capable of making plays on the ground. Mendoza rushed for six touchdowns on the season, but four of those came in his final six games. He is never going to put up huge numbers rushing the ball, but he knows when to tuck it and run in the red zone to get scoring opportunities.
Alabama has struggled against mobile quarterbacks throughout Kalen DeBoer’s tenure at Alabama. John Mateer rushed for a score in the first round of the CFP against the Tide. In the regular season, Mateer, LaNorris Sellers and Tommy Castellanos all did so against the Tide as well, in addition to a 100-yard rushing game from Auburn quarterback Ashton Daniels. The Indiana passing attack is so dangerous that Alabama will need to send extra guys into coverage when Indiana gets into the red zone. Indiana should block Alabama well at the line of scrimmage, which will give Mendoza time to sit back in the pocket. If everything is covered down the field, he should find a path to the end zone with his legs and score a rushing touchdown.
Georgia vs. Ole Miss: Gunner Stockton 230+ Passing Yards (-104)
Gunner Stockton has been fantastic for Georgia all season. Stockton was labeled as a “game manager” for Georgia ahead of this season, but has proven to be way more valuable than that. He was thrust into a brutal spot last season, having to make his first career start in the College Football Playoff against an elite Notre Dame defense. Stockton struggled to produce in that game, but this is a far different quarterback than the one who took on the Fighting Irish a year ago. Stockton showed that he was capable of putting up big numbers through the air, in addition to using his legs. Against Ole Miss, Stockton should be especially confident, given the fact that he dominated this defense earlier this season.
When Ole Miss and Georgia faced off in October, the Georgia offense was nearly flawless. In that game, Georgia had eight total possessions and scored on all eight of them. Stockton was fantastic, going 26/31 for 289 yards and a season-high four passing touchdowns. He also rushed for 59 yards and a fifth touchdown. Stockton should be full of confidence ahead of this matchup and ready to redeem his College Football Playoff performance from last season. The Ole Miss defense just gave up 306 passing yards to Tulane’s Jake Retzlaff in the first round. Gunner Stockton should be able to replicate his regular-season performance against Ole Miss and comfortably throw for at least 230 yards.
