Week 1 of the college football season keeps rolling with a fun slate of Saturday games. These are the best player prop bets to consider at DraftKings Sportsbook for the first full Saturday of the season.
Week 1 Prop Bets
Indiana vs. Old Dominion: Elijah Sarratt Anytime TD Scorer (+110)
Elijah Sarratt could be one of the top receivers in the country this season. He had 1,191 receiving yards at James Madison in 2023, then followed Curt Cignetti to Indiana in 2024, where he led the team in receptions, receiving touchdowns and receiving yards. Indiana lost its quarterback, Kurtis Rourke, but brought in a promising transfer, Fernando Mendoza. Mendoza put up similar numbers to those that Rourke did last year at Cal, and is hoping to fill that role seamlessly. Against an inferior ODU team, Indiana’s offense should run wild. The Hoosiers ran up the score against inferior teams last season, and should do so again as the recipe worked to get them to the College Football Playoff. As the returning leading receiver, he should be in line to find the end zone in this game.
Utah at UCLA: Devon Dampier Anytime TD Scorer (-140)
Devon Dampier could be one of the breakout stars in college football this season. He was an electric player at New Mexico last year, but was not in the national spotlight because he wasn’t on a great team. Dampier is a high-level, dual-threat quarterback, rushing for 1,166 yards and 19 touchdowns in addition to throwing for nearly 3,000 yards. Utah is one of the favorites to win the Big 12, and Dampier will be in the national spotlight as he looks to lead the Utes to the College Football Playoff. UCLA lost nine defensive starters from last season and could take some time to get up to speed this season. Dampier averaged 1.6 rushing touchdowns per game last season and should score one in his first game with the Utes.
Ohio State vs. Texas: Carnell Tate 51+ Receiving Yards (-119)
Ohio State vs. Texas is the most anticipated game of the weekend. Two of the top three teams in the nation will be facing off in Columbus. The spotlight is on Texas quarterback Arch Manning and Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. However, other players will need to step up in order for their team to win this big game. These two teams faced off in the semifinals of last year’s College Football Playoff, which Ohio State won 28-14. The Longhorns made a concerted effort to stop Smith, holding him to one reception for three yards. That allowed Carnell Tate to thrive in single coverage, going for 87 receiving yards in that game. Texas will likely take a similar approach to not let Smith beat them, which should allow Tate to thrive. With Emeka Egbuka off to the NFL, Tate will be the WR2 behind Smith and should be the beneficiary of the amount of defensive attention he will get all season.
