Hello, college football fans! The semifinals of the expanded playoff format are finally here, and we are down to just four teams. Thursday night’s matchup between Penn State and Notre Dame should be one for the books, and we’re excited to see how this one will go down.
Both teams have plenty of momentum, as they are coming off statement wins, so it will be interesting to see who emerges from this game. At the moment, Notre Dame is a two-point favorite, with the over/under sitting at 45.5 points.
We’ve considered the betting odds when looking at our player props and how players from both teams have performed in the playoffs thus far. Without further ado, let’s get into some of our favorite picks from Underdog!
Riley Leonard OVER 46.5 Rushing Yards
Is Riley Leonard a mini-Lamar Jackson? Probably not, but his rushing numbers have been impressive over the past several weeks, especially for a quarterback.
He’s rushed for at least 50 yards in two of his last three games, which included an 80-yard day on the ground against Georgia last week. Leonard isn’t afraid to take off when he gets an opportunity, and we believe that he’s going to have a few of them in this game.
Leonard should achieve 50 rushing yards without issue, making the over an easy decision for us.
Nicholas Singleton OVER 64.5 Rushing Yards
Nicholas Singleton continues to be an important piece of the Penn State offense. He can get them jump-started on the ground when they need some chunk yardage, a player that his teammates can rely on in many situations.
It looked like he was having a down week last week, but a 58-yard run helped his rushing yardage total, which ended at 87 yards. While we aren’t going to project a day like that, we are taking the over on his line of 64.5, hoping Penn State sticks with what’s working in this must-win matchup.
Singleton hasn’t gone under 65 rushing yards since November 23rd, so we’ll trust the process and ride the hot hand in this situation.
Harrison Wallace III OVER 43.5 Receiving Yards
If you noticed, we didn’t take any of Drew Allar’s lines, because we never know what Penn State’s starting quarterback is going to do. However, even when he has lower passing numbers, Allar tends to target Harrison Wallace III, which is why we’re taking the over on his receiving line.
Bettors might be turned off to Wallace after seeing his three-catch, 37-yard performance against Boise State, but he wasn’t utilized much because Penn State had a commanding lead.
Because we’re expecting this to be a close game, look for Wallace to stay involved throughout, hitting the over on this line.
