Hello, college football fans! The semifinals of the expanded playoff format are finally here, and we are down to just four teams. Friday night’s matchup between Ohio State and Texas 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, Ohio State is a 5.5-point favorite, with the over/under sitting at 53.5 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!
Will Howard UNDER 30.5 Passing Attempts
With the over/under set at 53.5 in this game, people might be inclined to think that Will Howard is going to throw a lot of passes, but we’re not so sure. He only attempted 26 against Oregon last week and threw just 29 times against Tennessee in their first playoff game.
Howard is an efficient quarterback, and with Ohio State also having a prolific rushing attack, we believe he won’t need to throw a lot for them to win this game. We’d anticipate closer to 25 or 26 attempts, which is why we’re taking the under in this spot.
Jeremiah Smith OVER 84.5 Receiving Yards
While we don’t necessarily think Will Howard is going to throw the ball a lot in this game, we still believe that Jeremiah Smith will get plenty of targets and have a massive performance.
Smith has quickly become WR1 in this offense, vaulting Emeka Egbuka, who is also a fantastic receiver. He had 103 yards against Tennessee and 187 against Oregon, so he’s a clear favorite in the offense, even in these playoff matchups.
Look for Smith to have another big game, going over his line of 84.5 receiving yards.
Quintrevion Wisner UNDER 59.5 Rushing Yards
Quintrevion Wisner was a solid option for Texas’ offense during the regular season, but he was nowhere to be found last week against Arizona State. He only managed 45 yards in that matchup despite going into OT, which doesn’t exactly give us confidence against Ohio State, one of the best rushing defenses in the country.
They only allowed 92.6 rushing yards per game during the regular season, and given Wisner’s struggles against ASU, we’re fading his rushing total in this matchup.
