College Football Player Props: Marvin Harrison Jr., Tory Horton, Travis Hunter Lead Saturday Week 1 Picks
AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images. Pictured: Colorado State wide receiver Tory Horton.
A full Saturday college football slate means a full board of player props.
Our college football crew came through with three of their favorite player props for Saturday's Week 1 games, including picks for Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr., Colorado State's Tory Horton and Colorado's Travis Hunter.
Read on for our full breakdown for all three players below. Now, let's start the season off on the right foot on our way to Green Dot City.
College Football Player Prop Picks
In the table below, you'll find each of our college football staff's top player prop picks from today's slate of games. Click on any pick or team logo to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Time (ET) | Player Prop |
|---|---|
| 12 p.m. | |
| 3:30 p.m. | |
| 7 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NCAAF Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | |
Colorado vs. TCU
Urban Meyer, called Deion Sanders' complete roster overhaul a “grand experiment.” And to say for certain that anyone really knows how this thing will shake out on the field is simply untrue.
What we do have, however, are a few data points that suggest that Hunter’s receiving prop is underpriced by about 10 yards.
For starters, the former five-star out of high school is listed on the depth chart as the Buffs’ starting X receiver. He will play both ways and also see the field as a return man. Given the Buffaloes' needs on offense, I’m projecting at least 30 snaps at wide receiver in this game for Hunter.
In three of Hunter’s last four games at Jackson State, he exceeded this total in 2022, all while on double duty on both sides of the ball.
Oddsmakers believe this will be a blowout, which, from a game-flow perspective, is ideal for receiving props. I would be shocked if Colorado isn’t playing from behind for at least three-quarters of this football game.
I’ve personally watched Shedeur Sanders play multiple games at Jackson State, and my takeaways are straightforward. He’s an accurate passer (70.6% in 2022) who isn’t afraid to test the defense with an occasional deep ball. When you mix the projected come-from-behind element with Hunter’s explosiveness and Sanders’ downfield accuracy, this is the kind of bet that can pay off in a single play.
And finally, we have the data from offensive coordinator Sean Lewis. Last season at Kent State, the Golden Flashes were big underdogs three times when facing Georgia, Oklahoma and Washington. His top receiver finished with an average of 87 receiving yards in those contests — and Kent’s second-leading receiver finished with an average of 35 yards.
That’s a great sign for Hunter.
Pick: Hunter Over 32.5 Receiving Yards (Play to 39.5)
Ohio State vs. Indiana
By Cody Goggin
We already know that Marvin Harrison Jr. is the best receiver in college football. You don’t need me to write you an essay to tell you that. Last season, Harrison went over 100 receiving yards in seven games, including 135 against this Indiana team in November.
New starting quarterback Kyle McCord may cause you to shy away from this line or take Ohio State to cover in this game, but he shouldn’t. We have seen multiple years of the Buckeyes bringing in a new starting quarterback with hardly any drop-off in production. With this stacked receiving corps, I’m not worried about McCord struggling against the Indiana defense.
Indiana ranked 131st in Passing Success Rate on defense last year. They were among the worst pass defenses in the nation, ranking 125th in PPA against the pass. Now, only three starters return for a Hoosier defense that's going to be bandaged together by transfers.
The only returners on this unit are on the front seven, so Harrison will have a chance to feast against an entirely new secondary playing its first game together.
I also don’t mind taking overs on the Buckeyes’ other talented receiver, Emeka Egbuka, as well. His total sits at 72.5, which is well within his likely range of outcomes.
It’s the talent of Harrison that I’m counting on this week, though. I don’t believe Indiana has any answer on its roster for him.
The main hope for Harrison under bettors would be Ohio State letting off the gas early, which they don’t tend to do, even in blowouts.
Washington State vs. Colorado State
The Colorado State offense got off to a slow start but improved dramatically down the stretch in their first season in Jay Norvell’s Air Raid system. After not averaging more than 5.0 yards per play in any games over the first half of the season, it averaged more than 5.0 yards per play in five of its last six games.
Freshman Clay Millen led the country with a 72.2% completion percentage despite being under siege on nearly every play. If the revamped offensive line gives him a little more time, he should take a massive step forward.
That will only help star wide receiver Tory Horton, who already dominated last season. He caught eight of the team’s 12 total touchdown passes and racked up 71 catches and 1,131 yards. He scored in three of his final four games last season and has shown an ability to play against elevated competition when he caught six passes and a touchdown against Michigan.
Horton crushed the Mountain West with 71 catches and 1,131 yards and is one of the best receivers in the Group of Five. He even racked up six catches and a touchdown against Michigan last year.
The speedy Horton is a lethal big-play threat, pulling in 21 receptions of 20 yards or more last year, the fourth-most in the country. He had nine plays of at least 40 yards.
Allowing big plays was a big issue for Washington State last year. The Cougars ranked 102nd in the country at preventing explosive pass plays. They allowed 61 passing plays of 20-plus yards last year — only three teams allowed more.
Expect Horton to get free behind this defense on Saturday break one for a score.
Pick: Horton Anytime TD (+125 · Play to +120)
More of Our NCAAF Staff's Best Bets for Saturday
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