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Saturday is the time to lock in with No. 4 Ohio State traveling to No. 5 Indiana, No. 8 BYU hosting No. 2 Notre Dame, and No. 11 Utah heading to Colorado; there's a great lineup of games to add to your betting card.
I've pinpointed three player props for Saturday, including picks for Ohio State's Julian Sayin, BYU's Legend Gasker, and Utah's Ricky Johnson.
With that said, let's dive into my top three college football player props and NCAAF picks for Week 7 on Saturday, Oct. 17.
Julian Sayin Over 1.5 Passing Touchdowns (-155 · BetRivers)
Legend Gasker Under 3.5 Receptions (-125 · bet365)
Ricky Johnson Over 29.5 Receiving Yards (+110 · bet365)
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Julian Sayin is playing the best football of his career right now, and the recent sample makes this number look conservative. He's thrown four touchdowns against Maryland and three against Iowa in his last two outings, and he's up to 17 passing touchdowns through six games, a pace north of 2.5 scores a start.
His accuracy has been otherworldly too. He's completing better than 71% of his throws for the season and grading out third among all qualified quarterbacks in the country by PFF, with his production holding up even under pressure, where he's still finding completions at a high rate.
Indiana 's defense is legitimately elite, there's no getting around that. The Hoosiers rank among the best scoring defenses in the country and have allowed only a handful of passing touchdowns across their first five games behind a secondary anchored by Amare Ferrell.
However, that same Indiana defense just got stretched for two long touchdown strikes by Nebraska's Josh Hoover, a sign that even this group can be had for explosive plays through the air when an offense has playmakers who can win downfield — and Ohio State has as many of those as anyone in the country.
Game environment favors volume too. This is a top-five Big Ten showdown in Bloomington, the kind of game where neither offense is likely to sit on a lead, and Ohio State's passing attack has leaned heavily on play action and shot plays all season, the exact style that has produced touchdowns in bunches for Sayin even in tight games.
Against a defense playing meaningfully above its competition level for most of its schedule, Sayin's current form gives him more than enough margin to clear two scores.
Pick: Julian Sayin Over 1.5 Passing Touchdowns (-155)
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BYU 's freshman phenom has built his breakout season on explosive plays rather than high target volume, and that profile fits an under on raw catch total well.
Through five games, he's caught 19 passes for 378 yards, a staggering near-20-yards-per-catch average, but his per-game reception counts have mostly stayed modest — three catches in one outing, five in his best game. He's never once topped five receptions in a game this season, which means clearing 3.5 has already been a coin flip for him even against lesser competition.
Notre Dame presents the toughest defensive puzzle BYU has faced all year. The Irish are the best pass defense in the country by scoring and yardage, surrendering barely 150 yards a game through the air behind a secondary built around Leonard Moore, widely considered the nation's top cornerback, and safety Brauntae Johnson, who already has multiple interceptions on the season.
Notre Dame's defense has also been exceptionally disruptive rather than just conservative, racking up takeaways and pass breakups at a high rate, which tends to suppress a big-play receiver's catch total even when he still gets his.
Since Gasker's role leans so heavily on a handful of explosive targets rather than a steady diet of short completions, a tight-coverage, low-volume day against a defense this talented is the more likely outcome — even a huge yardage night for him could come on just two or three catches, the way his season has trended so far.
Legend Gasker Under 3.5 Receptions (-125)
Ricky Johnson has quietly built momentum as Utah 's season has progressed, and the matchup sets up well for him to keep that going.
He posted a career-best four catches for 43 yards against Utah State two weeks ago, and he's started every game this season, now up to nine receptions for 101 yards on the year. His role is clearly trending toward more involvement as Utah's passing offense has found its rhythm behind a 5-0 start.
Colorado 's defense is the kind of matchup that should let a complementary receiver have a good day through the air. The Buffaloes are allowing over 200 passing yards a game and have given up more passing touchdowns than their offense has scored, a defense that's struggled to find consistency all season under a rebuilt coaching staff.
That kind of coverage creates room underneath and over the top for a receiver like Johnson, whose 18-yard grab against Utah State shows he's already shown the ability to hit a chunk play that alone would put this number well in reach.
With Utah heavily favored on the road and likely to control the game script, there should be ample opportunity for the passing game to spread the ball around, and Johnson's rising role plus a defense that's been vulnerable through the air make 30 yards a very reachable mark.
Pick: Ricky Johnson Over 29.5 Receiving Yards (+110)
