Best College Football Prop Bets for Illinois vs. Penn State

Reed Wallach | 3 Hours Ago

Sep 20, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer (9) warms up before a game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Illinois and Penn State meet on Saturday night in a battle of Big Ten unbeatens.

The Fighting Illini have a budding passing game that may have a better shot at handling Penn State's banged up secondary than oddsmakers are inferring. Keep reading to hear the latest on the Nittany Lions' injury report and the emergence of Luke Altmyer and Zakhari Franklin.

Best Player Prop Bets for Illinois vs. Penn State

Luke Altmyer OVER 179.5 Passing Yards
Zakhari Franklin OVER 40.5 Receiving Yards

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Luke Altmyer OVER 179.5 Passing Yards

Altmyer is among the most improved players in the entire country, completing 71% of his passes for 862 yards with 10 touchdowns to zero interceptions.

Of course, this is a significant step up in competition on the road at Penn State, but this is a legit Fighting Illini passing game that is 12th in EPA/Pass.

Now, Penn State has an elite defense, but this may not be the Nittany Lions of old under former defensive coordinator Manny Diaz with former Indiana head coach Tom Allen taking over. Bowling Green was able to pass on the Nittany Lions and this is a much better Illinois offense. Falcons QB Connor Bazelak passed for 254 yards in a competitive affair in Week 2.

Penn State also has questions in the secondary with stud defensive back KJ Winston out for this one. While the Nittany Lions may blow out the Fighting Illini, a negative game script only helps this prop go over.

Zakhari Franklin OVER 40.5 Receiving Yards

In a similar vein, I’m going over on Franklin’s receiving yard prop.

I don’t believe this Penn State secondary is as great as the market seems to think, evident in my bet on the over, and I believe Franklin continues to be undervalued in the market.

The UTSA and Ole Miss transfer is averaging about seven targets per game with at least five catches in the last three games (the first game was against FCS foe Eastern Illinois where he was on a snap count). In those games, Franklin has 99 yards, 66 yards and 50 yards.

Given the possibility Illinois is down, or at the very least needing to pass to keep up with Penn State, this is a great set up.

Best Player Prop Bets for Illinois vs. Penn State

Luke Altmyer OVER 179.5 Passing Yards

Zakhari Franklin OVER 40.5 Receiving Yards

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