Best College Football Prop Bets for Michigan vs. Illinois in Week 8

Reed Wallach | 3 Hours Ago

Michigan running back Kalel Mullings (20) runs against USC linebacker Mason Cobb (13) during the second half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Michigan and Illinois meet in a battle of ranked teams in Week 8 Big Ten action.

While the Wolverines are making a quarterback change, I expect the running game to continue to lead the way for the defending National Champions with emerging running back Kalel Mullings set to shine on the road.

Get our favorite player props for Saturday's matchup below.

Best College Football Prop Bets for Michigan vs. Illinois

Kalel Mullings OVER 81.5 Rushing Yards
Zakhari Franklin OVER 54.5 Receiving Yards
Jack Tuttle UNDER 175.5 Passing Yards

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Kalel Mullings OVER 81.5 Rushing Yards

This number is far too short for Mullings, who is off a quiet outing in the loss to Washington as the Wolverines needed to lean on its passing game in a negative game script against a sturdy Washington defensive line.

However, Mullings should be able to feast on an Illinois defense that is 105th in defensive line yards and 96th in yards per carry.

Michigan will start Jack Tuttle in hopes of reinvigorating the passing game and giving the Wolverines the ability to show different looks, but ultimately this team is still going to lean on its ground game, which should lead to a healthy dose of Mullings, who had 15 or more carries in the three games prior, eclipsing 100 yards in each.

Zakhari Franklin OVER 54.5 Receiving Yards

The Michigan secondary can be had, and with the likelihood that Wolverines standout cornerback Will Johnson will cover Pat Bryant, I’ll key in on the Fighting Illini’s No. 2 in Franklin.

The Fighting Illini have been an efficient passing game all season, top 20 in EPA/Pass, and the addition of Franklin from Ole Miss has been a big reason why. He has 44 targets in six games and has cleared this mark in half of his games.

However, I’m going to bank on higher than average output on Saturday with the Wolverines’ elite rush defense, eighth in yards per carry, to force the hosts to take to the air and for Franklin to produce

Jack Tuttle UNDER 175.5 Passing Yards

Tuttle has been named the starter for Michigan under center, the team’s third starting quarterback of the season.

The hope is that Tuttle can ignite the Wolverines’ passing game, but this number is expecting far too much volume from the team through the air as the unit remains underwhelming at wide receiver and is uber focused on tight end Colston Loveland.

While Tuttle may be an asset in the passing game, this is far too high for him. He completed 10-of-18 passes for 98 yards in Week 6 against Washington. I don’t envision a high volume passing attack on Saturday and will go under as Michigan continues to be a run-first offense.

Best College Football Prop Bets for Michigan vs. Illinois

Kalel Mullings OVER 81.5 Rushing Yards

Zakhari Franklin OVER 54.5 Receiving Yards

Jack Tuttle UNDER 175.5 Passing Yards

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