Best College Football Prop Bets for Ohio State vs. Texas in College Football Playoff Semifinals

Reed Wallach | 18 Hours Ago

Jan 1, 2025; Pasadena, CA, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson (32) carries the ball during the fourth quarter against the Oregon Ducks at Rose Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The Cotton Bowl will feature plenty of star power at AT&T Stadium when Ohio State and Texas meet in the College Football Playoff semifinals. 

Ohio State’s offense has been the most impressive unit in the country in the College Football Playoff and it will be a stiff test for the elite Texas defense to show up. How can the loaded Buckeyes offense take advantage of the Longhorns and who will cash in the player prop market? 

We have you covered with a trio of props for the Cotton Bowl!

Best College Football Prop Bets for Ohio State vs. Texas

• TreVeyon Henderson OVER 45.5 Rushing Yards
• Quintrevion Wisner UNDER 60.5 Rushing Yards
• Jeremiah Smith OVER 5.5 Receptions

Odds courtesy of BET365

TreVeyon Henderson OVER 45.5 Rushing Yards

Henderson continues to be limited in terms of his usage, but there may not be a more effective running back left in the CFP field.

The Ohio State ground game does feature a healthy dose of both Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, but I’m going to opt to back the explosive running back in Henderson, who is averaging north of seven yards per carry. 

In the postseason, Henderson has 174 yards on 18 carries, including a 66-yard house call against Oregon. The Texas rush defense is elite, but I believe that we see Henderson continue to produce at about five yards per carry and get about 10 carries en route to going over this mark yet again. 

Quintrevion Wisner UNDER 60.5 Rushing Yards

The Longhorns struggled to get the ground game going against Arizona State, posting only 63 yards on the ground against Arizona State.

While the Sun Devils rush defense is elite, the Buckeyes defensive line has arguably the best group in the country. Ohio State is top five in EPA/Rush while allowing less than three yards per carry. 

Wisner had a majority of the workload on the ground in double overtime thriller, rushing the ball for only 45 yards on 18 carries while Jaydon Blue had only four carries. The running back volume has changed week-to-week, but the biggest concern for me heading into this one is that I believe Texas will be in a negative game script. 

The Longhorns won’t be able to try and establish the run in this one and get Wisner going as a rusher, maybe focusing on getting him the ball in the passing game. Texas is catching nearly a touchdown and will need to pass to stay within arm’s length of the Buckeyes, and I believe that comes at the expense of the ground game. 

I like Wisner to stay under in what is a poor matchup for the entire team, particularly the team’s ground game.

Jeremiah Smith OVER 5.5 Receptions

The freshman sensation has been a well-known commodity all season, but Ohio State has unleashed him in the postseason. 

The numbers are outrageous: 13 catches on 17 targets for 290 yards and four touchdowns in two CFP victories. 

Of course, Smith’s numbers are up heading into this one, and the Texas secondary features several standout talents. Instead of going for his receiving yards total, I’m going to key in on Smith’s receptions mark. 

The targets are there for the Buckeyes freshman, and he has caught nearly 74% of the targets that have gone his way all season. He is the alpha in the OSU pass-catching group, and the team is firing on all cylinders. While Texas may keep a lid on its ability to hit explosive plays downfield, I believe offensive coordinator Chip Kelly will get the Buckeyes superstar the ball plenty of times in this one. I’ll opt for over receptions instead. 

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