Best College Football Prop Bets for UCLA vs. Iowa in Week 11

Reed Wallach | 3 Hours Ago

Nov 2, 2024; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes running back Kaleb Johnson (2) runs the ball against the Wisconsin Badgers during the second quarter at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Iowa travels out west to face UCLA in Big Ten action on Friday night as the team has a budding star at running back in Kaleb Johnson.

Johnson has been putting up monster stats this season, but how will he handle the sturdy UCLA defense? I have a player prop bet for Johnson as well as Bruins' quarterback Ethan Garbers in what should be a defensive struggle on Friday night.

Best College Football Prop Bets for Iowa vs. UCLA In Week 11

• Kaleb Johnson UNDER 128.5 Rushing Yards
• Ethan Garbers UNDER 234.5 Passing Yards

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Kaleb Johnson UNDER 128.5 Rushing Yards

Johnson is the best running back in the country not named Ashton Jeanty, averaging nearly eight yards per carry and second nationally in rushing yards, but this number is far too high given the matchup. 

While Johnson has gone over this mark in five nine games this season, I’m going to skew toward him going under due to the difficulty of the matchup. 

After 24 carries last week against Wisconsin, Iowa is on a short week out west to face UCLA, who is 19th in yards per carry and third in explosive rush defense. With the move to Brendan Sullivan, Iowa is a bit more diverse in its play calling as well, which can limit his volume. 

The number is simply too high for me that I must plug my nose and go under on the standout running back. 

Ethan Garbers UNDER 234.5 Passing Yards

Garbers has been playing his best ball of the season in the last three games for UCLA, going over this mark in two of the three as the Bruins have won two of those games. 

However, this will be the best defense the senior quarterback has faced and I’m going to side with the Hawkeyes to keep a lid on the Bruins offense through the air. 

This season, Iowa ranks 36th in yards per play allowed and has allowed more than 234.5 passing yards just twice this season (both losses). 

UCLA ranks 96th in explosive pass rate and is outside the top 100 in sacks allowed, I trust Iowa’s defense to show out and limit this Bruins passing game to get over this above-average mark. 

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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