Best College Football Prop Bets for UCLA vs. LSU

Louisiana State University running back Caden Durham (29) runs nearSouth Carolina defensive tackle Nick Barrett (93) during the fourth quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C. Saturday, September 14, 2024. | Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

LSU escaped its SEC opener with a win and now will look to beat up on a lowly Power Four team.

UCLA's rebuild is off to a slow start as the team is struggling on both sides of the ball under new head coach Deshaun Foster. It won't get any easier for the Bruins, who travel to Baton Rouge to take on the high-flying Tigers offense.

Who should we target in the player prop market for this nonconference showdown? Can freshman running back Caden Durham continue to impress for LSU?

Let's break it all down below.

Best College Football Prop Bets for UCLA vs. LSU

• Kyren Lacy OVER 77.5 Receiving Yards
• Caden Durham Anytime Touchdown Scorer 
• TJ Harden UNDER 49.5 Rushing Yards

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Kyren Lacy OVER 77.5 Receiving Yards

Lacy’s numbers have dipped since a big opening effort against LSU, going under this mark in two straight, but the targets remain there for the top pass catcher in the Tigers offense. 

He has a combined 17 targets in the last two games, but only 10 catches to show for it. He will now face a UCLA defense that allowed Indiana to throw for 301 yards last week in a 42-13 loss. 

The Tigers offense will likely pick apart UCLA’s patchwork secondary that allowed a 95th percentile EPA/Dropback last week compared to games last season, per Gameonpaper. 

Lacy should get force-fed targets as LSU looks to put together another solid offensive showing after facing an SEC defense in South Carolina. 

Caden Durham Anytime Touchdown Scorer

The Tigers had been searching for a No. 1 running back this season, and it may have found one in freshman Caden Durham, who rushed for 98 yards and a touchdown in the come-from-behind win against South Carolina. 

Caden Durham becomes latest LSU freshman running back to climb depth chart in-season https://t.co/63HYqatH4r

— Tommy Krysan (@tommykrysan) September 18, 2024

Durham’s rushing yards prop hasn’t been posted yet for this one, but his anytime touchdown scorer number is priced beneath Josh Williams, the top RB on the depth chart last week. 

At -145, it’s a steep price to play on Durham, but if he receives the necessary touches in a projected blowout, I’ll bank on him finding the end zone yet again. 

TJ Harden UNDER 49.5 Rushing Yards

Harden hasn’t gone over this number yet this season, but we are expecting him to get to 50 yards as a 24-point underdog. 

This doesn’t pass the smell test for me. 

Not to mention, the Bruins began to integrate in veteran transfer running back Jalen Berger last week. Can he eat away at Harden’s touches? 

After 12 carries for 48 yards against Indiana last week, I’ll take that as his ceiling, not his median. 

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

Follow Reed on Twitter @ReedWallach and get all his college football bets on betstamp @rw33

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