Best Prop Bets for James Madison vs. Oregon in College Football Playoff First Round

James Madison and Oregon have both given up less than 15.0 points per game this season.

Dante Moore and Oregon are favored against James Madison on Saturday. / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

No. 24 James Madison was the last team to make the College Football Playoffs and will take on No. 5 Oregon in a first-round matchup on Saturday. Both teams have elite defenses, but the Dukes are expected to blow out the Group of Five Dukes. Let’s see how Oregon stacks up against the underdogs.

The Ducks are only second to No. 2 Indiana in rushing yards among Big Ten teams. They rank 15th nationally and three of their running backs are averaging at least 5.9 yards per carry. Noah Whittington stands out as a player who could break out against one of the three FBS defenses that’s given up less than 1,000 rushing yards this season.

Here’s our breakdown for two prop bets to consider ahead of kickoff.

Best Prop Bets for James Madison vs. Oregon

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

• Noah Whittington OVER 82.5 rushing yards (-114)
• Jordan Davison anytime touchdown scorer (-135)

Noah Whittington OVER 82.5 rushing yards (-114)

James Madison held opposing teams to just 76.2 yards per game on the ground during the regular season, but two players have broken through with impressive performances against the Dukes.

Louisville’s Isaac Brown went for 104 yards on 12 carries and Marshall’s Antwan Roberts racked up 121 yards on 20 carries. Whittington has tallied more carries than both of those backs this season and Oregon is leaning on him now more than ever.

Whittington has totaled 36 carries over his previous two games. He hasn’t generated that many attempts in any two week span during this season. Whittington has recorded at least 11 carries in five of his previous six games. His average longest run has been 34.7 yards during that stretch.

Oregon’s lead back is trending in the right direction when it comes to volume and breaks off big plays often enough to go over 82 rushing yards for the sixth time this season.

Jordan Davison anytime touchdown scorer (-135)

Davison doesn’t get as many touches as Whittington, but is often the first choice when it’s time to finish drives. Oregon’s power back has rushed for a team-high 13 touchdowns despite only having 88 carries on the year. Davison has reached the end zone in nine of the 12 games he’s appeared in this season.

The true freshman accounts for 43.3 percent of the rushing touchdowns for the nation’s ninth ranked scoring offense. If Oregon comes close to reaching its average of 38.2 points per game as a 20.5-point favorite, there’s a good chance Davison will score at least once.

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