Best college football prop bets for Illinois vs. Penn State

Illinois and Penn State face off Saturday night in a battle of undefeated Big Tens.

The Fighting Illini have a budding passing game that might have a better chance of handling Penn State’s banged-up secondary than oddsmakers suggest. Keep reading for the latest on the Nittany Lions injury report and the emergence of Luke Altmyer and Zakhari Franklin.

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Luke Altmyer OVER 179.5 passing yards

Altmyer is one of the most improved players in the entire country, completing 71 percent of his passes for 862 yards with 10 touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Sure, this is a significant step up in the road competition at Penn State, but this is a legitimate Fighting Illini passing game that ranks 12th in EPA/Pass.

Now, Penn State has an elite defense, but it may not be the Nittany Lions of old led by former defensive coordinator Manny Diaz and former Indiana head coach Tom Allen, who takes over. Bowling Green was able to pass the Nittany Lions and it’s a much better Illinois offense. Falcons quarterback Connor Bazelak passed for 254 yards in a competitive affair in Week 2.

Penn State also has questions in the secondary with defensive back KJ Winston out for this one. While the Nittany Lions can blow out the Fighting Illini, a negative game script only helps this prop pass.

Zakhari Franklin OVER 40.5 receiving yards

In the same vein, I’m talking about Franklin’s receiving pillar.

I don’t believe this Penn State secondary is as big as the market seems to think, as evidenced by my upside bet, and I believe Franklin continues to be undervalued in the market.

The UTSA and Ole Miss transfer is averaging about seven targets per game with at least five catches over the last three games (the first game was against FCS foe Eastern Illinois, where he was on a instant account). In those games, Franklin has 99 yards, 66 yards and 50 yards.

Given the possibility that Illinois is down, or at the very least has to pass to keep up with Penn State, this is a great setup.

Game odds are updated periodically and are subject to change.

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

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