In what amounts to one of the best games of the week, the Michigan Wolverines head west to face the Oklahoma Sooners.
Both teams had cupcakes to start the season, and Michigan had some mixed results.
We've identified our three best bets in the prop market for this marquee matchup in my Oklahoma vs. Michigan college football picks for Saturday, September 6th.
Michigan vs Oklahoma props for Week 2
Underwood o9.5 rushing yards (-110)
Mateer o241.5 passing yards (-110)- Kanak anytime touchdown (+250)
Prop bet #1: Bryce Underwood Over 9.5 rushing yards
If you were just glancing at the box score from last week, you might not think a bet on the new Michigan Wolverines freshman signal-caller would be a good idea.
Bryce Underwood didn't look to scramble often, and Michigan even allowed two sacks, leaving him with negative yardage. While the sacks, especially against lowly New Mexico, could be a concern, I believe there was some real gamesmanship going on.
In other words, I don't think Michigan had much interest in putting that ability of Underwood on film yet. This weekend will be different.
Quarterback runs were a problem for the Oklahoma Sooners a season ago. Navy QB Blake Horvath ran for over 155 yards, and a host of others had success scrambling off broken plays. By all accounts, Underwood has good speed with a reported 4.5 forty time.
I suspect Michigan will have noted those Oklahoma struggles last season and will draw up multiple designed runs for him to display that speed.
Prop bet #2: John Mateer Over 241.5 passing yards
I wasn't impressed with Michigan's defense during the offseason, and I didn't see anything to suggest otherwise over the weekend.
Against a poor New Mexico offense, Michigan allowed essentially an even pass-per-EPA number, which isn't good. They also allowed 17 points and let QB Jack Layne complete over 65% of his passes in his first career start.
While three interceptions point to some positives, it's not enough to overlook the overall success rate the Lobos had.
John Mateer looked impressive in the opener against Illinois State, throwing for over 350 yards. Of course, it's Illinois State, but we have the context of his gaudy numbers for Washington State before playing for the Sooners.
He also showed instant chemistry with his pass catchers and comfort in the Oklahoma system. I projected this number at 249.5 and would play it down to 244.5.
Prop bet #3: Jaren Kanak anytime touchdown
From a value perspective, this is my favorite play on the board—mainly because there's not much data to go on.
Jaren Karnak switched from defense to offense in the offseason, was named the starting tight end for game one, and immediately answered the bell.
The 6'2" player grabbed five receptions for over 90 yards and immediately caught my eye. The Sooners are being coy about how much he'll be used, but it's clear there's instant chemistry with Mateer.
With that in mind, I expect him to be targeted more here. I'll take a flier at this price point for an offense I fully expect to have tons of success airing the ball out.
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