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September 17th College Football Props – Best Player Prop Bets for UCF vs Louisville, Maryland vs Illinois

John Hyslop

by John Hyslop in College Football

Updated Nov 18, 2022 · 2:46 PM PST

Malik Cunningham throwing
Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham (3) throws during the second half of an NCAA football game against Mississippi on Monday, Sept. 6, 2021, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Danny Karnik)
  • College football fans are being treated to two games on Friday, Sept. 17th with the first kicking off at 7:30 PM ET
  • Louisville will host UCF at 7:30pm ET while Maryland will travel to Illinois for a 9:00pm ET Big Ten battle
  • See the best player and team scoring props for this game below

The weekend starts early for college football fans as the UCF Knights and Louisville Cardinals square off at 7:30pm ET from Cardinal Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky on ESPN. Not long after, the Big Ten will join the fray when the Illinois Fighting Illini host the Maryland Terrapins at Memorial Stadium in Champagne, Illinois. Kickoff for that one is scheduled for 9:00pm on Fox Sports 1.

Both road teams are favored as UCF has dropped down to 6.5-point favorites after opening at -7.5. The other road team tonight has seen the exact opposite line movement. The Maryland Terrapins opened as 6-point favorites only to see their line swell to -7 at the time of writing. Both totals are in the 60s so we could see some scoring tonight.

Player props are becoming a more popular way to bet football and now we are now seeing them all the time in the college football ranks. DraftKings has given us a few to choose from on either side for both of tonight’s games.

UCF vs Louisville & Maryland vs Illinois Player Props

Quarterback Passing Yards
Dillon Gabriel (UCF) 315.5  (Ov -115 / Un -115)
Malik Cunningham (Louisville) 257.5 (Ov -115 / Un -115)
Artur Sitkowski (Illinois) 210.5 (Ov -115 / Un -115)
Taulia Tagovailoa (Maryland) 287.5 (Ov -115 / Un -115)
Quarterback Passing TDs
Dillon Gabriel (UCF) 3.5 (Ov +175 / Un -240)
Malik Cunningham (Louisville) 2.5 (Ov +150 / Un -205)
Artur Sitkowski (Illinois) 1.5 (Ov +115 / Un -145)
Taulia Tagovailoa (Maryland) 2.5 (Ov -165 / Un +125)
Rushing Props Rushing Yards
Isaiah Bowser (UCF) 100.5 (Ov -115 / Un -115)
Jalen Mitchell (Louisville) 55.5 (Ov -115 / Un -115)
Malik Cunningham (Louisville) 57.5 (Ov -115 / Un -115)
Mike Epstein (Illinois) 50.5 (Ov -115 / Un -115)
Tayon Fleet-Davis (Maryland) 78.5 (Ov -115 / Un -115)
Receiving Props Receiving Yards
Ahmari Huggins-Bruce (Louisville) 47.5 (Ov +100 / Un -130)
Jaylon Robinson (UCF) 97.5 (Ov -115 / Un -115)
Josh Johnson (Louisville) 50.5 (Ov -115 / Un -115)
Ryan O’Keefe (UCF) 65.5 (Ov -115 / Un -115)
Dontay Demus Jr. (Maryland) 106.5 (Ov -115 / Un -115)
Isaiah Williams (Illinois) 55.5 (Ov -115 / Un -115)

All odds taken Sept. 17 from DraftKings. Download the best Maryland sports betting apps to make your bets today

Josh Johnson Can Ball

The Louisville offense will have to be at their best to beat the UCF Knights tonight. The Knights were very impressive in their opening game victory over Boise State dropping 36 points in the come from behind win. They then beat the breaks off of Bethune-Cookman 63-14 last week in another impressive offensive display. One guy that could be busy is wide receiver Josh Johnson.

UCF is highly likely to score points causing Louisville to chase. In the Boise State game, Khalil Shakir gave the Knights all kinds of problems posting a 5-91-2 line in the losing effort. Johnson is the exact same type of receiver as Shakir. He was one of the only guys Malik Cunningham could rely on against Ole Miss going 6-40 that night.

He hasn’t cracked 50.5 receiving yards yet this season but tonight’s environment makes it likely for him to do it for the first time in 2021.

The Pick: Josh Johnson Over 50.5 receiving yards (-115)

Malik Cunningham Will Go Off

Josh Johnson won’t be the only one going off tonight as Malik Cunningham should hear his name called a few times as well. He is not a bad passer as he just threw for 277 yards last week against Eastern Kentucky.  The thing many will see tonight is his ability to run with the ball. I don’t want to say Lamar Jackson’s name, but…

He had his way through the air with Eastern Kentucky last week which is why his rushing total was so low. He only had to carry the ball 11 times. Why take unnecessary hits when you don’t have to right? That won’t be the case tonight against UCF.

The Cardinals should be chasing points and when pass plays break down, he will run. He should go way over this number tonight.

  • The Pick: Malik Cunningham Over 57.5 rushing yards
  • College Player Prop Record: 0-2 -2.3 units
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