Michigan State vs. Oregon Preview: 3 Player Prop Bets and Best Bet
The Michigan State Spartans (3-2) will head west for a Big Ten matchup against the No. 6 ranked Oregon Ducks (4-0) Friday night under the lights at Autzen Stadium.
After starting the season undefeated, Michigan State has dropped its past two contests. Losing to No. 3 ranked Ohio State 38-7 was somewhat expected, but the team’s 23-19 loss at Boston College shows that the Spartans – while more competitive than last year – still have a long way to go this season.
Oregon remained undefeated despite having two strong tests to the season. The first was an overtime thriller between the Ducks and Boise State, one that Oregon propelled by a 37-34 score. Against rival Oregon State, the Ducks raced out to a 49-14 victory.
Can Michigan State keep up with the fast-paced Ducks and win for the first time in Eugene, Oregon in their fourth game there? We’ll cover that and our three favorite player prop bets below.
Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel OVER 279.5 Passing Yards
The Oregon offense has gone through its strong-armed veteran quarterback. Dillon Gabriel – a two-time transfer student – has completed 81.5 percent of his passes this season for 1,192 yards and nine touchdowns.
Gabriel’s worst performance this season was against Boise State as he threw for just 243 yards in the overtime win. Since, he’s thrown for at least 278 yards in two other wins against Oregon State and UCLA. Expect that performance to continue Friday night against the Spartans.
Michigan State RB Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams UNDER 46.5 Rushing Yards
After Nate Carter led the Spartans running attack in the season-opening win over FAU, Michigan State running back Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams has outpaced his junior counterpart in every single game.
Still, the Spartans rely on a two-headed running back committee, and against Oregon, there’s not enough love to make either viable player prop bets for the over. Lynch-Adams could break a long run and surpass the 47-yard mark, but bettors should expect the Ducks defense to prevent him from reaching that milestone on Friday.
Oregon WR Tez Johnson OVER 92.5 Receiving Yards
When Michigan State hosted Ohio State last weekend, the Buckeyes had their way with the Spartans on the ground and through the air. Ohio State quarterback Will Howard finished with 244 yards passing, making a name out of wide receiver Jeremiah Smith due to some incredible catches.
Expect Johnson to etch his name in social media lore Friday night. The 5-foot-10 speedster has three games with more than 80 yards receiving, including back-to-back games with 110-plus receiving yards. He’ll do the same tonight and cover this player prop bet.
Best Bet: Oregon (-23.5)
We’d love to say that people watching the Michigan State game on Friday night will have a great competition to watch, but that’s not the case. By halftime, this game will be out of reach for the Spartans.
There’s a reason to believe this is a trap game for the Ducks. The case can be made that Oregon has already had that situation earlier this season with Boise State. Oregon had a matchup the following week against Oregon State when the Ducks squeaked past Boise State. For this reason alone, expect Oregon to be prepared for this matchup against the Spartans.
The Ducks are looking to make a statement in this primetime matchup on Friday. A score similar to the Ohio State game isn’t out of the question as the Ducks are looking to establish their place in the college football pecking order with the Buckeyes coming to town next weekend.
Ernie Horn
Sports Betting Contributor
Ernie is a 25-year veteran of the newspaper industry. He spent those early years working as a sports reporter and editor, but made the move back to the digital world in 2022. Ernie covers college football and NFL betting for Hello Rookie.