Baylor vs Colorado Player Props & Best Bets: Bears Run the Ball Effectively

Prop bet #1: Richard Reese Over 43.5 rushing yards

-115 at BetMGM

Give Deion Sanders credit. He brought in Louis Vutton at many skill and perimeter positions. But also fault him for failing along the offensive and defensive lines. The transfer portal does not provide enough to restock those position groups on the fly, and it has shown early in Colorado’s season.

The Buffaloes’ defensive line will bear that brunt this weekend, the Bears intent on running the ball. Baylor designs runs 10.9% more often than one would normally expect when looking at game state. Some of that is because its passing game is struggling, some of it is because Dequan Finn is a dual-threat quarterback, and some of it is because it works.

It has worked well for Richard Reese in two of three games this season, the exception being against Utah. Most people struggle running against the Utes. More pertinently, Reese still got nine carries.

If he gets eight or nine against Colorado, Reese should clear this prop. And Baylor is going to run too often not to give Reese eight or nine carries.

Prop bet #2: Travis Hunter anytime touchdown

-150 at BetMGM

This will not shock anyone who has ever met a single Covers.com betting analyst, but none of us are high-fashion experts. The editors spell-check “Louis Vutton.” No one here could tell you what brand is even nicer than Louis.

Let’s call it “Travis Hunter.” Because he is nicer than Louis. Even the loudest Colorado skeptic (hi, it’s me, I’m the skeptic) has to acknowledge Hunter is a design above.

His second-best position is receiver, and he has still cleared 100 yards in three straight games with five touchdowns.

Give credit to Deion for making sure the Buffaloes had enough other receiver talent that secondaries could not entirely devote a safety to helping on Hunter. Usually? Sure. But not always.

Safety help is toughest to devote in the red zone, the field becoming shorter or flatter, depending on your vantage point. Those angles become longer, relatively speaking. And that has allowed Hunter to excel.

These are simply realities, and they are realities that create value on this anytime touchdown prop.

Prop bet #3: Will Sheppard Over 40.5 receiving yards

-115 at BetMGM

Some of that other receiving talent is Will Sheppard, a Vanderbilt transfer. First of all, he is experienced, 45 games under his belt in his career with 164 catches. Second, he is explosive, averaging at least 12.9 yards per catch in each season of his Commodores’ career, a number we can only assume he will near this season.

Colorado has to throw the ball, its offensive line too putrid to establish a rushing game. In fact, the Buffaloes throw the ball more often than expected than 132 other teams in the country. Note: There are only 133 other teams in the country.

The combination of his explosiveness and Colorado’s need is how Sheppard has averaged 60 yards per game in two FBS games this season, one reliant on his big-play ability (three catches for 59 yards) and the other on volume (seven catches for 61 yards).

One or the other should click on Saturday night, out of Buffaloes’ necessity if nothing else.