King of Props: Tez the season

While many associate the back half of December with buying and exchanging holiday gifts, college football fans know this time of year as bowl season. The eighth-annual Cure Bowl in Orlando features a pair of 11-2 teams, with Troy from the Sun Belt taking on UTSA from Conference USA. In the only bowl game that’s a matchup of two conference champions, one side’s most prolific pass catcher gets our backing for top prop:

The bet: Over 63½ receiving yards for Troy wide receiver Tez Johnson (DraftKings)

A sophomore playing his third year for the Trojans, Johnson leads the team with 52 receptions and 823 yards. He appeared to be headed for a 1,000-yard season until Troy committed to running the ball against inferior opponents in the last three games, feeding tailback Kimani Vidal a whopping 82 carries.

Johnson stayed involved, making 12 receptions, but it wasn’t at his usual level. After being held in check by 21st-ranked Ole Miss to open the season, he exceeded this total in seven of the next eight games. His average over that stretch was 85 receiving yards and he topped the century mark twice.

Quarterback Gunnar Watson didn’t throw more than 17 passes in any of the last three games, but the offensive approach is likely to be more balanced today. UTSA’s pass defense ranks 101st of the 131 FBS schools, and with safety Rashad Wisdom sidelined by a shoulder injury, it will be vulnerable to big plays by Johnson.