King of Props: Irish eyes will be smiling

It’s not often that Week 1 of the college football season gives us a showdown between two of the best teams in the country, but that’s exactly the case on Saturday night when second-ranked Ohio State hosts No. 5 Notre Dame. Even rarer is a game of this magnitude carrying a massive point spread, yet the Buckeyes are favored by more than two touchdowns. If the Irish are playing from behind the way lines makers expect, such a game script would only help our prop:

The bet: Over 11½ receiving yards for Notre Dame running back Chris Tyree (Bally’s)

Last season, Tyree was a backup to Kyren Williams and injuries limited him to playing in 11 of his team’s 13 games. But he averaged better than 23 receiving yards per contest, with his 24 catches being good for 258 yards. Tyree stands to have a much bigger workload now that he’s the starter and Williams has taken his receiving production (42 catches for 359 yards in 2021) to the NFL.

When we last saw Tyree, he was catching 6 passes for 115 yards in Notre Dame’s 37-35 loss to Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl. That performance skews the numbers to an extent, but it speaks to his ability as a receiver out of the backfield. He had a 53-yard touchdown reception in that game and a 55-yarder earlier in the season.

In the face of the Ohio State pass rush, new Irish QB Tyler Buchner figures to throw some screen passes and dump-offs. Tyree should have multiple catches – and he may only need one to deliver the over.

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A longtime writer and sports bettor, John Dudley has been dubbed the “King of Props” for his proficiency with proposition wagers. Research is the key that routinely unlocks success, and his selections are always backed by sound reasoning. John can be followed on Twitter @JohnDudley85.