Minnesota vs. Virginia Tech Player Prop Picks & Touchdown Prediction: Duke’s Mayo Bowl

We're offering our Minnesota vs. Virginia Tech player prop picks for their Friday night showdown in the Duke's Mayo Bowl.

Philip Wood

Last Updated: January 3, 2025 11:13 AM EST • 5 minute read

Minnesota Golden Gophers running back Darius Taylor carries the ball against the Wisconsin Badgers, and we're featuring him with our Minnesota vs. Virginia Tech player props. — Minnesota Golden Gophers running back Darius Taylor carries the ball against the Wisconsin Badgers. Photo by Jeff Hanisch via Imagn Images.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers and Virginia Tech Hokies are set to battle in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Friday night.

When making the best Minnesota vs. Virginia Tech player prop picks, it’s important to monitor which key players are out.

The Hokies will be without starting quarterback Kyron Drones, and they're are 8.5-point underdogs for Friday's 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN) game at Bank of America Stadium.

Meanwhile, the Golden Gophers’ offense will have its leading rusher, receiver, and starting quarterback. But the Golden Gophers averaged only 24.4 points per game this season. Can they be effective tonight?

We also offered our best Minnesota vs. Virginia Tech prediction as part of our college bowl game predictions this week.

Our college football bowl game opt-out tracker has you covered with the latest opt-out news and the impact on the college bowl game odds.

Minnesota vs. Virginia Tech college football player prop picks: Duke’s Mayo Bowl

College football picks made Friday; odds subject to change. Our NEW college football player prop odds tool can help you find the best odds on any market across legal sportsbooks in your area!

Darius Taylor touchdown prediction: First touchdown scorer (+250 via bet365) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Max Brosmer prop pick: Under 201.5 passing yards (-115 via bet365) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Daniel Jackson prop pick: Under 5.5 receptions (-110 via bet365) ⭐⭐⭐

Minnesota vs. Virginia Tech touchdown prediction

Darius Taylor first touchdown scorer ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Best odds: +250 via bet365 | Implied probability: 28.57%

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Taylor hasn’t scored in back-to-back games, but he still has nine rushing touchdowns this season. When you add in his two receiving touchdowns, he has more than double the number of touchdowns as the second-leading scorer on the Golden Gophers.

Because the Hokies are dealing with so many offensive opt-outs and the Golden Gophers allowed just 19.1 points per game this season, I expect the scoring in this game to come exclusively from Minnesota. Considering Taylor is -455 to score a touchdown, getting him at +250 to score the first touchdown of the game is too good to pass up.

Best Minnesota vs. Virginia Tech prop picks

Max Brosmer Under 201.5 passing yards ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Best odds: -115 via bet365 | Implied probability: 53.49%

The Hokies are absolutely depleted entering this game, but that doesn’t mean that Brosmer will cruise to a huge game. He threw for fewer than 200 yards in six games this season, as the Golden Gophers finished tied for 80th in passing yards per game.

Though they’re missing plenty of key pieces on the defensive side of the ball, the Hokies still gave up just 214.3 passing yards per game this season. Considering they had to face players like Cam Ward and Kyle McCord, it’s impressive they kept that average so low.

And while the Hokies’ pass defense will be weaker than usual, so will their run defense. Though the Golden Gophers ended the year with just 110.9 rushing yards per game, Taylor finished the season with a 143-yard game against the Wisconsin Badgers. With the Golden Gophers likely to be leading for most of this game, look for Brosmer to take a backseat to the rushing attack.

Daniel Jackson Under 5.5 receptions ⭐⭐⭐

Best odds: -110 via bet365 | Implied probability: 52.39%

Jackson has been the Golden Gophers’ leading receiver all season. He finished the year with 75 catches for 863 yards, and he has caught at least four passes in all of his games this season. He finished the year catching at least six passes in five of his final six games.

But there’s something fishy about this total, so I’m going to side with oddsmakers and take the Under. I think that the Hokies’ pass defense could give Brosmer some trouble. If that’s the case, and Taylor ends up running all over the Hokies, then Jackson may get fewer opportunities in the season finale.

Only one of our best sports betting sites is offering this prop right now, and the price for the Over is -120. Considering Jackson’s recent performances, expect other sportsbooks to come in favoring the Over as well.

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Duke's Mayo Bowl expert picks

Duke’s Mayo Bowl live odds & game info

When: Friday, Jan. 3
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte)
How to watch: ESPN
Weather: 39 degrees, 0% chance of precipitation, wind 16 mph WNW
Favorite: Minnesota -8.5 (-115 via FanDuel)

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Written by:
Philip Wood

Phil has covered sports betting since 2016, and he has been with SportsBook Review since 2022. He previously hosted the College Football Pick 'Em podcast for CanesInsight.com. He is always looking for value, especially on lines that just seem too good to be true. His belief is that if a line doesn't make sense just assume oddsmakers know something you don't. He also loves in-season futures. There is so much value to be had as the public overreacts weekly. Bettors tend to forget just how long NFL and college football seasons are. After all, the Green Bay Packers were 2-5 in 2023 and they made it to the Divisional Round. When deciding where to bet, it comes down to value over everything. +100 is always better than -110. An alumnus of The U, Phil always holds out hope that the next head coach will be the one who turns the football program around. He is also a diehard Detroit Lions fan and is willing to forgive Dan Campbell for forgetting that a kicker can be useful.