Ohio State vs. Michigan Player Props: Best Bets & TD Picks for Week 14

The greatest rivalry in college football is back, and my Ohio State vs. Michigan player props are backing the Buckeyes' elite defense and star receivers to be the reason Ryan Day's program breaks its four-game losing streak against the Wolverines.

No. 1 Ohio State is a 9.5-point betting favorite against No. 15 Michigan for Saturday's Big Noon Kickoff game (noon ET, FOX) from Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich. Our college football Week 14 predictions have you covered with everything you need to know for "The Game."

✅ Ohio State vs. Michigan player prop bets

See all of our experts' college football picks for Week 14. 

💰 Best Ohio State vs. Michigan player props

⬇️ Bryce Underwood player prop: Under 154.5 passing yards (-114) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The No. 1 recruit in last year's class, Bryce Underwood, received a four-year, $10 million NIL thanks to Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and his wife Jolan Zu. And while the five-star stud has had some bright flashes as a freshman, he hasn't seen anything like Ohio State's defense this season.

Led by a foursome of potential first-round picks in Arvell Reese, Caleb Downs, Sonny Styles, and Kayden McDonald, Ohio State has the best defense in the country. Matt Patricia's unit is ranked No. 1 in defensive SP+, No. 12 in EPA per pass, and allows the fewest passing yards per game in college football (126.6). 

Meanwhile, Michigan is just No. 56 in EPA per pass on offense, relying far more heavily on its run game. And while Underwood has had some impressive outings as a passer, in two games against defenses ranked top 35 by SP+ (Oklahoma, Nebraska), he's averaged just 123.5 passing yards per game.

If Underwood goes Under 154.5 passing yards for the fifth time this season, a $10 bet pays an $8.77 profit. Our Philip Wood is also fading Underwood in his Ohio State vs. Michigan prediction.

⬆️ Jeremiah Smith player prop: Over 6.5 receptions (+114) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

After exiting Ohio State's win over UCLA in Week 12 early due to an unspecified injury and missing the Week 13 win over Rutgers, it sounds like Jeremiah Smith will be on the field for The Game. By all accounts, Smith only missed time for precautionary reasons, and he's going to be full-go in Ann Arbor.

That spells trouble for a Michigan team that has uncharacteristically struggled to stop the pass this season. The Wolverines rank just No. 44 in EPA per pass on defense and are middle of the pack in the Big Ten in passing yards allowed per game (208.5). So don't be surprised to see Day and Brian Hartline lean on their passing attack, especially with QB Julian Sayin ranking No. 2 in the country in QBR (90.3).

Look for Smith to be the focal point of the game plan because ... duh, he's arguably the best player in college football. Smith has the highest reception rate (82.1%) and is averaging the highest yards per route run in the country of any player with at least 80 targets (3.43).

In the eight games Smith has played at least 40 snaps this season, he's averaged 7.5 receptions per game. He's gone Over 6.5 receptions in five of his last eight games, and if he does again, a $10 bet pays a $11.40 profit.

6️⃣ Best Ohio State vs. Michigan touchdown scorer bet

🔥 Carnell Tate TD pick: Anytime TD (+125) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Like Smith, Carnell Tate has been away from the field for precautionary reasons. The projected first-round pick hasn't played since Nov. 1 against Penn State, when he went for 124 yards and a score on five receptions against the Nittany Lions.

With fresh legs and Michigan being susceptible through the air, Tate's big-play ability should be on full display against the Wolverines. He's the only player in the country averaging over 3.5 yards per route run (3.52) and having pulled down double-digit contested catches (12). That speaks to both his ability to separate vertically and win in traffic, two things that come in handy when it comes to catching touchdowns.

No player in college football with at least 10 contested catch opportunities has a better contested catch rate than Tate (92.3%), and that's helped him score in six of eight games this season. If he finds the end zone against Michigan, a $10 bet pays a $12.50 profit.

Tate is among my favorite plays to put six on the board as part of my college football anytime touchdown scorer predictions for Week 14.

📊 Ohio State vs. Michigan anytime touchdown scorer odds

See live college football odds for every game in Week 14.

📺 How to watch Ohio State vs. Michigan

• Date: Saturday, Nov. 29
• Kickoff: Noon ET
• Location: Michigan Stadium (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
• TV: FOX