Monday's national title game between Georgia and Alabama marks the last college football game of the season. I don't like that.
However, the silver lining of the grand finale is the array of betting opportunities — outside of the standard spread and total, we can hit other unique markets, including player props.
Here the top three plays I feel offer the best value as we close the curtain on the 2021-22 season.
Bryce Young Over/Under 12.5 Rushing Yards
Young's legs might be the surprise wrinkle to keep Georgia's star-studded defense on its heels.
Alabama rarely needs Young to take over games on the ground, but his volume's gradually ticked up as the season has progressed. After registering four attempts per game over the first seven games, he's averaged seven over the back half of the campaign.
Young totaled just three rushes against Georgia in the SEC title game but rang up the Bulldogs for 40 yards.
Running back Brian Robinson Jr.'s come on strong in the backfield, fresh off a 27-carry, 204-yard performance against Cincinnati. Don't be surprised if Young tucks it and runs more often than not Monday against an opportunistic front seven.
I like the Heisman winner against the Bulldogs on the ground, especially after he left them sack-less a few weeks ago.
Pick: Over 12.5
Stetson Bennett Over/Under Rushing 11.5 Yards
This number feels short.
Sacks are a buzzkill when betting a quarterback's rushing yards over the total (sacks count toward yardage in college), but Bennett's jersey usually stays clean. Georgia's offensive line allowed the second-fewest sacks per game in the nation this season, behind only Army.
Bennett cashed this total in seven straight games to open the year and has posted double-digit rushing yards in 11 of 13 games.
This is more of a price play than anything. My cutoff point is more in the 15.5 range.
Pick: Over 11.5
Jermaine Burton Over/Under 36.5 Receiving Yards
Burton likely only needs one catch to shatter this number. He's Georgia's top deep threat, averaging a team-high 19.5 yards per reception.
He only needed one grab in the semifinal against Michigan to go over his total. However, it was more of a busted play than Burton getting a clean release and blowing the top off the secondary.
Jermaine Burton hauls in a bomb, looking to go over the total solo@GeorgiaFootball | #GoDawgspic.twitter.com/LPZy7RRpNY
— Collin Wilson (@_Collin1) January 1, 2022
Frankly, I'm convinced Alabama isn't intimidated.
Burton's caught more than three passes in a game once this season. He brought down three against the Crimson Tide a few weeks ago but for just 36 yards — his third-lowest yards-per-catch clip this season.
Although the Tide secondary's dealing with injuries, it's kept the ball the ball in front of it consistently all year, ranking top-10 nationally in opponent yards per completion.
Plus with Brock Bowers' surge (season-high 139 yards vs. Alabama), wide receiver George Pickens back in the fold and running back James Cook becoming more involved in the passing game of late, Georgia all of a sudden has a ton of mouths to feed.
Pick: Under 36.5
