- Both Nico Iamaleava and Jackson Arnold have passing yard totals in the 245 range.
- Nico Iamaleava has -165 odds to throw for over 1.5 passing touchdowns.
- Jackson Arnold has -130 odds to stay under his 1.5 passing touchdown total.
NORMAN, Okla. – A top-15 matchup and the start of SEC play awaits in Week 3 between the #6 Tennessee Volunteers and #15 Oklahoma Sooners. This marks the Sooners SEC conference debut and with that, there is loads of talent on both sides, especially in the quarterback rooms which makes for tons of college football props to take advantage of.
Nico Iamaleava (Tennessee) and Jackson Arnold (Oklahoma) are two of the most talented QBs in the country, however, the defenses that each of them are about to face suggests a more conservative gameplan on both sides.
#6 Tennessee vs. #15 Oklahoma Odds
- Moneyline: Tennessee (-285) vs Oklahoma (+235)
- Spread: Tennessee -7 (-120)
- Total: 56.5 Points (under -115)
Passing Yard Props
Nico Iamaleava Total Passing Yards
- Over 248.5 -114
- Under 248.5 -114
Jackson Arnold Total Passing Yards
- Over 243.5 -114
- Under 243.5 -114
Both the Volunteers and Sooners could very well opt for a more held back passing attempt and try to get things rolling on the ground being that both pass defenses are some of the best in the country.
Looking at Nico Iamaleava’s odds compared to what he has done this season. He has only gone over 248.5 once this season and it was in the first game of the season where he went for 314 yards. Tennessee has also won every game by 40+ points which forces their offense to scale back the pass game later in their games. While it’s unlikely they do the same here against Oklahoma, the Sooners pass defense is one to respect as well as they allow just 187 pass yards per game this season allowing just one QB to go over that number all season.
As for Jackson Arnold, he is really going to have a rough day passing. The Tennessee passing defense ranks 4 in the country allowing just 105 pass yards per game. Arnold’s game is also not of an explosive passer. He has yet to touch 180 passing yards this season and his longest completion of the year is just 47 yards. Don’t expect anything to change in an offense that has gone 3-0 to this point.
Passing Touchdown Props
Nico Iamaleava Total Passing Touchdowns
- Over 1.5 -164
- Under 1.5 +125
Jackson Arnold Total Passing Touchdowns
- Over 1.5 +100
- Under 1.5 -130
While Iamaleava’s passing yard total suggests the under, you have to respect his ability to throw touchdowns. He is averaging 2 passing TDs per game and has thrown for 2+ TDs in two games this season. Yes, Oklahoma hasn’t allowed any QB to have a multi TD game this season, however, the Vols are heavy favorites in this one so expect Nico to get it done early in the game before the offense scales back.
Arnold, on the other hand, has also thrown two multi TD games this season, however, it goes back to the Tennessee secondary and how well they’ve played this season. They’ve yet to allow a passing touchdown yet through three games. There is no doubt that Arnold will have at least one passing TD as he has 7 total on the season, but the Vols defense certainly has kept tabs on their impressive secondary thus far so expect them to go all out in preventing one this week.
Betting Nuggets To Watch
Some things to keep in mind when betting on either of these QB totals come on the actual line for the game itself. Tennessee is a touchdown favorite and slightly favored to cover that at -120. If Tennessee does get out to an early multi score lead, they would certainly rely on their defense and scale back the offense later on which could result in a run heavier attack which would help lean towards Nico’s under in total passing yards.
The underdog spread does help Arnold though as the Sooners would be playing catch up at that point and be forced to throw the ball to stay competitive.
