The 5 best prop bets for Notre Dame-Clemson

Clemson and Notre Dame kick off the first game of the College Football Playoff, as the No. 2 Tigers and No. 3 Fighting Irish square off in the Cotton Bowl.

Let's look at the five best prop bets for the matchup:

Longest TD under 50.5 Yards (-120)

Longest touchdown props come with some volatility. All it takes is one missed tackle or fluke play for this type of prop to either cash in or go up in flames. If we're playing the numbers, it comes down to not only two of the top defenses in the country, but two of the best when it comes to limiting big plays. Clemson is No. 5 in S&P+ IsoPPP+ this season, which accounts for limiting explosive plays; Notre Dame isn't too far behind at No. 11.

Ian Book over 20.5 completions (-110)

Similar to standard capping, it's important to make plays based on what will happen rather that what has happened. Despite the total completions prop for Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book looking almost too good to be true - he's completed at least 22 passes in each start this season - we like his matchup against the Clemson secondary. Both Texas A&M and South Carolina found a successful formula against the Tigers' defensive backs this season, using their big, physical receivers to create plays in the middle of the field. The Fighting Irish might not rip off too many explosive plays, but Book has a plethora of 6-foot-something receivers that should pose matchup problems Saturday.

Clemson team total under 34 points (-110)

S&P+ takes into account strength of schedule and is used as a prediction tool, so Notre Dame's No. 4 ranking in the country in defensive metrics factors in its opponents' underwhelming offensive units. The Fighting Irish's adversaries this season boasted an average S&P+ offense of around No. 60 in the nation. Clemson, however, ranks No. 7 and will be the only offense in the Top 20 of S&P+ that Notre Dame has faced all year. The Tigers' ranking isn't flawless either, though - they didn't play a single defense ranked in the Top 25 of S&P+ defense this year. Against the three best defenses, classified by the same metric (Boston College, Duke, Syracuse), the Tigers averaged 29.6 points per game, 15.8 fewer than their season average.

Tee Higgins to score a touchdown - No (+100)

Oddsmakers are expecting Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence to throw a couple touchdown passes, with the freshman phenom's total listed at two (both -110 on the over/under). One of Lawrence's favorite receivers this season has been star sophomore Tee Higgins, a 6-foot-4 jump ball target who leads the receiving corps with 10 touchdowns and has been a thorn in the side of opposing cornerbacks when the Tigers get near the endzone. This is where we like Notre Dame's defense, which has allowed just six touchdowns in the redzone all season long.

Dexter Williams under 50.5 rushing yards (-110)

Notre Dame's rushing attack figures to struggle Saturday, even against a Clemson front sans star defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence. Fighting Irish tailback Dexter Williams has the toughest matchup of the day, up against a Tigers defense ranked No. 1 in both overall S&P+ defense and opponent success rate, No. 4 in front-seven havoc rate, and No. 9 in IsoPPP+.

(All prop bets were taken from Bovada and Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook. Be sure to shop around for the best numbers.)

Alex Kolodziej is theScore's betting writer. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 11 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AlexKoIodziej.