Three Big 12 Prop Bets to Watch in the Liberty Bowl, Iowa State vs. Memphis

There are two things in life that everyone loves, watching college football and making money. In today’s story, I’m going to try to help you accomplish both.

As the Iowa State Cyclones get set to take on the Memphis Tigers in the 2023 Liberty Bowl, we here at Heartland College Sports want to provide you with three prop bets to keep your eyes on as well as a superstar staff parlay.

While I know fans get nervous betting on lines above 100+ of any specific statistical category, Abu Sama is the real deal. On top of that Memphis’ defense just plain is not good. There’s a reason Iowa State is favored by 10.5 in this game.

Abu Sama, in my humble opinion, is the next Deuce Vaughn. Maybe that ages horribly, maybe it doesn’t, but after watching him carve up teams in the Big 12 Conference this season with some dangerous moves in the open field, the writing is on the walls.

With multiple running backs in the transfer portal, Sama should get the bulk of carries for Iowa State, and with Memphis’ defense surrendering 169.5 yards per game to opposing running backs in 2023, I like Sama’s over.

This pick is interesting at face value because Iowa State isn’t exactly a team that lights up the scoreboard. That being said, I think the Cyclones are the much better team in the Liberty Bowl, and anything less than 31 points in the matchup feels like a near impossibility.

Memphis is giving up 29 points per game to opposing teams, and while Iowa State’s squad is only averaging 26.3, I actually think the defensive numbers play a big part here.

Memphis’ offense has been special and leads the AAC with 39.7 points per game. But, Iowa State is only giving up 21.7 points per contest. With the lack of standout defensive teams in the AAC, I don’t think the team has faced a squad of Matt Campbell‘s caliber yet and will struggle to move the football down the field. Campbell’s offense should get loads of tries to find the end zone which helps sell the over of 30.5 points.

This pick is a little bold based on the fact that betting on the first touchdown scorer is always a little risky. I will say, the first and only time Sama operated as the team’s starter he accounted for 276 yards and three touchdowns while averaging just over 17 yards per carry.

Abu Sama is the odds-on favorite to find the end zone first in the game which may not be the incredible payout fans desire, but with +340 odds for Sama to find the end zone first, there is still money to be made.

Get after it folks.

• Abu Sama Over 106.5 Rushing Yards
• Rocco Becht Over 218.5 Passing Yards
• Jaylin Noel Anytime TD
• Iowa State Over 30.5 Total Points

The bets outlined in the HCS Superstar Staff Parlay all coincide with Matt Campbell’s squad taking care of business against Memphis in the 2023 Liberty Bowl. While nothing is ever set in stone in the world of sports betting, I feel pretty good about each bet outlined in this article. Have fun, bet smart, enjoy the game, and let’s go make some money!