Proposition Betting – Most Yards in the Sunshine State

Those who love to engage in proposition betting on the college football front will invariably make comparisons between players, and one of them might be between two of the better quarterbacks in the nation, and the question of who will throw for more yards in the Sunshine State between Florida State' Christian Ponder and Miami's Jacory Harris is going to be the subject of much barroom conversation. In this head-to-head adventure in proposition betting, Ponder is favored by 100.5 yards over Harris. By the way, these teams meet up on October 9 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami.

Proposition Betting - College Football

PONDER VS HARRIS

Most Passing Yards

Christian Ponder -100½ Passing Yards -115

Jacory Harris +100½ Passing Yards -115

Christian Ponder is going to be one of those quarterbacks to watch this season, just as he was last year, when he was the ACC leader in passing yards until he injured his shoulder against Clemson. Ponder got caught up trying to make a tackle on an interception and experienced a separation that required surgery. He had completed almost 69% of his passes, and had a 2-10-1 ratio of touchdowns to interceptions. He's got enough respect that he is listed at +1600 in proposition betting for the Heisman Trophy this year.

Ponder is supposedly back healthy, but of course there is something of an "unknown" until he gets the shoulder tested under actual game conditions. He hasn't really been hit yet. However, if he can handle, everybody had better watch out, because when all is said and done, he is rated as the top senior quarterback prospect in the country by NFL scouts. As a fifth-year senior, you can count on the fact that as far as college quarterbacks go, he has the maturity to be able to handle just about any situation. Ponder's presence is also one of the principal reasons why Florida State is one of the favorites in college football betting to win the Atlantic Coast Conference, as the Seminoles are priced at +275.

What the pros love about Ponder is that he is gutsy and is one of the best at maneuvering himself to avoid a pass rush, although sometimes he is too brazen for his own good. Perhaps the same can be said about Jacory Harris, who looks like a genuine gunslinger out there. Harris played the whole season and was not as accurate as Ponder, completing 59.6% of his passes, but probably took more chances than Ponder. That was reflected in his 17 interceptions that went along with 24 touchdowns. Harris, who threw for 3352 yards, makes plays, and he is +1200 in the proposition betting for the Heisman.

Ponder plays for first-year head coach Jimbo Fisher, who has been offensive coordinator in Tallahassee for the last three seasons and has been one of Ponder's biggest boosters. One thing about Florida State that has generally been lacking during Fisher's tenure is a very consistent running game, so it is a virtual certainty that the offense will largely rest on the quarterback's shoulders. Harris does not have a dominant running back at his disposal; he gets all his top receiving threats back and also has the opportunity to work for a second year with offensive coordinator Mark Whipple, who has established himself as one of the most imaginative minds in college football. Whipple, who has been an NFL assistant and coached U-Mass to a Division 1-AA title, could have probably found a head coaching job somewhere, but he stuck around to be with Harris, and that duo is a big reason why Miami is priced at +240 in the proposition betting odds to win the conference and get the automatic BCS bid.