Northwestern vs. Maryland Total Pick
Will Maryland and Northwestern struggle to put up points when the two Big Ten teams meet up this afternoon at 3:30PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Northwestern is favored on the road, as the Wildcats are getting odds of -3 points against Maryland. The over/under total for the contest is listed at just 49.5 points. This is the first Big Ten meeting between these two. Today’s game takes place from Maryland Stadium in College Park, Maryland. The game will air live on ESPN2.
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Maryland is coming off a 62-14 loss at Ohio State last week to fall to 3-2 on the season. The Terps are 1-1 in the Big Ten and 4-1 with the over. The Terps have hit the over in both Big Ten games. Maryland is putting up 33.8 points per game despite averaging just 339 yards per contest. The run game has been the strength, as Ty Johnson has run for 468 yards and four scores while Lorenzo Harrison III had 209 yards. Max Bortenschlager is the starting QB due to a pair of injuries to their other quarterbacks. He has 306 yards and three touchdowns this season. Even he is questionable for this game due to a head injury. D.J. Moore is the leading receiver with 32 catches for 414 yards and five touchdowns. The Terps are allowing 36.4 points and 420.6 yards per game on defense.
Northwestern is coming off back-to-back losses to Wisconsin and Penn State to fall to 2-3 on the season and 0-2 in the Big Ten. The Wildcats are 2-2-1 with the over/under total thus far. Northwestern is averaging just 25.6 points and 377.2 yards per game. Clayton Thorson has thrown for 1,203 yards and seven touchdowns with seven interceptions. Justin Jackson is the leading rusher with 339 yards and four touchdowns. Defensively, Northwestern is giving up 26.4 points and 383.6 yards per game.
Bet on Northwestern vs. Maryland
When you think Northwestern, you don’t usually think high-scoring games, but I like the over today as the trends are very strong for it. The Wildcats are 6-2 with the over in their last 8 road games. Maryland is 5-2 with the over in its last seven conference games and 7-3 with the over in its last 10 against teams with a losing record. I think the Terps get back to doing some scoring this week and Northwestern should also move the ball against the Terps’ defense.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREDICTION: NORTHWESTERN/MARYLAND OVER 49.5