Maryland vs. Texas Pick
Will No. 23 Texas be able to start the Tom Herman era with a big win over Maryland when the two meet on Saturday at Noon ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Texas is the favorite in this game, as the Longhorns are getting odds of -18.5 points against the Terrapins. The over/under total for this game is listed at 56 points. These two will meet from Royal Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. The contest will air live on FS1.
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Texas hired Herman after parting ways with Charlie Strong after the 2016 season. The Longhorns were just 5-7 last season with a 6-6 mark against the spread. The good news for Texas is that the offense wasn’t too bad in 2016, as the Longhorns averaged 31.9 points per game. Shane Buechele threw for 2,958 yards and 21 touchdowns as a freshman and will lead the offense again this year. Buechele has a lot of familiar faces to work with in the passing game as well, but the team will need to find a new back with D’Onta Foreman going on to the NFL. Where Texas needs to improve is on defense. The Longhorns gave up 31.5 points per game last season. However, the unit was young and returns 10 starters this year.
Maryland is coming off a 6-7 record in the 2016 season. The Terps were just 4-9 against the spread last year as well. It was the team’s first year under D.J. Durkin as head coach. Maryland posted just 25.8 points per game in 2016 while allowing 29.5 per game on defense. Tyrrell Pigrome has been named the starting quarterback this year. He threw for 322 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in limited action last season. The team is likely to rely heavily on Ty Johnson at running back. He rushed for 1,004 yards and six touchdowns in 2016. He and Pigrome should combine for a formidable backfield.
Texas should be motivated for a big opener. There’s a new buzz around the program with Herman taking over and the team returns a lot of starters from last year’s squad. While working in a new system, Herman has been able to get great success out of his teams while at Houston. Expect a great effort on both sides of the ball against this Maryland team, which won’t be able to match the Longhorns’ size and physicality.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREDICTION: TEXAS -18.5