Penn State vs. Maryland Pick
Can No. 12 Penn State roll to a dominant win over Maryland when the two close out the regular season today at 3:30PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Penn State is favored on the road, as the Nittany Lions are getting odds of -22 points against Maryland. The over/under total for the contest has been set at 58 points. Penn State has won six of the last seven meetings in this series but Maryland has covered in two of their last three encounters. The public is currently putting 83 percent of the wagers on Penn State on the road. Today’s game takes place from Maryland Stadium in College Park, Maryland and will air live on BTN.
Maryland is coming off a 17-7 loss at Michigan State for its third straight defeat. The Terps are now 4-7 on the season and 2-6 in the Big Ten. Maryland is just 5-6 against the spread this season, covering in two of their last four games. The Maryland offense averages just 26 points and 325.2 yards per game this year as the team has been plagued by injuries. Max Bortenschlager has thrown for 1,128 yards and 10 touchdowns on a 51 percent completion rate. Ty Johnson has run for 805 yards and five touchdowns while D.J. Moore has caught 72 passes for 933 yards and eight touchdowns. Defensively, Maryland is giving up 34.5 points and 409 yards per game. Their run defense is allowing 182.2 yards per game.
Penn State is coming off a 56-44 win over Nebraska last week to improve to 9-2 on the season and 6-2 in the Big Ten. Penn State is 6-4-1 against the spread this season, but the Nittany Lions have failed to cover in their last three games. Penn State is putting up 39.4 points and 445.9 yards per game this season behind the duo of Saquon Barkley and Trace McSorley. Barkley has run for 1,057 yards and 14 touchdowns while catching 46 passes for 590 yards and three scores. McSorley has thrown for 2,991 yards and 24 touchdowns while also rushing for 395 yards and 10 touchdowns. Defensively, Penn State is allowing just 16.6 points and 331.7 yards per game.
Bet on Penn State vs. Maryland
Penn State has not looked like its dominant self in a while. The Nittany Lions let Nebraska hang around in their home finale last week and now they face a poor Maryland team to end the regular season. With nothing to play for, I can see the Nittany Lions coming out flat again today. Maryland has managed to play respectable in three of its last four and I think they can do enough to cover this big spread at home.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREDICTION: MARYLAND +22