Hoping to extend their flawless record, the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes (5-0) travel to take on the Maryland Terrapins (2-3). The country’s fourth-leading rusher, Ezekiel Elliott (729 yards, 8 TDs), will be featured in this game. It starts at 12:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct 10 and will be available on BTN and BTN2.
In last week’s matchup, Ohio State defeated Indiana 34-27. Ezekiel Elliott had a great game running the ball in the victory, rushing 23 times for 274 yards and three TDs. Michael Thomas had 54 receiving yards and a TD on four catches. Maryland is hoping for a different outcome after had an ugly loss against Michigan 28-0. Levern Jacobs had a quality performance for the Terrapins, pulling in three receptions for 20 yards.
The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is currently not available and the Terrapins are a big 28-point underdog.
Even with a positive Straight Up (SU) record of 5-0, the Buckeyes have not been an excellent bet so far this year, going 1-4 Against The Spread (ATS). A focal point of Ohio State’s offense is the running game, which ranks 17th in the country with 239.8 rushing yards per game. As for the Ohio State defense, a few key matchups could decide this game. Expect the Buckeyes defense to restrict Maryland’s passing attack. The Buckeyes have the 11th-ranked pass defense in the nation and give up only 150.4 passing yards per game. An important aspect of the game will be if the Buckeyes can capitalize on Maryland’s tendency to throw interceptions. The Terrapins currently rank 128th in the nation with three thrown per game. The Buckeyes are one of the best in the country at scoring in the fourth quarter, averaging 11.2 points.
As for their opponent, the Terrapins head into Week 6 with records of 2-3 for both ATS and SU. The Terrapins defense might be able to pick off a few throws as the Buckeyes rank 106th in interceptions with 1.4 thrown per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – Ohio State, ATS Winner – Ohio State
Notes
Ohio State is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games.
Ohio State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 16 of Ohio State’s last 23 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Ohio State’s last 6 games.
Ohio State is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Ohio State’s last 12 games at home.
Maryland is 2-0 SU when leading at the start of the 4th quarter this season. Ohio State is 5-0 SU when leading after three quarters.
According to overall FBS team rankings, Ohio State is rated higher in the ground game on both sides of the ball. Its 17th-ranked rushing attack will face the 104th-ranked run defense of Maryland, while its 38th-ranked run defense will look to contain the 83rd-ranked rushing game of the Terrapins.
