The No. 9 Ohio State Buckeyes (-16.5) are making a trip east to battle their conference nemesis Maryland Terrapins at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium. This critical afternoon game will commence at 12:00 p.m. ET and fans can catch it live by tuning in to ABC.
Ohio State Buckeyes at Maryland Terrapins Betting Preview
Maryland is a noticeable underdog in this Big 10 game and is currently being given 16.5 points. If they want to play the moneyline, bettors would currently have to lay down $1,200 in order to win $100 back on the Buckeyes (-1200). The Terrapins are getting +710 moneyline odds. Vegas has placed the over/under (O/U) at 58 points, and judging by how things are lining up, there should be some decent live betting opportunities in this game.
Early action has shifted toward the Terps, as the opening line was 17.5. The game’s O/U hasn’t moved after being set initially at 58.
The Buckeyes are down 1.3 units so far and 4-5-1 against the spread (ATS). They’ve been a decent under bet and have posted an Over-Under mark of 4-6. The disappointing Terrapins have lost 7.5 units this season. The team is 5-5 ATS and has an even O/U record of 5-5.
The Buckeyes have gone 9-1 straight up (SU), including 6-1 SU against Big 10 opponents. The Terrapins are 5-5 SU overall and 3-4 SU in conference play.
Ohio State enters this matchup on a zero-game losing streak while Maryland has won zero in a row. The Buckeyes are coming off a resounding 26-6 win over Michigan State last week. The Buckeyes defense did its part in the win, limiting the Spartans to just 220 passing yards and 54 yards on the ground. On the offensive side of the ball, Dwayne Haskins completed 24 passes for 227 yards and one touchdown. Mike Weber (104 yards on 22 rushes, one TD) and J.K. Dobbins (28 yards on 14 carries) spearheaded the ground attack while K.J. Hill (six receptions, 38 yards) and Parris Campbell (six catches, 42 yards, one TD) manned the receiving duties in the win.
Maryland narrowly fell 34-32 to Indiana. As a group, the Terps collectively completed 14-of-25 passes for 189 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Tyrrell Pigrome went 10-for-13 for 146 yards and one touchdown while Kasim Hill was four-of-12 for 43 yards and one interception. Anthony McFarland (210 yards on 29 rush attempts) handled the running attack while Jeshaun Jones (six receptions, 67 yards, one TD) and Dontay Demus (four catches, 98 yards) led the pass-catching corps in the loss.
Ohio State has run the ball on 49.1 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Maryland has an overall rush percentage of 66.4 percent. The Buckeyes have run for 172 yards per game (including 145 per game against Big Ten opponents) and have 16 touchdowns on the ground this year. The Terps are putting up 235 rush yards per game (233 in conference) and have 21 total rushing TDs.
If 2018 numbers can translate to this game, then the Terps could hold an advantage when it comes to effectiveness in the ground game. Their backfield has logged 5.8 yards per carry while their defense is allowing 4.0 yards per rush attempt to opponents. The Buckeyes have ran for 4.3 yards per carry while allowing a YPC of 4.2 to opponents.
The Buckeyes offensive scheme has averaged a ridiculous 355 yards in the air overall (349 per game against conference opposition) and has 34 passing scores so far. The Terps have put up 131 pass yards per contest (123.7 in the Big 10) and have 11 total pass TDs.
Ohio State has allowed opponents to run for an average of 144 yards and pass for 242 yards per game. The Maryland defense has allowed 181.8 yards per game to opposing passers and 161.4 yards per game to opposing runners. The Terps are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 4.26 to opponents, while the Buckeyes have given up a 5.92 ANY/A.
Offensively, Haskins is already up to 3,028 passing yards this year. He’s connected on 248-of-354 attempts with 31 scores through the air and only five interceptions. Haskins has a 9.24 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 6.43 over the past two outings.
In the other huddle, Tyrrell Pigrome has completed 17-of-28 passes for 195 yards, one TD and one INT. Pigrome’s ANY/A sits at an ultra-pedestrian 4.36 for the year and 8.50 over his past two outings.
When these two teams met a year ago, Ohio State won easily 62-14.
RELATED: Week 12 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
NCAA Prediction: Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Maryland Terrapins
SU Winner – Buckeyes, ATS Winner – Buckeyes, O/U – Over
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Notes
Team Betting Notes
The Maryland offense has lost eight fumbles this season while Ohio State has lost five.
The Ohio State defense has 27 sacks on the year while Maryland has just 15.
As a team, Ohio State has averaged 3.9 yards per carry over its last three games and 4.1 over its last two.
Maryland has averaged 6.0 yards per carry over its last three outings and 4.3 over its past two.
Over its last three contests, Maryland is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
The O/U for Ohio State’s previous game was 52. The under cashed in the team’s 26-6 victory over Michigan State.
In its last three contests, Ohio State is 1-2 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
The O/U for Maryland’s previous outing going into it was 55. The over cashed in the 34-32 defeat to Indiana.
Maryland has lost four of its last five games SU, with a 30-point win over Illinois on October 27th representing its only victory over that stretch.
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