The Ohio State Buckeyes have not been the superpower that we have come to expect. Yes, Ohio State wiped the floor with Rutgers last week, but the Buckeyes were dominated by Oklahoma and trailed Indiana at halftime of their opener. They have looked better in recent weeks, but haven’t defeated anyone of consequence. Now, Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes will get a decent test when the Maryland Terrapins come to town.
This contest in Week 6 of the regular season will go down Saturday, October 7, 2017, at 4
p.m. ET at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. This game will be broadcast on FOX.
College Football Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Maryland +31.5
Ohio State -31.5
Over/Under 58.5
Odds Analysis
Maryland is 3-1 SU and 3-1 ATS on the year, with two big road wins already. The Terrapins knocked off Texas as an 18-point underdog in their season opener and then defeated Minnesota as a 13.5-point underdog last week. Even their loss against UCF doesn’t look so bad now after what the Knights did to Memphis.
The Buckeyes scored a convincing win and cover for the first time all season last week against Rutgers, routing the Scarlet Knights 56-0. For the second straight year, Urban Meyer showed no mercy against former assistant Chris Ash and Ohio State has now outscored Rutgers 114-0 in its last two meetings. Ohio State has scored at least 38 points in four of its five games this year, the lone exception being the Oklahoma game.
Player to Watch
Max Bortenschlager had the game of his life last week. The third-string quarterback wasn’t terribly effective in Maryland’s win over Minnesota, but he was able to do just enough to lead the Terps to a 31-24 win.
Borternschlager wasn’t supposed to be in this spot. In the summer, he was fourth on the depth chart, but Maryland has been ravaged by quarterback injuries. Tyrell Pigrome started the season as Maryland’s quarterback but tore his ACL in the first game. The next man up was Kasim Hill who suffered the same fate as Pigrome in the Terrapins’ loss to UCF.
For now, Bortenschlager is still the man, but Maryland at least has a bit of good news on the quarterback front. Caleb Henderson appears ready to play again after a foot injury that kept him sidelined for almost all of fall practice has cleared up.
Key Stat
Typically, Ohio State has won of the five or ten best defenses in the nation. Urban Meyer is an elite recruiter and he has a great defensive coordinator in Greg Schiano.
This season, the Buckeyes have not had their usual success on the defensive front. Ohio State is 35th in the nation in total defense and has given up 335.6 yards per game. To be fair, the Oklahoma game skews those numbers significantly, but the defense has not looked particularly great either.
Ohio State’s defense should step up in this game. Look for the Buckeyes to hound Bortenschlager with pressure throughout the game and force him into one or two mistakes. He is a very inexperienced quarterback and Minnesota didn’t punish him for that last week. Ohio State won’t make the same mistake.
Free ATS Pick
Under seems like a great bet in this game. The Terrapins are going to have some trouble moving the ball against the Buckeyes defense, and while Maryland’s defense has struggled, it hasn’t been too bad. Additionally, Meyer is one of the best at not showing too much to future opponents on film and knows he can win this game without showing a lot offensively.
That same reason will lead to Maryland getting the cover. This number is just too large and although Ohio State has wiped the floor with its last three opponents, the Terrapins have a pulse.
College Football Odds: Ohio State 34, Maryland 13
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