Don’t look now, but the Wisconsin Badgers are now ranked No. 5 in the country and will have a major say in how the College Football Playoff shapes up provided it remains undefeated. That will likely end up being the case on Saturday afternoon when it welcomes the overmatched Maryland Terrapins into Camp Randall for the program’s third meeting as B1G rivals. Paul Chryst’s kids best not take them for granted thought with the Terps already beating Texas and Minnesota as double-digit underdogs this season.
This contest in Week 8 of the regular season will go down Saturday, October 21, 2017, at 12 p.m. ET at Camp Randall Stadium. This game will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.
College Football Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Terrapins +24
Badgers -24
O/U 55
Odds Analysis
No movement has taken place with the betting line whatsoever as we approach game day. It opened -24 and continues to sit there even though a tick under 80 percent of the betting handle is laying the exorbitant chalk. Makes sense considering the Badgers haven’t taken care of their supporters in the heavy chalk role a bulk of the season. They just failed to cover the 17-point versus Purdue, and that came after also coming up short against Northwestern. With it 0-2 as heavy home chalk in Big Ten play it wouldn’t be surprising to see some comeback on Maryland as we get closer to kickoff.
Not much scoring is expected with the total down to 50.5 from the 55-point opener. A healthy 75 percent of the betting handle foresees a low scorer, and that’s likely to turn out being the case with the Terps likely to struggle running its offense against Wisconsin’s unforgiving front. Maryland has been held to 24 points combined against the two upper tiered defenses it’s faced. Not it must deal with Wiscy’s No. 4 ranked scoring unit. The total might come down even more, but Wiscy can name the score in this one. It just depends how motivated they are.
Player to Watch
Jonathan Taylor – The freshman looks to be yet another solid running back to come out of Madison. The youngster has started to become the focal point of the offense with him getting called upon 55 times in the Badgers last two games. He was a workhorse last week in rushing 30 times for 219 yards a week removed from carrying the pigskin 25 times for 249 yards. He’s scored a rushing touchdown in every one of his starts, and is likely to have another banner day in this spot with the Terps allowing an average of 4.4 offensive touchdowns per game ( No. 107 ). Wisconsin being able to cover the chalk will have a ton to do with Taylor pacing the Badgers on the ground and putting the biscuit in the basket when the opportunities arise.
Key Stat
9.4 – The Terrapins are likely to have a very hard time competing in the time of possession battle in this contest. That won’t be a good scenario for those that decide to take the points with them in Camp Randall. Wisconsin runs the ball just under 68 percent of the time ( No. 10 ), and averages 264.5 yards per game ( No. 13 ) when doing so. Maryland is ranked No. 82 defending the run in allowing 174.3 yards per game, so it goes without saying that the run defense will have its hands full in this one. Especially with the Terrapins allowing opposing offenses to tally nearly 10 first downs per game on the ground ( No. 81 ). For reference sake, Wiscy is allowing just 4.3 rushing first downs per game. A mark that finds them only behind No. 1 Alabama.
Free ATS Pick
This is simply just a bad matchup for the Terps. After allowing Northwestern to rip their defense apart to the tune of 531 total yards with 238 of them coming on the ground, it’s only going to get worse this week. The Wildcats were able to win the time of possession battle by over 11 minutes, which allowed them to pull away for the road win and cover. I expect Wisconsin to mimic that effort if not do it one better. Maryland will have absolutely no answer in how to stop Taylor and company. When you take the 24 points given up to the Wildcats, the Badgers have allowed an average of just 11 points per game in its other three home games. It just held a similar Purdue attack to a season-low nine points. It wouldn’t shock me if the Badgers pitch a shutout on Saturday!
College Football Odds: Badgers 40, Terrapins 0
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