The Maryland Terrapins cannot wait to start the regular season. To say it’s been a tumultuous offseason for head coach DJ Durkin and the Terps is an understatement. Durkin has been under heavy criticism due to a number of actions and allegations. In late May, offensive lineman Jordan McNair collapsed during an offseason workout and died two weeks later. McNair’s tragic death led to some digging into the program and two weeks ago, there were reports that Durkin had fostered a toxic environment within the locker room. That has led to even more allegations of wrongdoing on the side of Durkin, and there is a chance that he might be fired for cause before the start of Week 1 of the college football season. The Texas Longhorns will look to take advantage of the turmoil surrounding Maryland this Saturday.
This contest in Week 1 will go down Saturday, September 1, 2018 at 12 p.m. ET at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Texas -12.5
Maryland +12.5
Over/Under 56.5
Odds Analysis
Unsurprisingly, the action has been very one-sided leading up to this game. Texas has a huge following, and the Longhorns were going to get a bevy of public money in any case. However, the situation at Maryland has caused some sharps to jump on Texas too, moving the CFB betting line from 10 to 12.5. The total has moved a little bit too, with the CFB odds moving from an over/under of 58 to 56.5.
Player to Watch
Midway through the start of summer camp, Tom Herman announced that Sam Ehlinger had won the quarterback battle over Shane Buechele. Ehlinger and Buechele had split the duties last season, but it had become apparent during camp that Ehlinger had the brighter future. He is a much better runner than Buechele, and that has been something that Herman has always coveted in his quarterbacks.
In 2017, Ehlinger ended up running for almost 400 yards and posted two 100-yard games on the ground. His actual numbers are even better than that, but in college football sacks count as negative rushing yardage. Of course, to play quarterback at this level, you have to be able to pass the ball at least somewhat too. Ehlinger may not have been as accurate as Buechele, but he wasn’t that much worse. Ehlinger completed 57.5 percent of his passes last season and averaged almost seven yards a throw. Herman has entrusted him with the keys to the offense, and he won’t disappoint.
Last Meeting
One of the biggest upsets of the 2017 season according to the college football betting odds was when Maryland knocked off Texas 51-41 in Austin. The Terps were an 18-point underdog on the CFB betting odds coming into the game, but their offense was simply unstoppable. Maryland racked up 482 total yards on a very good Texas defense to spoil Herman’s debut.
Maryland went just 4-8 last year, yet it’s hard to put the blame on anyone for the finish. Injuries killed the team as quarterbacks Tyrrell Pigrome and Kasim Hill were both hurt in the first couple weeks, and the offense was never as effective following its debut. Both Pigrome and Hill are back this year though, and they will have a new offensive coordinator calling the shots in Matt Canada. If they can stay healthy, they should be able to put up some points.
Free ATS Pick
There is a good amount of value in Maryland here…on paper. The Terrapins torched this defense last year, and they could be even better in 2018. Additionally, Texas’ defense is having to replace a number of starters, and a few of the players that were expected to be major contributors this season were hurt in camp and won’t be available for this game. If it wasn’t for the Durkin mess, I would be all in on Maryland at this number, but it still remains the right side.
College Football Odds: Texas 34, Maryland 31
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