The 10-0 Ohio State Buckeyes have just two games remaining on their regular-season schedule — a date with Maryland Saturday afternoon and “The Game” with fellow unbeaten Michigan on November 26.
The Buckeyes rank second in the nation behind Georgia and get a 6-4 Maryland squad on the road before a matchup that could make or break their chances of competing in the College Football Playoff.
The Terrapins went 3-0 to start the season but have dropped their last two games to Wisconsin and No. 11 Penn State. Ohio State is listed as a 27.5-point road favorite against a team it has absolutely crushed in seven all-time matchups.
Can Maryland finally get over the hump and play spoiler to Ohio State’s quest for a perfect season? Read our college football picks and predictions below for Ohio State vs. Maryland below.
Ohio State vs Maryland best odds
Ohio State vs Maryland picks and predictions
The Ohio State Buckeyes terrorized a lowly Indiana squad last Saturday, cruising to a 56-14 victory against the 3-7 Hoosiers, who rank dead last in points allowed in the Big Ten.
However, the win did not come without concerns. While Ohio State got another stellar performance from Heisman Trophy betting favorite C.J. Stroud — who went 17-for-28 for 297 yards and five touchdown passes — the Buckeyes suffered yet another blow to their rushing attack.
Junior running back Miyan Williams — who has been the feature back in Ohio State’s offense the last two games with TreVeyon Henderson sidelined — ran for 147 yards and a touchdown before exiting the game in the first half with an ankle injury.
Henderson is dealing with a foot injury, with no specific timetable for a return, while Chip Trayanum was also ruled out of the Indiana matchup, and running backs Evan Pryor and TC Caffey are out for the season.
Freshman back Dallan Hayden stepped up once Williams left the game and rushed for a career-high 102 yards and a score against the Hoosiers, while wide receiver Xavier Johnson ran for a 71-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
In spite of the shuffling at running back, the Buckeyes finished with 340 yards on the ground against a defense that ranks third to last in rushing yards allowed.
The Terrapins have had their issues against the run as well, surrendering 6.0 yards per attempt to Wisconsin and 5.8 yards per attempt in a blowout loss to Penn State.
Regardless of who is in the backfield, Ohio State should be able to establish something in the run game, but Stroud may still do the brunt of the work through the air, especially against a Maryland Terrapins defense that gives up the fifth-most passing yards per outing in the Big Ten.
Ohio State ranks second in the nation behind Tennessee in scoring offense (46.8) and boasts a Top-7 scoring defense as well (15.6 points allowed).
Maryland is averaging 28.3 points per game, but its offense has sputtered recently, with quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa throwing for 77 and 74 yards in his last two games while completing 46.6% of his passes.
For the season, he’s averaging a 68.3% completion percentage and has racked up 2,152 yards and 14 touchdown passes against six interceptions.
In Maryland’s most recent loss, the O-line also had issues protecting Tagovailoa, who was sacked seven times in the 30-0 defeat. The Nittany Lions have totaled 30 sacks on the season, with Ohio State not far behind, with 26.
Scoring may be tough to come by against Ohio State, but the Terrapins were able to put up 27 points in a 34-27 loss to Michigan back in late September, and the Wolverines own the best rushing defense in the nation and the fourth-best pass defense.
The Buckeyes allow 161.2 passing yards per game, good for sixth in college football, and surrender 110.3 yards per game on the ground, the 18th-fewest in college football.
Recent production by Maryland does not bode well for its chances of finding a spark against the Buckeyes, who will look to make a statement ahead of their showdown with Michigan.
The Buckeyes will roll from start to finish and continue to build a lead on the Terrapins in the second half as the makeshift ground game finds its rhythm in a warmup for The Game.
My best bet: Ohio State second half -12.5 (-110 at DraftKings)
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Ohio State vs Maryland spread analysis
The spread opened at 27.5 at most books and has remained at that number throughout the week.
Recent history indicates Ohio State is capable of winning by that large of a margin. Last year, the team blasted the Terrapins 66-17 in Columbus and won 73-14 in another home matchup in 2019.
The Buckeyes’ last visit to College Park, though, resulted in a thrilling, 52-51 overtime victory, back when Urban Meyer was on Ohio State’s sidelines.
The Buckeyes’ other two trips to Maryland were much more one-sided, with Ohio State winning 62-3 in 2016 and 52-24 in the first matchup of the series, in 2014.
Aside from a 21-7 decision against Northwestern in which wind and rain impacted play, Ohio State has been scoring at ease against Big Ten opponents this season, averaging 50.6 points per contest in its other six conference games.
The Buckeyes have also allowed 13.6 points to unranked conference opponents this year. They’re 5-2-1 against the spread in their last eight games overall but just 1-4 ATS in their last five road games.
Maryland is 0-5 ATS in its last five games overall and 2-7 ATS in its last nine home contests, while the Buckeyes are 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings between these teams but 1-2 ATS as the away team this season.
Ohio State vs Maryland Over/Under analysis
The total for this game has hovered around 63 points throughout the week and high scores have been the norm in the seven games in this series.
The lowest points total between these two teams was 65, back in 2016. On average, the score has reached 81 points in the seven head-to-head matchups in these programs' history.
The Over has hit in seven of 10 games for Ohio State this season and is 2-1 in road games. Meanwhile, the Under has hit in six of Maryland’s 10 matchups thus far and three of five at home, as well as all three games as an underdog.
The Over is also 4-0 in Ohio State’s last four vs. a team with a winning record and 7-1 in the Buckeyes’ last eight games overall, while it’s 5-2 in the Terrapins’ last seven games following a straight-up loss.
Most significantly, the Over is 7-0 in the last seven meetings between these teams, with the last three matchups resulting in totals of 83, 87, and 103.
Ohio State vs Maryland betting trend to know
The Over is 7-0 in the last seven meetings. Find more NCAA betting trends for Ohio State vs. Maryland.
Ohio State vs Maryland game info
| Location: | SECU Stadium, College Park, MD |
| Date: | Saturday, November 19, 2022 |
| Kickoff: | 3:30 p.m. ET |
| TV: | ABC |
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Ohio State vs Maryland weather
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