Ohio State vs. Maryland Prediction and Odds for College Football Week 12 (Back Buckeyes Over Lifeless Terps)
By Josh Yourish
Ohio State is on a collision course with Michigan, but first they need to handle their business against Maryland in Week 12.
Last week, the Buckeyes rolled over a bad Indiana team, 56-14 and CJ Stroud threw five touchdowns in the win and covering the 40.5-point spread. It was pure dominance and Ryan Day will expect the same from a trip to College Park this week. The Buckeyes are 10-0, but will need to be sharp in a potential trap-game.
Maryland is reeling from a 30-0 beating put on them by Penn State last week, but could catch Ohio State looking ahead on their schedule.
Let’s get to the odds and trends for this one before I tell you how I’m betting this Big Ten matchup.
Ohio State vs. Maryland Odds, Spread and Total
Maryland and OSU Betting Trends
- Maryland is 4-6 ATS
- OSU is 5-4-1 ATS
- The Over is 7-3 in OSU games
- The Over is 4-0 in OSU games vs. a team with a winning record
- Maryland is 0-5 ATS in last five games
- Over is 7-0 in last seven meetings
Ohio State vs. Maryland Prediction and Pick
I’m very worried about the trap game element of this week for both Michigan and Ohio State. Michigan rolled against Nebraska last week and Ohio State had no trouble against Indiana. They could both get caught flat footed this week.
CJ Stroud wasn't the only star against the Hoosiers, Marvin Harrison Jr. caught seven passes for 135 yards and a touchdown. Stroud has 34 passing touchdowns on the year, tied with Drake Maye for No. 1 in the country. He will want to add to his Heisman case before the matchup against Michigan's excellent defense.
Penn State ran all over Maryland last week because that is what the Nittany Lions do best, but Ohio State wants to throw it to Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka, and Julian Fleming. The Ohio State offense averages 294.0 passing yards a game and 3.5 passing TDs. If Jaxon Smith-Njiba finally comes back from a hamstring issue, then the Buckeyes will be even more explosive. Stroud will be flinging it all over the field and beat up on Maryland's 77th ranked pass defense.
The Terrapins are limping to the finish line. If they had any life right now, I would like them to cover in a very real trap game for the Buckeyes, but they are 0-4 ATS in their last four. Taulia Tagovailoa hasn't thrown for over 100 yards in each of the past two weeks. They simply can't score enough to hang with Ohio State this week.
Pick: Ohio State -27.5 (-110)
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change