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The Maryland Terrapins take on the Wisconsin Badgers. Check out our college football odds series for our Maryland Wisconsin prediction and pick.
The Maryland Terrapins are 6-2 and the Wisconsin Badgers are 4-4. This might seem to indicate that Maryland is a better team, and to be sure, Wisconsin has had a rough season, but Maryland's 6-2 record is hard to evaluate, as weird as that might seem. Maryland lost to Michigan by only seven points on the road, but the Terrapins also let a winnable home game against Purdue slip away. In their six wins, the Terps have not beaten any particularly good teams: Buffalo, Charlotte, SMU, Michigan State, Indiana, and Northwestern. The wins over Indiana and Northwestern were very close. This team seems to play to the level of its competition, but it has beaten the teams it is supposed to beat. Quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa had been injured in recent weeks (knee), but he will return to the starting lineup for this game. It will be fascinating to see how he performs after a few weeks off.
Wisconsin is a very mysterious team. The Badgers have struggled on offense and have lost the identity which has embodied the program since its godfather, Barry Alvarez, lifted Wisconsin from the depths of despair in the early 1990s. Quarterback Graham Mertz has shown some signs of growth and evolution this year, but nothing transformative or weighty. His offensive line has not been particularly strong. The offense's problems led to the firing of previous coach Paul Chryst several weeks ago. The man who began the season as UW's defensive coordinator, Jim Leonhard, was promoted to interim head coach. He has had mixed results, but a decisive win over Purdue certainly pointed the Badgers in the right direction. If that version of the Badgers shows up, Wisconsin could rescue its season.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Maryland-Wisconsin College Football odds.
College Football Odds: Maryland-Wisconsin Odds
Maryland Terrapins: +4.5 (-112)
Wisconsin Badgers: -4.5 (-108)
Over: 48.5 (-110)
Under: 48.5 (-110)
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Why Maryland Could Cover the Spread
The return of Taulia Tagovailoa from injury gives Maryland its primary offensive threat. The Terps were barely able to beat a bad Northwestern team without Tagovailoa. That's not the version of Maryland one should expect to see here. UM has the better quarterback in this game, and that will matter. Maryland had a week off in which to rest and get healthy. The Terps have had two weeks to prepare for the Badgers. Getting their house in order on offense with the return of Tagovailoa should help them a lot.
Why Wisconsin Could Cover the Spread
The Badgers played Purdue the way they have expected to play this season. That was the version of Wisconsin football fans hoped to see. Fans were wondering where that team had gone; it reappeared just in the nick of time. If Wisconsin can replicate the performance it displayed versus Purdue, it should beat Maryland by 10 points or thereabouts. The weather conditions are expected to be nasty. That should hurt Maryland's passing game and therefore help Wisconsin.
Final Maryland-Wisconsin Prediction & Pick
The rainy conditions should hurt what Taulia Tagovailoa can do. It should also push this game under. The Badgers can get on top of this game with their defense, particularly their pass rush. Take Wisconsin and the under.
Final Maryland-Wisconsin Prediction & Pick: Wisconsin -4.5, under 48.5
