The Maryland Terrapins take on the Penn State Nittany Lions. Check out our college football odds series for our Maryland Penn State prediction and pick.

The Maryland Terrapins will go to a bowl game, but in a Big Ten which has been so noticeably weak, merely getting to a bowl game was not the goal for this team. Maryland and coach Mike Locksley had hoped to win eight or nine games this season and get a quality bowl bid, developing forward momentum for the program and making enough of a national statement to improve the level of recruiting in College Park. This isn't the worst position for a lower-tier Big Ten program to be in, but it's also an in-between position which leaves Maryland stuck. The Terps, if the Big Ten remains mediocre in its middle and lower tiers, could go to a bowl game for many consecutive years. They could go 6-6 for a very long time if the middle of the Big Ten doesn't improve. Is that the end goal for the Terps, however? No … and given the mediocrity they see around them in the conference, this season is shaping up to be a missed opportunity.

This is why the Penn State game matters for Maryland. If the Terps want to leave the 2022 season with a significant, high-end win, this is one of their last big chances, and it comes against an opponent the Terrapins have come to hate. Maryland-Penn State has been a surprisingly spicy rivalry, one of the best-kept secrets in college football. Maryland was listless in a recent loss to Wisconsin. Don't expect this team to be similarly lifeless against the Nittany Lions.

Penn State is heading for a season which happens a lot in college football: the 10-2 season in which the two losses come in the two biggest games. Penn State lost to Michigan and Ohio State. Those are the two games the Nittany Lions measure themselves by, so in that sense, their season is already a failure. However, winning 10 games — if PSU can do it — would represent some consolation in a larger context. Winning 10 games can't be called a disaster. If Penn State can win 10, the Nittany Lions could at least say they're better than every other non-Ohio State, non-Michigan Big Ten team.

Here are the Maryland-Penn State NCAA Football Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Football Odds: Maryland-Penn State Odds

Maryland Terrapins: +10.5 (-115)

Penn State Nittany Lions: -10.5 (-105)

Over: 56.5 (-115)

Under: 56.5 (-105)

Why Maryland Could Cover the Spread

The Terrapins get up for this game. They hate Penn State. They embrace playing the Nittany Lions and James Franklin. Maryland no-showed against Wisconsin in miserable Big Ten-style weather. It's easy to downgrade the Terps based on that awful game in Madison against the Badgers. However, this game is likely to be different. Maryland will be a motivated team in this game.

Why Penn State Could Cover the Spread

Maryland is a very undisciplined team. The Terrapins have been committing a lot of penalties and unforced errors all year long. When a team establishes terrible habits, it is very hard to trust that team. Penn State might have a relatively limited offense, but its defense can smother Maryland and win this game big.

Final Maryland-Penn State Prediction & Pick

Penn State's defense will handle the Maryland offense. Penn State's offense is a question mark. Rather than bet on the spread, take the under, given that the total seems high.

Final Maryland-Penn State Prediction & Pick: Under 56.5