It is a Big Ten Conference battle as Maryland takes on Nebraska. It is time to continue our College Football odds series with a Maryland-Nebraska prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
Maryland enters the game needing one more win for bowl eligibility, but they have sat there for over a month. Maryland opened the year with five straight wins, starting with three out-of-conference wins and then dominating Michigan State and Indiana to open conference play 2-0. Then, they faced Ohio State, and while it was close early, Ohio State pulled away late to take the 37-17 win. Since then it has been a struggle. They lost close games to both Illinois and Northwestern. Then, last time out, they faced Penn State. Penn State dominated the game, leading 21-7 at the half. In the fourth quarter, they truly pulled away. Penn State would outscore Maryland 27-8 in the quarter to win 51-15.
Meanwhile, Nebraska enters the game also needing just one win to be bowl-eligible. They opened the season with back-to-back losses, including a conference loss to Minnesota. Since then, they have been solid. They beat Northern Illinois and Louisiana Tech before falling to Michigan. They then went on a three-game winning streak, beating west division foes Illinois, Northwestern, and Purdue. The last time out was a disappointment though. Facing Michigan State, Nebraska was favored, and they would be tied at the half, but Michigan State scored the next ten points to take a solid lead in the fourth quarter. Nebraska scored with 3:35 left in the game, but could not do it again, falling 20-17.
Here are the college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Maryland-Nebraska Odds
Maryland: -2.5 (-110)
Nebraska: +2.5 (-110)
Over: 44.5 (-105)
Under: 44.5 (-115)
How to Watch Maryland vs. Nebraska Week 10
Time: 12:00 PM ET/ 9:00 AM PT
TV: Peacock
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why Maryland Will Cover The Spread
Taulia Tagovailoa leads this Maryland offense. On the year, Tagovailoa is 219 for 338 passing for 2,495 yards and 21 touchdowns. He has thrown two or more touchdowns in five of his last six games, with the only game missing being against Ohio State. He also has 17 big-time throws according to PFF this year. Still, ball security has become an issue. He has seven interceptions this year, with four of them coming in the last four games. He has also thrown six of his 13 turnover-worthy passes in the last two games. Tagovailoa is also a scoring threat on the ground. He has scored four times this year on the ground, but not in the last two games. Meanwhile, he has lost his first two fumbles on the year over the last two games.
The running game this year has been led by Roman Hemby. Hemby has 327 yards this year on the ground and has been doing a lot of his work after contact on the season. He has 358 yards after contact this year, with 22 forced missed tackles. Hemby has also scored four times on the ground this year.
Maryland also has three guys over 400 yards receiving this year. Jeshaun Jones leads the way, bringing in 41 of 57 targets this year for 531 yards and four scores. He is also doing work after the catch, with 273 yards after the catch this year. Joining him in having a good year with Kaden Prather. Prather comes into the game with 484 yards this year on just 33 receptions. He has scored five times but also leads the team in drops this year with five of them. Rounding out the group is Tai Felton, who has 478 yards on 33 receptions. He has scored four times this year as well.
On defense, Maryland ranks 43rd in the nation in total defense. They are also 50th in the nation in scoring defense this year. The rush defense has been strong for Maryland, sitting 26th in the nation, but they are 73rd against the pass this year. The pass rush has been led by linebacker Fa'Najae Gotay, who has four sacks this year, but just nine pressures. Meanwhile, four other guys have three sacks on the year with over ten pressures. In coverage, Maryland has allowed 15 touchdowns through the air but does have nine interceptions. This is led by Tarheeb Still, who has three of them.
Why Nebraska Will Cover The Spread
The Nebraska offense has improved a lot since Heinrich Haarberg took over. On the year he is completing just 50 percent of his passes, with 76 completions on 152 attempts this year. Meanwhile, he has thrown seven touchdowns but also has six interceptions. The last game was a struggle for him. Haarberg completed just 12 of 28 passes for 129 yards and did not have a touchdown. Further, he threw two interceptions and six other turnover-worthy passes.
Haarberg has also been the main man in the running game this year. He has 584 yards this year to lead the team. He also leads the team with five touchdowns this year. Behind him is Anthony Grant. Grant has just 343 yards on the ground this year, with three scores. Meanwhile, Emmett Johnson comes in with 250 yards and two scores on the year.
There also has not been a stud wide receiver for the team this year. Thomas Fidone leads the way with 219 yards this year and four scores. Meanwhile, Billy Kemp is second on the team with 216 yards and a touchdown. Still, only one receiver has over one touchdown reception this year, while no receiver is over 250 yards on the year.
Nebraska ranks 16th in the nation in total defense while sitting 23rd in scoring defense. The rush defense has been strong for Nebraska, sitting third in the nation, but they sit 51st against the pass this year. The pass rush this year has been led by Jimari Butle. He has seven sacks on the season while also having 21 quarterback pressures. Nash Hutmacher has six sacks on the year, with 18 pressures. In coverage, they have allowed just 12 touchdowns this year but come away with seven interceptions. This is led by Tommi Hill who has three in the year.
Final Maryland-Nebraska Prediction & Pick
Maryland has played very poorly since their strong outing against Ohio State. Meanwhile, Nebraska started poor and has picked it up. The offense for Nebraska is not great, but they should be able to move the ball some against a Maryland defense that is getting worse by the week. Expect this to be a low-scoring game, making the best play in this game the under.
Final Maryland-Nebraska Prediction & Pick: Under 44.5 (-115)
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