Northwestern vs Maryland Prediction, Game Preview, and Betting Lines

Northwestern has stalled.

It started with a gag of an overtime loss to Duke, the O failed against Washington, and the D couldn’t holdup against Indiana.

Now there’s a problem with three of the next four games on the road - although the one after Iowa is Purdue, and that should be a win. At 2-3, lose this, and that’s realistically it for any bowl hopes.

Maryland also got caught by an Indiana two-piece, but it had two weeks off to recover. The 50-7 win over UConn is now a whole lot stronger than it seemed at the time, and so is the win over Virginia, but it had better win this or else.

Why?

USC, at Minnesota, at Oregon, Rutgers, Iowa, at Penn State. That’s how the Terps close, and it’ll be tough to find two more wins to get bowl eligible, much less three.

Northwestern vs Maryland Preview

Northwestern vs Maryland How to Watch
Date: Saturday, October 12, 2024
Game Time: 8:00 pm ET
Venue: SECU Stadium, College Park, MD
How to Watch: FOX
Maryland (3-2), Northwestern (2-3)

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Why Northwestern Will Win

The defense continues to be solid against the run.

The pass D got picked apart by Washington and Indiana, but the defensive front has held up with no one getting to 150 rushing yards against this bunch.

The pass rush is solid, the Maryland offensive front is a tad leaky, and there’s a chance this is a low-scoring battle.

Northwestern doesn’t have the offensive pop to make this a high-scoring show, and …

Why Maryland Will Win

Maryland can run.

It’s the Terp passing game that takes over and produces, - it’s averaging over 300 yards per game - but when it wants to run, it can.

Northwestern needs help to pull this off on the road, but the defense doesn’t force enough mistakes and Maryland has been stingy at getting flagged.

There were two turnovers in the win over Villanova, and that was the only time the team had a negative in the mistake battle.

Overall the Terps are +11 in turnover margin, and again, the Wildcats don’t come up with big plays with just two takeaways in the last three games.

Northwestern vs Maryland: Who Will Win

Don’t expect a lot of points, but stick with it. This should be close to the very end.

Northwestern has a way of sometimes hanging around long enough to do something great, but it’ll need Maryland to royally gack this away and it’s not happening.

The Terps will never feel comfortable, but they’ll forge ahead in the second quarter and the Wildcats won’t be able to grind their way to get over the top.

Northwestern vs Maryland Prediction, Betting Lines

Maryland 26, Northwestern 20
Line: Maryland -10, o/u: 45.5
ATS Confidence out of 5:
Northwestern vs Maryland Must See Rating: 3