Terrapins vs Mountaineers NCAA Football Spread/Handicapping
West Virginia and Maryland aren’t separating by much on the map, but the Mountaineers are now part of the Big 12, while Maryland is in the ACC. The Terrapins are trying to turn the program around with Randy Edsall leading the way.
Maryland Terrapins vs. West Virginia Mountaineers
Milan Puskar Stadium, Morgantown West Virginia
Saturday September 22, 12:00 PM EST on FX
College Football Betting Odds from GTBets.eu
Moneyline: Off
College Football Spread: West Virginia -27 (-110) vs. Maryland +27 (-110)
Over/Under: 61.5
The Mountaineers are serious about contending for a Big 12 title right away.
Let’s take a look at this matchup.
Maryland
Freshman Wes Brown leads the Terrapins in rushing yards. Brown is averaging 5.9 yards per carry so far this year, and he looks like a budding star. Perry Hills is a dual-threat quarterback who really is more comfortable running the ball at this point in his career. He has thrown three touchdowns and four interceptions so far this year.
Maryland has another freshman sensation at wide receiver in Stefon Diggs. He has nine receptions for 146 yards so far this season. There are pieces here to have a successful offense, but this unit is lacking consistency right now.
Maryland’s defense will be tested in a big way by West Virginia’s amazing offense this week. The Terrapins actually rank sixth in the nation in total defense, but that might be because of who they have played thus far. Maryland has played James Madison, Temple, and UConn so far in 2012. None of those teams have a strong offense.
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Is Maryland’s defense actually really good or are they pretenders? We’ll find out this week!
West Virginia
Geno Smith has jumped to the top of many Heisman Trophy lists in the first few weeks of the year. How good has he been so far this year? Smith has as many touchdown passes as he has incompletions! Smith is 66 for 75 throwing the football, and he has nine touchdowns compared to zero interceptions. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
You won’t find any better numbers than that.
Clearly, Smith fits perfectly into Dana Holgorsen’s offensive system.
Stedman Bailey and Tavon Austin form a terrific duo at wide receiver for the Mountaineers. Bailey already has five touchdown receptions this year. Shawne Alston is the team’s leading rusher. This offense has scored at least 42 points in its last three games dating back to last season.
West Virginia’s defense has given up quite a few yards this year. The secondary is allowing opponents to throw for 262.5 yards per game. This unit will always give up more yards than normal because of how fast-paced the offense is, but the Mountaineers do need to get a better pass rush and tighten up the coverage in the secondary a little bit.
Maryland’s defensive numbers look good heading into this one, but I don’t think they’ll look very good after this weekend. Look for Smith and the rest of the Mountaineers offense to have their way in this one.
I don’t think the inexperienced Terrapins can stay close here.
Trends:
Mountaineers are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games following a ATS loss.
Favorite is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 meetings.
Terrapins are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 meetings in West Virginia.
Terrapins are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 meetings.
Free College Football Pick: West Virginia -27
