NCAAF: Minnesota vs. Maryland odds, preview and pick

The Minnesota Golden Gophers head to Maryland tonight to take on the Terrapins in the next edition of Big Ten Friday Night Football.

Minnesota started its season with a big loss to Michigan, dropping them out of the AP Top 25 rankings, while Maryland got crushed by Northwestern. Both teams failed miserably in their efforts to cover the spread, and now Minnesota enters as 20-point favorites.

Can Maryland snap its eight-game skid?

Maryland only has seven scholarship seniors, a new coach, a new quarterback, and a culture of losing. They have now lost eight straight games, and have covered the spread just once in their last six Big Ten conference games.

Their new quarterback is the younger brother of former Alabama star and new Miami Dolphins quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, but while Taulia was a 4-star recruit, he has proven absolutely nothing on this stage thus far in his young career, and bettors should not confuse the two. He threw for just 94 yards and had three interceptions in his first outing, and while the Minnesota defense is missing seven starters from last year’s 11-2 team, they have just as much talent overall as Northwestern.

Bateman and Ibrahim are the real deal

For Minnesota, things looked bleak against Michigan last Saturday, but this will be noticeable class relief. While they struggled to stop Michigan as well as keep the powerful Michigan defensive line out of their own backfield, there were still some bright spots. Receiver Rashod Bateman managed to haul in nine catches for 101 yards. Running back and Baltimore native, Mohamed Ibrahim, added 140 yards on the ground and two touchdowns, and while he ran plenty hard against Michigan, he should have just as much energy against his hometown school.

Quarterback Tanner Morgan was under pressure for most of the night, but in 2019 he was one of the more accurate downfield passers in all of college football and the Maryland defense against Northwestern showed very little ability to contain a competent offensive attack. I expect a bounceback from Morgan in Game 2.

Fleck will have Minnesota prepared

During his tenure at Minnesota, P.J. Fleck is 6-0 straight up on games not played on Saturdays. He is known for his energy and preparation, and this should translate well for the short-week uniqueness that a Friday night game presents.

Whether Minnesota wins this game is not the question for most, but rather will Minnesota cover the spread? The Golden Gophers are 5-0 ATS in their last five games following a straight-up loss, something that can likely be attributed in part to Fleck’s ability to use losing as motivation. Maryland is the worst team in the Big Ten, while Minnesota still has some pieces to overwhelm a much inferior opponent.

Score prediction: Minnesota 40, Maryland 13

NCAAF Pick: Minnesota -20

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