Ohio State's homecoming matchup against an undefeated Maryland squad is almost here.
Maryland is (somehow) unranked, but that doesn't mean Ohio State will take them lightly. The Terrapins are not only a perfect 5-0 this season, but they have won each of their past seven games since losing to the Buckeyes last season.
Back home in Ohio Stadium, the Buckeyes appear to be ready to go after their lone bye week of the season, ready to prove that they are, in fact, one of the best teams in the country after a huge win at Notre Dame two weeks ago.
JUICE HAS BEEN BROUGHT pic.twitter.com/FD6XQ88AzK
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) October 7, 2023
With less than three hours until kickoff of the homecoming matinee, the ultimate opinion-shapers on Ohio State football at Eleven Warriors proudly offer their scoring predictions and a glimpse at the sports betting market for the fifth game on the Buckeyes' schedule.
Dan Hope: Ohio State 45, Maryland 21. "I feel like I’m being conservative with this score prediction, as I’d be somewhat surprised if Ohio State scores fewer than 45 points or gives up more than 21 points. Ohio State has a sizable talent advantage, and I don’t think Maryland is as its good as its record indicates, so I’m expecting the Buckeyes to cover the spread. But Taulia Tagovailoa and the Terps are good enough to keep this game semi-competitive and prevent it from becoming a full-blown rout."
Ramzy Nasrallah: Ohio State 56, Maryland 14. "I don’t know how much better the Terps are from last year when they couldn’t stop the Buckeyes’ seventh-string running back from 143 yards and three touchdowns. I just know they’ll have to deal with Ohio State’s starters and a less-forgiving defense this time."
Chase Brown: Ohio State 38, Maryland 17. "Taulia Tagovailoa is great and Maryland’s defense is much improved, but Ohio State carries over the momentum from its top-10 win over Notre Dame and takes care of business on Saturday."
Andy Anders: Ohio State 52, Maryland 17. "The Ohio State offense proves too talented for Maryland to slow down and a surging Buckeye secondary negated much of what the Terps want to do passing the ball early."
Garrick Hodge: Ohio State 38, Maryland 17. "Baby Tua is arguably the best quarterback the Buckeyes have faced so far this season and will be able to move the ball a bit against OSU, he just won't be able to do it enough as Ohio State pulls away in the second half.
Johnny Ginter: Ohio State 38, Maryland 13. "This is going to be one of those 'prove it' games for the running game, and while it might not translate into a lot of points, I think it'll translate into a lot of yards."
Chris Lauderback: Ohio State 38, Maryland 17. "I won't be surprised if the game becomes a blowout but I need a few more weeks of "prove it" football from the offense before I start calling for routs against teams I have at least a modicum of respect for."
Matt Gutridge: Ohio State 49, Maryland 24. “Remember when Chase Young was forced to miss a couple of games during the 2019 season? Remember who was rumored to have reported The Predator? Ryan Day will never forget.”
Josh Poloha: Ohio State 48, Maryland 17. "The Buckeyes have dominated following a bye week and that will be no different this time around. Ohio State's defensive backfield will be tested against a good Maryland passing attack, but that should also give OSU's offense more opportunities to score and it will take advantage of that."
Check out this week's Eleven Warriors Roundtable for score predictions and more analysis from Andy Anders, George Eisner and Garrick Hodge.
Will Ohio State Cover?
After the Buckeyes opened as 21-point favorites over Maryland, a number that quickly dropped to 19.5, Ohio State remains a 19.5-point favorite over the Terrapins as of this morning, according to consensus lines on Action Network.
Ohio State is 4-0 but just 1-2-1 against the spread this season, as the Buckeyes' lone cover came in their third game of the season against Western Kentucky (-29.5) and Ohio State pushed at Notre Dame (-3). OSU is 1-1 ATS at home. Meanwhile, Maryland is 3-2 ATS this season, including beating the spread in each of its last three games (-15.5 vs. Virginia, -7.5 at Michigan State and -14.5 vs. Indiana) after not being able to cover the spread in the first two games of the season (-38.5 vs. Towson and -24.5 vs. Charlotte). The Terrapins covered the spread in their only away game this season in East Lansing.
While all 13 Eleven Warriors staff members believe the Buckeyes will beat Maryland and remain undefeated, all but George Eisner and Jack Emerson believe Ohio State will cover the spread as well.
What about the Over?
The total opened at 58.5 but quickly fell to 57 (just like the spread) and Is now down to 56.5.
Ohio State has only gone over in one of its four games this season (63-10 over Western Kentucky) while Maryland's matchups have hit the over in three of its five games so far.
The Eleven Warriors staff is pretty split on the total, as Ramzy Nasrallah, Dan Hope, Andy Anders, Kyle Jones, Josh Poloha, Matt Gutridge and Jack Emerson will hit the over while Jason Priestas, Chris Lauderback, Johnny Ginter, Chase Brown, Garrick Hodge and George Eisner all believe the total will hit the under.
Interested in more betting analysis from Eleven Warriors? Check out Easy Bucks for more detailed breakdowns on this weekend's lines and more.
Eleven Warriors House Prop Bets
Looking for more statistics to speculate on? Take a gander at our in-house prop betting lines for this matchup to get a greater sense of what oddsmakers are expecting from individual performances. Leave your predictions for us in the comments and compete for some bragging rights!
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How many passing yards will Kyle McCord have?
- Over 284.5 (-110)
- Under 284.5 (-110)
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With TreVeyon Henderson out, how many rushing yards will Chip Trayanum have?
- Over 74.5 (-115)
- Under 74.5 (-105)
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How many receiving yards will Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka combine to have?
- Over 174.5 (-120)
- Under 174.5 (+105)
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How many sacks will Ohio State's defense have?
- Over 3.5 (+115)
- Under 3.5 (-110)
Still need time to kill before kickoff? Gear up for the new season with a quick shopping spree around the Eleven Warriors Dry Goods store!
