BSD Prediction Roundtable: Maryland, The Bad Team

I hate Randy Edsall more than any other person in college football. I had a whole beautiful rant on why he was the worst thing in the universe ready to go here, and have for weeks now. Then Ol' Dirty Rand went and got himself fired. That's fine, Randy. You were scared of my wrath, I get it. I hope you enjoy your next job as Bo Pelini's defensive coordinator at Youngstown State, you tool.

Anyway, the Terrapins are trash. I've seen this game described as a trap game, especially since Temple can no longer be called that (they are objectively better than us and most teams this season). We also might be trash, but we might be good, too. The magic of the John Donovan offense paired with the Bob Shoop defense produces some Jekyll and Hyde-esque performances, and also lots of me banging my head against the wall, praying we hire Timmy Chang as our new OC (IT'S GONNA HAPPEN). Oh, and we have Saquon Barkley, who is decidedly the realest young man on campus. And no matter what, we're not nearly as trash as Maryland, who suck and also no longer have Stefon Diggs. If we lose to Maryland, the folks over at Testudo Times can arrange to put me in a dunk tank or something. Let's hope for a beautiful ass-kicking fiesta. Realistically, though, we'll probably just cover the spread. Stay woke. We are!

Noel: Penn State 24 - Maryland 10

Matt: My only worry going into this game is the combination of a letdown after a big game a week ago, coupled with a Maryland team with nothing to lose, against a perceived rival, and a brand new coach. But the good news for the Lions is a defense ranked 109th nationally, with no Joey Bosa or Adolphus Washington lining up on the other side. Yes, the Terps have been able to get to the QB, but they still give up nearly 35 points per game, and Penn State comes to Baltimore with a healthy Saquon Barkley. Penn State just needs to get out to a quick start, and crush any hope the Terps have of a going back to back for the first time ever in the series.

Penn State 31 - Maryland 14

Dan: My heart worries about this game because it's this Penn State team with this offensive coaching staff, this offensive line, and these punters ... but my head can't deny that this should be a comfortable win for Penn State. Saquon Barkley and this defense is a combination that should beat a team like this Terrapin team every time. Assuming Christian Hackenberg is healthy enough to be comfortable out there, I'm looking for the threat of Barkley to open things up downfield like they have in brief flashes over the course of this season.

Penn State 27 - Maryland 9

Tim: This year's edition of Maryland football is far worse than the one that came into Happy Valley last year and trailed by nine points headed into the fourth quarter against a young, sanction-depleted PSU team before PSU choked it away. On paper, the good guys should win this one handily, but college football is weird and it wouldn't surprise me if the Terps make this one far more uncomfortable than it otherwise should be, especially when you factor in all of the negatives about our offense/punting that Dan just touched upon. Besides the obvious not kicking the ball to Will Likely, the key to this game defensively will be containing their QB Perry Hills, who is very much a threat with his legs but not so much with his arm. Fortunately for PSU, Hills doesn't have the supporting cast around him that JT Barrett had last week, so if they can stop Hills, then expect the Maryland offense to be virtually nullified. Offensively, I'd still expect Saquon Barkley to get his share of yards, even with Maryland keying on him. Look for the passing attack to be opened up though, once the Terps start trying to stack eight men in the box. This game may be a good chance for guys like Mike Gesicki to come up with a couple nice grabs and build back some confidence. When it's all said and done, I still expect PSU to come out on top, but I'll only believe it will be a blowout when I actually see it.

Penn State 24 - Maryland 17

Eli: I hate Maryland. I have no nice words for their teams. Anybody who is afraid of this game because of reasons, stop. Bowling Green dropped 48. West Virginia, a team we now know is not as good as we thought, dropped another 45. The Ohio State team we are all sulking about dropped 49. Michigan blanked them out. Maryland is bad. So bad, in fact that their coach has already been fired. I hope James Franklin is as vindictive as I am in regards to sports, and doesn't forget last year. I know the players remember, because they still mention it on social media. I want 70 points at halftime, but I'll settle for...

Penn State 56 - Maryland 17

bscaff: No, Penn State is not a great football team. But Maryland is awful. The key this week will be this: who can score more points? Saquon Barkley gets to touch the football many more times than does Will Likely and Brad Craddock. Advantage Penn State. Also, PSU have three defensive linemen who'll be in the NFL next year, while Maryland have zero. Therefore, I predict Penn State scores more points. And by scoring more points, Penn State will win the football game.

Penn State More - Maryland Less

NCAA 14: NCAA Football loves blowouts. You very rarely see games of the 28-17 variety. It's either a late field goal to win, or a 56-0 monstrosity. In this case, the sim bent more towards the Frankensteinian. Hack had two touchdown passes to Saquon on screens and three more to receivers, Carl Nassib did that thing where he sacks the QB a lot (four times in one game, including a strip sack), and the line was just competent enough to give some running and passing room. This game basically became what we've been dreaming about happening all season. It was wonderful to watch, but would've been better if Randy Edsall was there to take this L. It was a thorough domination the likes of which we're unlikely to actually see, but man would it be sexy.

Penn State 45 - Maryland 0

FROM THE PODCAST:

Adam: Penn State 31 - Maryland 17

Bill: Penn State 24 - Maryland 17

Cari: Penn State 27 - Maryland 10

FROM THE PREVIEW:

Jared: Penn State 24 - Maryland 16