I know Maryland is down to their third quarterback, but they looked pretty good with him starting last week. I know Ohio State has looked better the last couple weeks, but they haven't played a team with a pulse since Oklahoma. The Buckeyes have the talent to pull out a curb stomping at almost any point, but I truly fail to see how all of this adds up to Ohio State being 30.5 point favorites. Maryland's offense relies on the splash plays, particularly in the running game. Central Florida prevented Ty Johnson from getting loose, and the Terps got zero production. Last week Maryland had five different players tally a play of over 20 yards, and had one such play on every single one of their four touchdown drives. Ohio State certainly has issues in the back seven, but nobody will ever accuse any Ohio State team of a lack of athleticism, particularly compared to Maryland. So the question is whether Maryland can hit those plays, even when they show themselves. Rather than helping provide clarity as to the Ohio State running back situation, last week just added more of a mess, as Demario McCall, who had no carried on the year, had 11 carries and one reception, for 138 total yards, just adding to a full stable of backs. Mix all of those backs in with Barrett's legs, and despite their struggles to hit on the deep ball, Ohio State will eventually overwhelm Maryland with depth. This is a solid run defense in Maryland, totally shutting down the Gophers last week, and Texas didn't get to the century mark on the ground either. However, for now, it seems like the mobile quarterbacks, and the read option looks are not their forte. McKenzie Milton, Central Florida's quarterback, ran for 94 yards on them, and nine total ball carriers combined for 250 rushing yards on 6.4 ypc in the Knights' blowout win. In fairness, they picked up 99 of those yards on two plays, but the jury is still very out on how Maryland's defense will fare against the type of running game Ohio State brings. But 30.5? I don't see that at all.
OHIO STATE 38, MARYLAND 23
