The Wolverines hope to carry momentum from a huge win and avoid a letdown against an opponent they have dominated when No. 14 Michigan visits the Maryland Terrapins on Saturday. Michigan is soaring after a 45-14 drubbing of No. 8 Notre Dame and is 7-1 against Maryland. The Wolverines have not lost at Maryland, and they will rely on a running game that amassed 303 yards against the Irish and a defense that has talent all over the field. The Terrapins are rebuilding and face one of the nation's tougher schedules, and they sit at 2-5 after a 52-10 loss to No. 17 Minnesota. Kickoff is set for noon ET in College Park, Md. The Wolverines are 21.5-point favorites in the latest Michigan vs. Maryland odds, while the over-under for total points scored is 57.5. Before locking in any Michigan vs. Maryland picks of your own, you'll want to see the college football predictions from Mike Tierney, given the success he's had picking games involving the Wolverines.
The veteran sportswriter, whose work has appeared in The New York Times and Los Angeles Times, has covered college football of all levels for decades. He has emerged as one of SportsLine's leading analysts in all sports. What's more, he has had a particularly keen sense for Michigan football. In fact, Tierney has posted a stunning record of 9-1 on against the spread picks involving the Wolverines. Anyone who has followed him is up huge.
Last week, he expected a battle-tested Michigan team to get past Notre Dame, and the Wolverines crushed the Irish 45-14. Now, he's studied Michigan vs. Maryland from every possible angle and released another confident against the spread pick that is only available at SportsLine.
Tierney knows the Wolverines will try to grind out another win on the ground, and with freshman running backs Zach Charbonnet and Hassan Haskins, they have done that well so far. Charbonnet has rushed for 531 yards and nine touchdowns, and Haskins has 366 and one score. Senior quarterback Shea Patterson runs an efficient passing game, and he threw for 276 yards against Penn State before being limited by driving rain and deferring to the run game against Notre Dame. Michigan likes to feature tight ends, and Nick Eubanks has been a valuable outlet with 18 catches for 175 yards and a TD.
Michigan allows an average of 18.4 points and hasn't allowed more than 300 total yards since losing to Wisconsin in its third game. The defense is particularly tough against the pass, allowing just 159.8 yards per game (sixth in FBS). Wolverines defenders have knocked down 28 passes and picked off five, with cornerbacks Ambry Thomas and Lavert Hill posting two interceptions apiece. Senior linebacker Khaleke Hudson leads the team with 69 tackles, and Kwity Paye and Josh Uche each have 5.5 sacks.
But just because the Wolverines are strong defensively doesn't mean they will cover the Michigan vs. Maryland spread on Saturday.
That's because the Wolverines are 0-9 against the spread in their last nine road games against teams with a losing home record and the Terrapins have the ability to surprise. They have blocked three kicks and have a dangerous return man in Javon Leake. He averages 26.8 yards in kickoffs and returned one 100 yards against Rutgers.
Maryland also has forced 13 turnovers and has 18 sacks. Keandre Jones has six of those and has one of the team's six fumble recoveries. Linebackers Ayinde Eley (team-high 61 tackles) and Chance Campbell (42) make the stops, and each has an interception.
We can tell you Tierney is leaning under, and he's also identified a critical x-factor that has him all over one side of the spread. He's only sharing what it is, and who to back, at SportsLine.
So who wins Maryland vs. Michigan? And what critical x-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the Maryland vs. Michigan spread to back on Saturday, all from the seasoned expert who is 9-1 on Michigan games, and find out.
