College Football

2024 Maryland football predictions: Ranked No. 33 by RJ Young

Updated Aug. 12, 2024 10:45 a.m. ET

FOX Sports National College Football Analyst

[Check out RJ Young's ultimate 134 college football rankings here]

Conference ranking: 9th in Big Ten (+10000 to win conference)
Teams ahead of them: SMU (32), Nebraska (31), North Carolina State (30), Arkansas (29), Kentucky (28)
Teams behind them: Texas Tech (34), Louisville (35), Rutgers (36), Memphis (37), Auburn (38)

[Maryland 2024 schedule]

RJ's take: The Terps have plateaued in recent years. After winning seven games for the first time in five years and recording the first winning season of the Mike Locksley era, Maryland hasn’t been able to win more than eight. But the Terps have only won nine games in a season twice since 2003 and 10 games in the last 40 — all coming during the salad days of Ralph Friedgen and in the ACC.

One of the sticking points for Maryland, though, is its awful record against ranked conference opponents since joining the Big Ten.

Maryland is 0-34 against ranked Big Ten opponents as a Big Ten member. To be clear, the Terps have ranked wins. But like La Esmerelda to Quasimodo, they’re all out of their league.

They beat No. 23 Texas in the 2017 opener 51-41 in Austin. Finished 4-8.

They beat a ranked Texas 34-29 in Landover in 2018. They lost a 52-51 barnburner to Ohio State in 2018, too. Finished 5-7.

Beat No. 21 Syracuse 63-20 in 2019. Finished 3-9.

Beat No. 16 N.C. State in 2022. Finished 8-5.

The leap has to take place soon for Locks. Last year was their best chance yet with just two ranked opponents on the schedule.

Maryland's Win Total Odds: Over 6.5 (+105) Under 6.5 (-125)

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