The college football betting board for Friday has one Power Five conference matchup as the Minnesota Golden Gophers take on the Maryland Terrapins in Big Ten action.
Both schools will try to bounce back from beatdowns in their season opener after Minnesota lost 49-24 to Michigan, while Maryland was crushed 43-3 against Northwestern.
The Golden Gophers opened as 20.5-point road favorites for this matchup, with the Over/Under installed at 59.5
We break down the NCAA football odds with our best picks and predictions for Minnesota vs Maryland, scheduled for Friday, October 30 at 7:30 ET.
Minnesota Golden Gophers at Maryland Terrapins betting preview
Weather
It's expected to be a wet night at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium with temperatures between 40 and 57 degrees and a 96 percent chance of showers. There will also be a breeze of 9.5 miles per hour. Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our NCAA football weather info.
Key Injuries
Minnesota: None
Maryland: Tayon Fleet-Davis RB (Questionable), Josh Jackson QB (Out), Chigoziem Okonkwo TE (Out), Austin Fontaine G (Out)
Find our latest NCAA football injury reports.
Against the spread (ATS) pick
It's difficult to back a favorite to cover a 20-point spread on the road against a conference rival, especially when they're coming off a 25-point loss to begin the year. That said, it's one thing to lose bad against a perennial highly-ranked program like Michigan and another to get stomped by a Northwestern team that managed only three wins the previous year.
Maryland finished last season with seven consecutive losses by an average margin of minus-30.6 points per game and they look just as awful on both sides of the ball this year.
The Gophers are coming off their best season in more than 50 years, going 11-2 under coach PJ Fleck who was named Big Ten Coach of the Year.
Minnesota averaged 34.3 points per game last year and return quarterback Tanner Morgan, who completed 66 percent of his passes for 3253 and 30 touchdowns against just seven interceptions.
The Gophers also have one of the best wide receivers in the conference in junior Rashod Bateman and a dangerous running back in Mohamed Ibrahim, who rumbled for 140 yards against the Wolverines last week and rushed for 1160 yards as a freshman in 2018. Back Minnesota to win and cover.
PREDICTION: Minnesota -20.5
Over/Under pick
While we expect the Golden Gophers to put some points on the board, we're not so sure that the Terps will able to hold up their end of the total.
Taulia Tagovailoa found out last week just how hard it can be to play QB for a team other than Alabama, throwing for just 94 yards with three interceptions on 25 passes. And while redshirt freshman Lance LeGendre played better under center, he doesn't have much help around him with a running game that mustered just 64 yards versus Northwestern.
While Minnesota has quite a few new faces on defense, this is a well-coached unit that has held opponents below 23 points per game since Joe Rossie took over as coordinator midway through 2018. That combined with what should be wet conditions on Friday night has us leaning to the Under.
PREDICTION: Under 59.5 (-110)
First half pick
One of the most annoying things about betting on big college football spreads is seeing the favorite dominate early and then sit their top players, leading to garbage-time scores for the underdog and a late cover.
One way to avoid that pitfall is by taking the favorite on the first-half spread. Keep in mind that Minnesota put up 17 first-half points on last week, while Maryland trailed Northwestern by 27 points after 30 minutes.
PREDICTION: First half Minnesota -10 (-125)
Minnesota vs Maryland betting card
- Minnesota -20.5 (-110)
- Under 59.5 (-110)
- First half Minnesota -10 (-125)
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