FiveDimes recently released over/under regular season win totals for college football teams.
Here is an early-season look at the Maryland Terrapins in the Big 10.
Over/Under
FiveDimes has Maryland at 4.5 wins. Last year, the Terrapins went 7-5 in the regular season. The line features a -120 line for the over and under.
The upside
Maryland only needs to get to five wins to satisfy the over. That’s the good news.
It’s tough to find anything else that may be considered good for 2015.
Reports do say the offensive line, although less experienced, will be better, and the Terrapins do have three games out of the gate against Richmond, Bowling Green and South Florida that should be victories. Winning the first three games would be a good start toward getting to five.
The downside
Maryland may go 3-0 and not win another game.
The Terrapins will have to replace 11 starters, which included a NFL wide receiver and the starting quarterback. What’s even worse is that Maryland must replace almost its entire front seven from last year. That defense surrendered 30 points per game last season, so there’s not much optimism this defense will be better.
The schedule also doesn’t set up well for the Terrapins.
Road games against West Virginia, Ohio State, Iowa, Michigan State and Rutgers are all likely games where the Terrapins will be underdogs. Maryland also has home games against Michigan, Penn State, Wisconsin and Indiana.
There are some winnable home games, but bettors hoping to take the over have to hope the Terrapins don’t allow the season to get away from them after losing a few.
The verdict
Oddsmakers aren’t sure what will happen this year. They set the same number for the over/under and it’s difficult to predict what will happen after those first three games.
If Maryland doesn’t go 3-0 right away, gamblers can likely focus on the under for the best bet. However, if Maryland does go undefeated in the first three games, there is a strong chance the Terrapins could at least pick up two more victories on the season, despite the reality of being underdogs in several games.
Don’t be sold on Maryland going 3-0 right away, though. This is a far less talented team than last year’s unit and it will take awhile to get going, meaning Maryland is primed to be upset in the opening weeks. Take the under, but don’t bet the farm on it.
