Penn State Favored by a Touchdown on the Road at Maryland in Early Week 5 Odds

• The Penn State Nittany Lions and Maryland Terrapins square off Friday Night (8:00 PM ET, Sep. 27)
• The Nittany Lions have moved from 6-point favorites to 7-point chalk
• What’s the best ATS bet for PSU-MD?

The Penn State Nittany Lions and Maryland Terrapins begin their Big Ten schedules Friday Night (8:00 PM ET, Sep. 27) in College Park. The Nittany Lions are 3-0 and look like a legit conference contender, while the 2-1 Terps appeared to be on a similar path before a disappointing loss to Temple in Week 3.

Penn State Nittany Lions vs Maryland Terrapins Odds

*All odds taken 09/23/19. Check out the MD sportsbook apps:

• DraftKings Sportsbook Maryland
• BetMGM Maryland
• Barstool Sportsbook Maryland
• FanDuel Sportsbook Maryland
• Caesars Sportsbook Maryland

Penn State opened as a 6-point favorite but that number has already been bet up a point in their direction. Both teams are 2-1 against the spread this season, after each failed to cover as favorites in Week 3.

You can see the odds movement at each sportsbook on our College Football odds page.

Penn State Owns Maryland

You’d be hard pressed to find a more lopsided rivalry than the Nittany Lions and Terrapins. Penn State is 39-2-1 all time versus its conference foe, and have outscored them 104-6 over their last two meetings.

It’s been 1,080 days since Maryland last scored a TD against Penn State

Happy Monday.

— Barstool Penn State (@PSUBarstool) September 23, 2019

The Nittany Lions enter this matchup raked number 12 in the Nation, while the Terps have fallen outside the top-25 thanks to their loss to the Owls. If Penn State has any Big Ten title aspirations, it’s imperative that they dispatch Maryland on Friday and Purdue next week, before a treacherous three-week stretch that includes games against Iowa, Michigan and Michigan State.

#VictoryMonday ?⚪️#WeAre pic.twitter.com/pxWRoC4Kv7

— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) September 16, 2019

Matchup to Watch

The key to Friday’s game for the Nittany Lions will be stopping Terps star running back Anthony McFarland and forcing Josh Jackson to beat them through the air. McFarland, a 1,000 yard rusher from a season ago, has already found the endzone six times this season, including a three touchdown performance against Syracuse.

Anthony McFarland with an absurd cut and house call! ??? #sauce #devy pic.twitter.com/dLLKMg5hJT

— Ray Garvin (@RayGQue) September 7, 2019

Unfortunately for McFarland, Maryland’s offensive line has been depleted by injury and Penn State’s run defense has been exceptional this year. The Nittany Lions have held two of three opponents to under 25 yards rushing and will be eager to put the ball in Jackson’s hands given his struggles last time out. The third-year QB completed just 38.5% of his passes against Temple and was sacked four times.

Josh Jackson is sacked for the third time today.

The Terps have yet to complete a third down and trail Temple 7-2. pic.twitter.com/TbxXu5QhTl

— Lila Bromberg (@lilabbromberg) September 14, 2019

Now he has to face a Penn State defense that’s racked up 11 sacks in just three outings and has held opposing quarterbacks to 250 passing yards per game. Expect a long night for Jackson if he’s asked to shoulder the offensive load.

Penn State is the Right Side

The Nittany Lions are a more complete team and are actually undervalued in this spot. The public was too quick to anoint the Terps as a dominant offensive team and the moment they played a sound defensive squad they came crashing back to earth.

Penn State will dominate their overmatched offensive line, putting all the pressure on Jackson’s shoulder, which is exactly what Maryland wants to avoid.