Maryland football is coming off of its most successful two-year stint since Ralph Friedgen was the coach at the turn of the 21st century. Terrapins fans in the Old-Line State have reason to feel confident about the team’s chances this fall.
But what about sports betting Maryland operators? How do the odds look there for Maryland football 2024? BetMaryland.com checked FanDuel and found that the over/under is 6.5 wins for the Terrapins this fall. Then we turned to SportsReference.com to find how teams with a preseason 6.5-win total line fared in the past three seasons.
Season Performance Of 6.5 Win Total Teams
Situation | Number of Teams | Percentage* |
Under 6.5 Wins | 26 of 56 | 46.4% |
Over 6.5 Wins | 30 of 56 | 53.6% |
College Football Playoff Appearance | 1 of 56 | 1.8% |
Year-End AP Poll Top 25 Team | 21 of 56 | 37.5% |
*Rounded to nearest whole number
Maryland Under Mike Locksley
Fresh off a second straight 8-5 campaign under sixth-year head coach Mike Locksley, UM enters the 2024 season with FanDuel Maryland Sportsbook expecting a slight drop in win total for the Terrapins, who compete in a new-look Big Ten. Still, six or seven wins would put the Terps in a bowl game for the fourth straight year.
Locksley’s run in College Park represents a renaissance of sorts for Maryland, which hasn’t experienced such success since Friedgen went 10-2 in 2001, 11-3 in 2002 and 10-3 in 2003. UM has not had a double-digit win season since, though they came close with nine-win campaigns in 2006 and 2010. Maryland moved from the ACC to the Big Ten in time for the 2014 season and their best record since is 8-5 in 2022 and ’23. Check out Maryland Big Ten recruiting rankings of recent vintage.
How Will 2024 Terrapins Football Fare?
Since 2021, only one of the 56 teams with a 6.5-win total at sportsbooks in the preseason (1.8%) reached the College Football Playoff. But that does not mean this group of teams were a bad bet; 53.6% of those squads (30 out of 56) won seven or more games that season to cash in wagers on the over. And 21 of them (37.5%) were included in the final Associated Press top 25 poll that season.
This year, the Terrapins play host to Connecticut for the season opener on Aug. 31, then play at home against Michigan State, Villanova, Northwestern, USC, Rutgers and Iowa. UM faces road games against former ACC rival Virginia and Big Ten road tests at Indiana, Minnesota, Oregon and Penn State.
A 3-0 non-conference run against the Huskies, Cavaliers and Wildcats could go a long way toward bolstering Maryland’s chances to go over 6.5 victories and reward their backers using Maryland sportsbook apps. For now, Terps fans will hope the team can do the little things right to stay afloat in the newly expanded, 18-team Big Ten. West Coast newcomers Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington join the league in 2024 in the aftermath of the Pac-12’s collapse.
The quest to exceed expectations – and perhaps even compete for a spot in the expanded 12-team CFP in 2024 – begins with what appears to be a pretty manageable first half of the schedule for the Terps. Early success could set the stage for an action-packed fall in the Mid-Atlantic region.
In the meantime, check out the best Maryland sportsbook promos any time of year.
USA Today photo by Tommy Gilligan
