The Maryland Terrapins visit the No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium this afternoon, with kickoff scheduled for 4:15 p.m. ET. My Maryland vs Ohio State prediction starts with a straightforward matchup with Ohio State owning the superior offense, the home-field edge and a substantial advantage in recent form.

Maryland enters at 2-3 overall and has lost three straight. Ohio State is 4-1 overall, 2-0 in Big Ten play and has won three consecutive games. With the Buckeyes priced as a prohibitive moneyline favorite, the useful Maryland vs. Ohio State betting questions concern the spread and total.

I expect Ohio State to control this Maryland vs. Ohio State matchup from the opening possession. The Buckeyes average 42.2 points and 514.6 total yards per game, while Maryland produces 30.4 points and 424.0 total yards per contest. That difference is significant before accounting for Ohio State’s home-field advantage and Maryland’s three-game losing streak.

The Buckeyes have also been more reliable on money downs. Ohio State converts 46.7% of its third downs, compared with 35.2% for Maryland. Sustaining drives should allow Ohio State to win the field-position battle and keep its deep collection of offensive playmakers on the field.

I’m not treating the spread as automatic simply because Ohio State is the better team. Laying nearly five touchdowns requires consistent execution and reasonable scoring efficiency. Still, the matchup gives the Buckeyes several paths to a huge margin of victory through explosive passing, a productive rushing attack and a Maryland offense that may struggle to answer every scoring drive.

The Maryland vs Ohio State spread is 33.5 points, with these odds from BetMGM as of Oct. 9:

The moneyline illustrates the expected talent gap, but it offers little practical value on Ohio State at -10000. Maryland’s +3300 price is a high-variance long shot rather than my preferred way to approach this Big Ten game. At -110, a $110 wager returns $100 in profit if it wins.

For more market context, the spread betting splits show Ohio State receiving 66.6% of tickets, while Maryland has attracted 57.5% of the spread money. The split shows the larger wagers leaning toward Maryland, but Ohio State’s offensive efficiency keeps me on the favorite. Check the latest BetMGM offers before placing a wager.