Maryland vs Minnesota prediction & betting tips - October 26th | college football Week 9

The Maryland Terrapins will face the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET. Minnesota (4–3) will host Maryland (4–3) in a matchup between two teams looking to build toward strong records as the season reaches its endpoint.

Maryland is coming off a narrow 29–28 victory over USC on Saturday. The win ended the Terrapins' two-game losing streak against the No. 13 Indiana and Northwestern.

Minnesota is coming off an open week defeating UCLA 21–17 before that. The Golden Gophers got their second win in a row after beating USC 24–17 the previous week. While both teams have winning records, they have struggled with consistency all season.

Maryland vs Minnesota prediction

Sportsbooks and analytical models agree that this should be one of the closest matchups of the week. So fans wanting a tightly contested game should tune in for the matchup between Maryland and Minnesota.

Maryland has been a strong offensive team for most of the season. It has only failed to score more than 23 points once when it lost to Northwestern 37–10. However, while the offense has consistently put up numbers in the high 20s, it has not had many stand-out performances. Except for its 50-point outburst in Week 1, it has not exceeded 40 points.

The Terrapins' defense has not been much of an issue but is usually the cause behind their defeat. They have allowed more than 35 points twice in back-to-back games.

Although Minnesota's offense started strong with a 48-point performance in Week 2, it has not eclipsed the 30-point barrier since. Instead, Minnesota's defense carries the Golden Gophers to victory. The defense has allowed no more than 31 points in a game this season and has limited teams to less than 20 points five times.

With Maryland as the better offensive team and Minnesota as the better defensive team, sportsbooks and analytical models agree this should be a close matchup. However, Data Skrive predicts a different result than the sportsbooks. Sportsbooks have Minnesota as the betting favorite, but Data Skrive predicts Maryland's victory 24–23.

Maryland vs Minnesota betting tips

Tip #1: Bet on Maryland's side of the moneyline (+150).

Tip #2: Wager on the Terrapins to cover the +4.5 point spread (-112).

Tip #3: Bet over the total of 46.5 points (-110).

Maryland vs Minnesota head-to-head

Although Maryland vs. Minnesota is not a long-standing rivalry, it has become a common matchup in the past decade. The two teams competed twice in the 70s with Maryland winning both matchups 17–7. However, they did not compete again until 2016. The two teams then played against each other every year until 2021.

Overall, Maryland has the edge in the matchup, accumulating a 5–3 record over Minnesota. However, the Golden Gophers won the last matchup in 2021 34–16. Maryland last won in 2020, a 45–44 overtime victory.