The Big Ten East division is set for a pivotal weekend coming up here in Week 5, and that all begins on Friday night as the No. 12 Penn State Nittany Lions hit the road to take on the Maryland Terrapins in primetime. With these two explosive offenses set to do battle in College Park, the fireworks this game has the potential to produce should deliver us an exciting start to the weekend action.
The Nittany Lions are 3-0 and coming off a 17-10 win over rival Pitt, while the Terrapins are 2-1 and coming off a 20-17 loss toTemple. Let’s take a closer look at what this matchup means for both teams and pick who will be victorious on Friday night in College Park.
Storylines
Penn State: Coming off a 9-win campaign in 2018, the Nittany Lions have their sights set on returning to the top of standings in the Big Ten East — and they have the talent to do so. Behind sophomore tailbackJourney Brownand dual-threat quarterbackSean Clifford, they should be able to keep Maryland on its toes if they can manage the atmosphere. They’re prepping at practice this week withextra crowd noise and the Maryland fight songon full blast.
Maryland: First-year coach Mike Locksley has overhauled the sluggish Terrapins offense and turned it into a juggernaut. With graduate transfer quarterbackJosh Jacksonand sophomore star running back Anthony McFarland Jr. pacing the new-look O, Locksley and his staff should have the horses to keep up with Penn State to potentially pull off an upset.
Viewing information
Date: Friday, Sept. 27 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Maryland Stadium — College Park, Maryland
TV:FS1 | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
Game prediction, picks
This feels like a trap game for Penn State. Coming off a rivalry win and on a short week, they have to hit the road to face a better-than-expected Terrapins team that’s had this game circled on the calendar since the offseason. I fully expect Locksley and his staff to throw the kitchen sink at James Franklin, and as such, I think Maryland will cover this 6.5 point spread.Pick: Maryland 6.5
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