Big Ten Saturday Night Odds: Charlotte at Maryland NBC College Football

CFB Game Previews, College Football, News

Written By Kelley Ford on September 8, 2023

Big Ten Saturday Night odds are available across the best college football betting sites, as Week 2 of the 2023 season is now up on us. Each week, I am going to preview the new centerpiece game in primetime on NBC and Peacock. Described as the gem of the new Big Ten TV deal, this game will feature the biggest B1G football game of the week. Last week was West Virginia at No. 7 Penn State, while Week 2 features Charlotte heading to SECU Stadium in College Park, Maryland, to take on the Terrapins.

What do my KFordRatings make of this game, and how does it compare to the best available sports betting odds in your state? Let’s discuss. Click on the odds anywhere below to bet now.

BIG TEN Saturday Night Odds: Charlotte AT Maryland

On the eve of the first NFL Sunday Night Football game of the 2023 season, we get Big Ten Saturday Night odds for Charlotte at Maryland. Kickoff is 7:30 pm ET. Below are the odds and with an explanation of how to bet spread, moneylines and totals. You can also compare lines across college football odds for every game this week at TheLines.com

Maryland Terrapins College Football Preview

The Terrapins are favored by 24.5, and it isn’t too difficult to understand why. They are playing at home and my numbers are projecting Maryland to have a significant advantage on both sides of the ball.

Coming off a 38-6 win at home to FCS Towson in Week 1, Maryland’s power rating rose 0.3 points – from 5.7 to 6.0 (this means that my model suggests Maryland is now 6.0 points per game better than the average FBS team) – but their corresponding ranking fell one spot from No. 42 to No. 43. It’s a good reminder that rating movement and ranking movement aren’t always the same. The rating movement is more informative from a predictive analytics standpoint, though, so Terrapin fans should be pleased with the Week 1 performance from their team.

Both of Maryland’s unit ranks improved from Week 1 to Week 2. The offense rose 10 spots – from No. 45 to No. 35 – while the defense rose six spots – from No. 29 to No. 23. The regular season win total projection has improved slightly for Maryland as well and currently stands at 7.0; up from 6.9 projected regular season wins in the preseason.

My numbers assign just a 35% chance that Maryland matches or exceeds last year’s regular season win total of eight. For the Terrapins to reach that threshold, they need quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa to build on his 2022 season which saw him earn second-team All-Big Ten honors. His current QBR of 86.4 ranks No. 21 nationally. With no other 2022 All-Big Ten first, second, or third-team selections on the roster, it truly is all on Taulia’s shoulders.

My numbers currently project Maryland as the No. 4 team in the Big Ten East behind Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State. But the case could be made that the Terrapins are the fifth-best team in the conference. Additionally, the Terrapins have the No. 4 ranked offense and No. 4 ranked defense in the division. With just 4.2 projected conference wins (they went 4-5 in conference play a year ago), the Big Ten slate is most likely going to be difficult once again. Like most teams in the East division, Maryland will welcome the 2024 season which will see the elimination of divisions in the Big Ten.

But Charlotte is not a Big Ten-quality opponent, and Maryland should cruise to a victory in this game.

Charlotte 49ers College Football Preview

Similar to Maryland, Charlotte also faced an FCS opponent at home in Week 1 and fared well themselves, beating South Carolina State 24-3.

The 49ers’ power rating improved 0.6 points – from -16.2 to -15.6 – from Week 1 to Week 2 and their corresponding ranking improved three spots – from No. 125 to No. 122. Keep in mind that there are only 133 FBS teams. While the offense was downgraded slightly from No. 119 to No. 121, the defense was upgraded significantly after holding the Bulldogs to only a field goal – improving from No. 126 to No. 101.

But it isn’t all good news for 49ers fans. Charlotte is one of only four FBS teams – along with Arizona State, Florida International, and Virginia – that my numbers do not currently project as a favorite in any remaining game in 2023. Their 3.4 projected regular season wins (up from 3.2 in the preseason) are among the lowest projected totals for any team. With sub-100 unit ranks on both sides of the ball, it’s hard to envision a path to victory for Charlotte in College Park this Saturday night.

My numbers project Maryland to win by 24, which equates to a 95% win expectancy for the Terrapins.

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