The last "easy" game on Ohio State's schedule is coming up this Saturday when the Buckeyes host the Maryland Terrapins. Ohio State's main goal for this week is to stay focused and not let the Terps give them a real game as they look ahead to next weekend's trip to Bloomington. Let's preview the game with some stats and historical facts.
Tale of the tape - Ohio State offense vs Maryland defense
2026 (national rank) | Maryland | Ohio State |
|---|---|---|
Points per game | 30.4 (115) | 42.2 (14) |
Yards per game | 335.0 (55) | 514.4 (7) |
Yards per play | 5.3 (67) | 7.5 (6) |
Rushing yards/attempt | 3.95 (67) | 4.3 (81) |
Passing yards/attempt | 7.0 (69) | 11.2 (1) |
Red zone efficiency | 84.6% (133) | 70.4% (40) |
Turnovers per game | 1.75 (22) | .8 (46) |
Tale of the tape - Maryland offense vs Ohio State defense
2026 (national rank) | Maryland | Ohio State |
|---|---|---|
Points per game | 30.4 (69) | 12.6 (8) |
Yards per game | 424.0 (49) | 267,0 (18) |
Yards per play | 5.9 (76) | 4.2 (11) |
Rushing yards/attempt | 4.8 (52) | 3.3 (38) |
Passing yards/attempt | 6.7 (107) | 5.1 (3) |
Red zone efficiency | 66.7% (56) | 44.4% (21) |
Turnovers per game | 1.4 (85) | 1.6 (29) |
This will be the 10th meeting all-time between Maryland and Ohio State, with the Buckeyes taking each of the first nine. This will be the 6th meeting at Ohio Stadium. Every game in this series has featured a ranked Ohio State team going against an unranked Maryland team.
The most recent matchup was in 2023, when No. 4 Ohio State beat Maryland 37-17. That is the closest the Terrapins have ever come to winning in Ohio Stadium. The closest they've ever been to beating Ohio State was a 52-51 loss in overtime against No. 10 Ohio State at SECU Stadium.
Ohio State is looking to start 3-0 in Big Ten play and 5-1 overall. They have won their first three Big Ten games and five of their first six games overall every year except one since 2012 (2024). Maryland is looking to avoid an 0-3 start to Big Ten play and a 2-4 start overall.
2-4 would be their worst start since 2015, while they have started 0-3 in conference play in each of the last two seasons. The last time Maryland started 2-4, they lost in Ohio Stadium to fall to that record, and then fired head coach Randy Edsall after that game.
Coaching matchup
Ryan Day is 4-0 against Mike Locksley as head coach at Ohio State. Locksley was the head coach at Maryland for all four of those games. Day is 5-1 against Locksley overall. In 2012, Locksley was the offensive coordinator at Maryland when they beat Ryan Day as the offensive coordinator at Temple. Then in 2013, Day beat Locksley and Maryland as the offensive coordinator at Boston College.
Ohio State is 14-0 against current FBS teams from the state of Maryland. Maryland is 6-12 against current FBS teams from the state of Ohio, despite being 0-9 against the Buckeyes.
Ohio State is just one loss against an unranked team under Ryan Day. They've won eight consecutive games against unranked Big Ten teams. Maryland is 2-19 against ranked teams under Mike Locksley, and 0-8 against teams ranked in the top 5. They have lost their last 7 games against ranked opponents.
Odds, similar games, and prediction
Ohio State is a 34.5-point favorite on Saturday per DraftKings. There are a few similar games in recent history where the Buckeyes were such massive favorites against a Big Ten opponent. In 2025, Ohio State beat Rutgers 42-9 as a 33.5-point favorite. They also beat UCLA 48-10 as a 31.5-point favorite. In 2024, they beat Purdue 45-0 as a 37.5-point favorite.
This is the last "easy" game left on Ohio State's schedule. Every team they have left to play this season has one loss or fewer, or is Michigan. This is the last chance to see what the coaching staff really thinks of their depth. I'd imagine they want to get out to a big lead in this game, maybe get some Heisman stats for Jeremiah Smith, and get the young guys in. Buckeyes win this one 56-17.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
Add us as a preferred source on Google