The attention in the Big Ten has understandably been on elite teams like Ohio State and Indiana. But games like Maryland vs Rutgers are also important to the postseason picture in college football. Both of these teams are two wins away from securing a bowl bid and will try to move one step closer to the six-win mark with a win here. Before kickoff from Piscataway, you can find my best bet for this game right here.
Our Maryland vs Rutgers Pick
- Pick: Rutgers -2.5
- Confidence: 3/5
Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Maryland Terrapins vs Rutgers Scarlet Knights
- Date & Time: Saturday, November 8, 2025, 2:30 p.m. ET
- Venue: SHI Stadium, Piscataway, New Jersey
- Broadcast: FS1
Key Storylines
- Maryland arrives in New Jersey having dropped four straight game. That includes a brutal 55-10 home loss to the Indiana Hoosiers. Their offense has sputtered and their running game has struggled to get going. They will try to fix all of that against a similarly mediocre Rutgers team.
- Rutgers is coming off a 35-13 loss at the Illinois Fighting Illini. Rutgers is 1-5 in the Big Ten this season and their lone Big Ten win came against a bad Purdue team.
- For both teams, this is a “must-win” in order to stay viable for bowl eligibility. Both teams need two wins in the final stretch of this season to get to six and a loss here would make it much tougher to get there.
- In the head-to-head series, Maryland has owned the lead recently. The Terps won three of the last four meetings before Rutgers snapped that streak with a 31-17 win in 2024.
Quarterback Play
Freshman signal-caller Malik Washington has thrown for 1,958 yards with 12 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Washington’s playmaking through the air is especially important given how much Maryland has struggled to run the football
Rutgers is led by quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis. He has thrown for 2,476 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. The passing game has been a relative strength for Rutgers, with the Scarlet Knights struggling to run the ball after losing Kyle Monangai to the NFL.
Betting Trends
- Rutgers is 4-5 against the spread this season.
- Maryland is 5-3 against the spread going into this matchup.
- The over is 6-3 in Rutgers games this year.
- Maryland has gone under the total in five of its eight games.
Maryland vs Rutgers Model Projection
Score Projection: Maryland 24 – Rutgers 27
Win Probability: Maryland 42%, Rutgers 58%
Final Thoughts
We should see a fairly evenly matched game in New Jersey on Saturday afternoon. I give a slight edge to Rutgers based on their superior passing game, but I can’t see this game being lopsided in either direction as both of these teams fight it out to get a huge win for their bowl hopes.
