Maryland-Penn St. and Illinois-Ohio St. Highlight Vegas Big Ten Predictions Week 10

Oct 25, 2014; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Nyeem Wartman (5) looks on after losing to the Ohio State Buckeyes 31-24 at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Maryland Terrapins at Penn State Nittany Lions

Big Ten Game of the Week

Line: Penn State by 3.5

Saturday Blitz Vegas Prediction:

Penn State Nittany Lions

We’re calling this the game of the week because of what the Maryland Terrapins and Penn State Nittany Lions could turn into from a rivalry perspective on the football field. But this year, the Terps won’t be anymore competitive than they have in years past.

Last week’s blowout loss to Wisconsin showed a few things about the Terps: they’re still very weak in the trenches, and they don’t have a lot of accuracy with CJ Brown at quarterback. Penn State, although still rebuilding under James Franklin, can play physical too, and that’s going to be the difference.

The Nittany Lions showed their ability to stop a spread offense last week in a game where they should have beaten Ohio State but were robbed. With this game in Pennsylvania, does anybody think they’ll have more trouble stopping the Maryland spread than they did the Ohio State spread? Of course not.

Penn State picks up a solid win at home by playing tough defense, and as long as Christian Hackenberg avoids turning the ball over too much, they shouldn’t have many problems.

Penn State: 27 Maryland: 17

Continue to Next Slide for Northwestern-Iowa Prediction