If you hadn't heard, the Maryland Terrapins are unbeaten. And they have a chance to do something special on Friday night against Iowa — beat a top 10 team for the first time since 2007, and achieve their highest ranking in the AP Poll since 2001.
Maryland is quietly putting together a strong season and can move to 5-0 with a win to match their total victories over the previous two seasons. And the Terps are just a short underdog against the Hawkeyes thanks to their strong start and Iowa's offensive struggles, so it's not an outlandish ask.
Here's everything you need to know about this Big Ten primetime game.
Iowa vs. Maryland Start Time
- Date: Friday, Oct. 1
- Kickoff: 8 p.m. ET
The Big Ten added this Friday night slot on FS1 a few years ago, much to the dismay of high school football fans. But it's been fun getting programs like Maryland in primetime when they wouldn't otherwise be.
The Terps go to Columbus to take on Ohio State next week, while Iowa hosts Penn State. Both teams would love to preserve their unbeaten records to setup high-stakes matchups next Saturday.
How Can I Watch Iowa-Maryland?
- TV: Fox Sports 1
- Stream: Bally Sports App/Fubo.TV
Fox Sports 1 will broadcast Iowa-Maryland on TV, and the Fox Sports Go app will have the live stream. But you need a cable subscription to get this game on a streaming device.
The easiest way to stream this game for cord cutters without access to someone else's cable login is to sign up for a trial of Fubo.TV, Hulu Live or YouTube TV. All three services offer FS1 as part of their package.
Iowa-Maryland Odds
- Iowa Spread: -3.5
- Maryland Spread: +3.5
- Total: 47.5
This line opened Iowa -4.5, but was bet down to -3.5 early in the week. Maryland is up 10 points in our betting power ratings since the start of the year. Iowa is up four. Before the season, we would have made the Hawkeyes about a 10-point favorite in this spot, but we've learned a lot about both teams in the last month.
Iowa Remaining Schedule
Iowa got through one of its toughest tests in Week 2, a grind-it-out win over rival Iowa State in which the Hawkeyes were abysmal on offense. But there's a lot of work to do.
In October, Iowa will be a favorite of less than 10 points twice, including Friday, and a short underdog in the other two games against Penn State and Iowa. And they've still got a lot to prove.
Iowa is averaging 4.61 yards per play on offense, 119th in the nation. That's with games against Kent State and Colorado State, too. They didn't top 5.6 yards per play in either.
| Date | Game | Iowa Spread |
|---|---|---|
| 10/1 | Iowa at Maryland | -5.0 |
| 10/9 | Penn State at Iowa | +2.7 |
| 10/16 | Purdue at Iowa | -8.8 |
| 10/30 | Iowa at Wisconsin | +3.4 |
| 11/6 | Iowa at Northwestern | -13.6 |
| 11/13 | Minnesota at Iowa | -13.3 |
| 11/20 | Illinois at Iowa | -17.8 |
| 11/26 | Iowa at Nebraska | -5.1 |
Maryland Remaining Schedule
The Terps don't have any great wins, but a couple good ones over West Virginia and at Illinois. And they've taken care of business otherwise. They're starting to get buzz from respected bettors, evidenced by this line dropping from +4.5 to +3.5 and even +3 at some books.
Maryland ranks 24th in yards per play on offense. Quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa is settling in during his second year, with 10 scores and one interception to along with a stellar 9.1 yards per attempt and 75% completion percentage.
Maryland has strung together two top-30 recruiting classes in a row and has some serious skill on offense in particular. Friday will tell us a lot about how much progress Locksley's team has made.
| Date | Game | Maryland Spread |
|---|---|---|
| 10/1 | Iowa at Maryland | +5 |
| 10/9 | Maryland at Ohio State | +16 |
| 10/23 | Maryland at Minnesota | -1 |
| 10/30 | Indiana at Maryland | PK |
| 11/6 | Penn State at Maryland | +10 |
| 11/13 | Maryland at Michigan State | +2.5 |
| 11/20 | Michigan at Maryland | +4 |
| 11/27 | Maryland at Rutgers | -4 |
