2023 School Soccer predictions: Taulia Tagovailoa will lead Maryland to promised land

[ad_1]

My colleague Mike Calabrese discussed ACC football futures in a current model of this column, so I believed I’d break down Huge Ten futures for at this time’s model.

Particularly, I’m eyeing a number of Huge Ten win totals that our Motion Analytics workforce tasks worth on.

Let’s speak about my favourite Huge Ten win complete over and my favourite Huge Ten win complete beneath.

Betting traces courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook.

Huge Ten win complete odds
Illinois: Over/Beneath 6.5 (-110/-110)
Indiana: Over/Beneath 3.5 (-130/ +110)
Iowa: Over/Beneath 6.5 (+100/ -110)
Maryland: Over/Beneath 7.5 (+120/-145)
Michigan: Over/Beneath 10.5 (-120/+100)
Michigan State: Over/Beneath 5.5 (+130/-150)
Minnesota: Over/Beneath 7 (-110/-110)
Nebraska: Over/Beneath 6.5 (+120/-145)
Northwestern: Over/Beneath 2.5 (-130+110)
Ohio State: Over/Beneath 10.5 (-105/-115)
Penn State: Over/Beneath 9.5 (-145/+120)
Purdue: Over/Beneath 5 (-120/+100)
Rutgers: Over/Beneath 4.5 (-105/-115)
Wisconsin: Over/Beneath 8.5 (-135/+115)

Maryland Over 7.5 wins (+140)

The Terrapins will probably be very weak and inexperienced within the trenches. 4 offensive line starters are gone, and there’s a whole rebuild within the entrance seven.

Often, I don’t like betting on groups which are weak on the road.

However I’m making an exception. Every little thing else breaks for the Terps.


Quashon Fuller #5 of the Maryland Terrapins
Quashon Fuller #5 of the Maryland Terrapins
Getty Pictures

Taulia Tagaovailoa, one of the best quarterback in program historical past, is again for his third yr in School Park. He’s not his brother, however he does have 51 landing passes and seven,800 passing yards over the previous two years.

They’re pairing Tagovailoa up with new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, the Broyles Award winner with Michigan in 2021. I really like him for this job.

The linebacking corps is comparatively deep, and the secondary has some expertise. Maryland runs a deep-back scheme, so power within the protection’s second and third ranges is the crux of the protection.

I hope the Terps additionally catch a break this yr and see some optimistic regression. They performed Michigan and Ohio State powerful final season and misplaced by two at dwelling to Purdue.


Taulia Tagovailoa #3 of the Maryland Terrapins
Taulia Tagovailoa #3 of the Maryland Terrapins
Getty Pictures

Seize your four-leaf clovers and hope that close-game luck flips this season.

The actual MVP of this workforce is the schedule, which is way simpler than final season. The Terps will doubtless play solely three ranked groups all yr, they usually averted Iowa and Wisconsin out of the West.

The Terrapins are projected to be favorites in 10 video games this yr, they usually’re projected as double-digit favorites in seven.

They’ve an uber-easy non-conference schedule with Towson, Charlotte and Virginia. The Terps are 9-2 in opposition to the unfold in non-con video games beneath head coach Mike Locksley, so a 3-0 begin is greater than anticipated.

Throw in Michigan State and Indiana as their first two convention video games, and Maryland figures to be 5-0 coming into their tilt with Ohio State.

If they’ll break up their video games with Illinois (projected as five-point favorites) and Nebraska (projected as seven-point favorites), the Terps ought to get to eight wins.

The Motion Community’s analytics workforce tasks Maryland for 8.6 wins in 2023, so there’s a boatload of worth within the Over 7.5 mark offered at stable plus-money at BetMGM.

Betting on School Soccer?


Iowa defensive back Xavier Nwankpa
Iowa defensive again Xavier Nwankpa
Icon Sportswire through Getty Pictures

Iowa Beneath 8.5 wins (-120)

The phrase “landing” isn’t within the Hawkeye dictionary. However this system is making an attempt to pressure it in there this fall.

Offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz has to hit 25 factors per sport this yr, or his contract expires. So, speak about motivation.

The offense ought to enhance — emphasis on ought to — as Iowa returns its total offensive line and grabbed quarterback Cade McNamara and tight finish Erick All within the portal from Michigan.

However can we actually count on Iowa’s offense to be a lot better? They have been third-to-last within the FBS in Success Price final yr, averaging 17 factors per sport.

In the meantime, the protection ought to regress after they misplaced Butkus Award winner Jack Campbell, NFL draft alternative Lukas Van Ness, and multiyear beginning defensive backs Riley Moss and Kaevon Merriweather.

By Invoice Connelly’s SP+ metrics, Iowa returns the 102nd “most” defensive manufacturing in FBS.

In the meantime, Iowa attracts Penn State and Wisconsin on the street, they usually play Iowa State in Ames in Week 2. They’re projected as favorites in solely 5 video games — the Huge Ten West division figures to be powerful.

If they might win coin flips in opposition to Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota and Purdue, the Hawkeyes doubtless money their win complete. However our Motion Analytics workforce makes their win complete solely 6.8, so grabbing Beneath 8.5 wins (-120) at BetMGM is a steal.

[ad_2]

Source link