2011 Maryland Terrapins Football Predictions, Odds, Picks and Schedule – 2011 Maryland NCAA Football Preview

2011 Maryland Terrapins College Football Expert Predictions, Picks, Vegas Odds and Schedule – Maryland NCAA Football Preview: It’s not often that a school chooses to replace a coach that was named the best in the conference, but that is exactly what Maryland decided to do with defending ACC Coach of the Year Ralph Friedgen. To be fair, the Terrapins did get defending Big East Coach of the Year Randy Edsall to replace Friedgen. Edsall led the Connecticut Huskies to the Fiesta Bowl last season, and he will be looking to continue the success with a Maryland team that had a solid 9-4 season in 2010-11.

The Terrapins were the second-best scoring team in the ACC last season, and quarterback Danny O’Brien was a big reason why. He finished his freshman year with 22 touchdowns compared to just eight interceptions. He does lose the services of most of his starting receivers, including deep threat Torrey Smith. That being said, O’Brien will likely have an easy transition, considering how quickly he adjusted to life as a collegiate QB.

As valuable as O’Brien will be, Edsall has been a run-first coach throughout his career. He inherits four returning starters on the offensive line this season so there is a good chance that will continue in 2011-12. Davin Megget will be the Terrapins’ feature back for the first time this season, coming off a 700-yard campaign last year. Goal line specialist D.J. Adams will see his role expand as well. After scoring 11 touchdowns a year ago, Maryland will need Adams to spell Megget and continue to his short-yardage duties.

Defensively, seven starters are back from a unit that gave up less than 23 points per game last season. The Terrapins defense was one of the most opportunistic in the ACC, finishing with a plus-15 turnover margin. That total ranked in the top five nationally. The leader of the unit is safety Kenny Tate. He is a playmaker in every sense of the word. Coming off a season when he had 100 tackles, 3 interceptions and 3.5 sacks, Tate should establish himself as one of the most versatile defenders in the country this year.

The schedule opens with the Miami Hurricanes, and given the disarray that program is in, the matchup is looking less intimidating by the day. In fact, the first six games of the season look winnable with an out-of-conference game against West Virginia looking like the biggest hurdle. Things pick up starting with a road game against Florida State and a home contest against Boston College, and a road game against North Carolina State is lurking in the finale as well. All in all, the Terrapins have a favorable schedule.

Armed with an experienced offensive line, Edsall should have some flexibility on offense as he installs his system. A key factor in the team’s overall success is going to be whether or not the offense can remain as efficient as it was a season ago. Putting up lots of point without a lot of yardage is always a red flag, and that is exactly what the Terrapins did last season. Throw in a lack of explosive skill position players, and the ceiling is going to be limited for Maryland in 2011-12. That being said, the Terrapins are disciplined enough on both sides of the ball to make it back to a bowl game, although a conference title is likely out of reach.

2011 Maryland Terrapins College Football Predictions: 7-5 Record

Preseason 2011 Maryland Terrapins NCAA Football Odds:
Odds to Win 2012 BCS Championship: NA/Off the Board
Odds to Win 2011 ACC Championship: +1500
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2011 Maryland Terrapins College Football Schedule
Mon, Sep 5 Miami (FL) 8:00 pm —
Sat, Sep 17 West Virginia 12:00 pm —
Sat, Sep 24 Temple TBA —
Sat, Oct 1 Towson TBA —
Sat, Oct 8 at Georgia Tech TBA —
Sat, Oct 15 Clemson TBA —
Sat, Oct 22 at Florida State TBA —
Sat, Oct 29 Boston College TBA —
Sat, Nov 5 Virginia TBA —
Sat, Nov 12 at Notre Dame 7:30 pm —
Sat, Nov 19 at Wake Forest TBA —
Sat, Nov 26 at North Carolina State TBA —

Check out NSAwins.com’s official 2011 College Football Over Under Team Wins Odds and Predictions and 2011 ACC Football Odds and Predictions articles.

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