How to watch Maryland vs. West Virginia: Preview, TV schedule, odds and more

It’s still difficult to know exactly what to make of Maryland and West Virginia, who meet Saturday afternoon in Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium. With the exception of the Mountaineers’ road trip to Oklahoma, neither team has had many challenges to face through the first three weeks.

This Maryland team appears to be Randy Edsall’s best, but starting 3-0 against the likes of Florida International, Old Dominion and UConn doesn’t provide a lot of concrete information. The Terps have been able to keep their starting quarterback healthy this year, and that’s definitely paying dividends. They come into this game averaging a shade under eight yards per play.

West Virginia’s efforts to replace Geno Smith haven’t gone as well as Dana Holgorsen would like -- the Mountaineers scored just 24 points against William & Mary to open the season, then followed that with seven points at Oklahoma. The Mountaineers made a change at quarterback prior to last week’s game against Georgia State and scored 41 points, which might be a sign that progress is being made. Then again, it might just be that they were playing Georgia State. How they perform against the Terrapins should be telling.

Rankings and records: The Terps are 3-0 on the season, while WVU comes in at 2-1. West Virginia is 26-21-2 all-time against Maryland, and the Mountaineers have won seven straight games in this series. Neither team is ranked.

Vegas: Maryland opened as a 4.5-point favorite in this neutral-field game.

Weather: The high is expected to hit 80. Some rain is a possibility, because scattered thunderstorms are expected in the area.

C.J. Brown -- Last year might have been different if Maryland had a healthy Brown. Instead, the Terps ended up with a revolving door at quarterback because nobody could stay healthy. It was an epidemic. But so far so good in 2013, and the added stability is a big help. Brown is coming off a game at UConn in which he threw for 277 yards and ran for 122.

Maryland can equal its win total from all of last year by beating the Mountaineers, and a sweep of its non-conference schedule would make a return to bowl eligibility look highly likely. The Terps have home games against Syracuse, Virginia and Boston College to come, not to mention a road trip to Wake Forest, which looks listless right now. A win over WVU would mean the Terps need only find two more wins to get bowl eligible. That’s the sort of progress Randy Edsall needs to be showing in the third year of his tenure.

West Virginia could really use the boost of a win heading into the bulk of conference play, especially considering it’s already 0-1 in league play and that Oklahoma State and Baylor are up next. A loss to the Terps could be the start of a losing streak, and then the season begins to look bleak.

TV: The broadcast is available on ESPNU at 3:30 p.m. ET, with Anish Shroff and Kelly Stouffer on the call.

Radio: Maryland’s affiliates can be found here. West Virginia’s can be found here.

Online streaming: ESPN3 is available for those with service through an authorized provider.

For more on the Terps, check out Maryland blog Testudo Times. West Virginia blog The Smoking Musket has Mountaineers football covered.

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