After a fall from grace over the past few weeks, the No. 10 Penn State Nittany Lions will face the Maryland Terrapins on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on BTN (live stream).
Penn State vs. Maryland 2017 live stream: Time, TV schedule, how to watch online
Will the Terps claim an upset to get into the postseason? (Probably not, but maybe.)
Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports
When James Franklin took over at Penn State, there was a big push by some college coaches (cough Randy Edsall cough) to ramp up some rivalries within the Big Ten conference and among some of the newest additions of East Coast teams like Maryland and Rutgers. At the time, Franklin said Penn State didn’t typically have a rival in-conference, but as Edsall noted then, these things take time.
Time, TV channel, and streaming info
Penn State vs. Maryland news:
- Franklin took issue at his weekly presser with the media asking Saquon Barkley (and other players) if they plan on playing in the bowl game with the NFL draft on the horizon.
- Maryland had few answers last week against Michigan State, and things will likely be even worse this week against one of the country’s best rushers:
Maryland’s run defense is still bad. Michigan State had not run for 100 yards in its past four games. The Spartans surpassed that mark in the first quarter today. They dominated the line of the scrimmage, and Maryland’s front seven had no answer.
- After a couple of weeks of being kept to surprising low running stats, Penn State’s phenom Barkley was back to domination last week:
Saquon Barkley racked up a hat trick of TDs in the first half, and probably would’ve had a fourth if he hadn’t had his feet taken out from under him by the last line of defense on a 30-yard carry. Overall, Saquon had a pretty solid 158 yards rushing and 66 receiving, easily his best game since Michigan.
- Terps head coach D.J. Durkin has likened this week’s matchup to a bowl game for his team:
Maryland and Penn State have played two one-point games and one not-so-close game in the Terps’ three seasons in the Big Ten. After escaping NCAA-imposed sanctions earlier than initially scheduled, the Nittany Lions have returned to national prominence over the last two seasons. Maryland may be without its first and second-string quarterbacks and a handful of other key players, but has nothing to lose in this game.
What does the postseason look like for these two teams?
Penn State punched its ticket to a bowl game halfway through the season, and even though the Nittany Lions have collected two losses since their fiery start, they’re still expected to get a notable bowl bid. With their loss to Ohio State and then to Michigan State, they won’t be playing for a Big Ten Championship, but that’s only part of the postseason.
Maryland on the other hand, has its entire postseason run predicated on a win over Penn State. At 4-7, the Terps won’t have a chance to make it to the six-win minimum for an automatic bowl bid but could still see the postseason. A win over the Nittany Lions would make the Terps eligible thanks to their Academic Progress Rate — but that’s a pretty big long shot.
Penn State vs. Maryland prediction:
No need to really go into depth here. There’s very little chance that Penn State doesn’t finish the regular season with a bang. The Nittany Lions and Barkley go BIG against the Terps, and there’s not a whole lot Maryland can do about it.
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