Staff predictions: Michigan football vs. Maryland

The real season is about to begin for Jim Harbaugh’s eighth Michigan team — it’s Big Ten play.

Well … kind of. There’s still that faction that has a hard time believing Maryland is a conference team (and even more who wonder, ‘why?’).

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If you were cryogenically frozen or in a coma since 1995 and recently woke up, just know this — the Big Ten, in a Jim Delany money grab …

And that’s where you, in your wisdom, stop us and respond, “say no more.”

So, the ugly flag contingent makes its way to Ann Arbor this weekend with revenge on its mind after last year’s 59-18 drubbing in College Park. The more things change, though, the more they stay the same. The Terrapins are dangerous on offense, sport a talented quarterback in Taulia Tagovailoa, but aren’t very good defensively.

They’re also undisciplined on both sides of the ball. They racked up 15 penalties in last week’s win over SMU — last year, they were 81st nationally in least penalty yards per game (57.08 per contest) — and got blown out by the better teams on their schedule.

“We know we are going to get a really, really good team,” head coach Mike Locksley said. “They’re well coached, they’re one of the least penalized teams — opposite of us — and they play a physical brand of football. They’ve got playmakers across the board on the offensive side of the ball.”

So — two points to Locksley for self-awareness.

But he’ll need all of that and more Saturday. It’s going be a tough one for a team that prides itself on being “known for crab cakes and football.” We’ll give them the crab cakes (word to the wise, though — don’t order a steak at a Maryland crab house. The last one came out gray).

Football, though — well, you have to do better than 12 losing seasons to earn that distinction (unless, of course, you meant “known for bad football.” Then, by all means, shout it from the Appalachians).

Congratulations to last week’s winner, Doug Karsch. That’s our third different Staff Picks champion in three weeks. This week’s victor receives the right to avoid being ridiculed in next week’s column.

Sayfie, Broome, and Borton — it’s time to up your games. It’s that, or we’ll even have former employee Austin Fox pick for you. God knows, you don’t want that.

The picks:

CHRIS BALAS: Mike Locksley was the offensive coordinator the last time — the only time — the Terps beat Michigan, and that was in Ann Arbor. In that game, they racked up a whopping 323 yards of offense against a bad U-M team.

They’ll need more than that to hang with the Wolverines this time around.

They’ll score a bit … but Michigan will score a lot more. Michigan 48, Maryland 20

Bonus prediction: Ohio State 38, Wisconsin 17

JOHN BORTON: So, Michigan’s first three quizzes on the season were open book, take home, and your mom’s the teacher. Now come the half tests, in which you’re given half the answers (Michigan’s offense against Maryland’s defense, then Michigan’s defense against Iowa’s offense). It’s easing toward the bigger and better tests down the road.

The turtles feature a souped-up offense that will put a dent in Michigan’s defensive average (presently 5.7 points per game). But while the Terrapins won’t surrender the 55.3 points to which the Wolverines have been getting accustomed, they’ll give up enough to do what all other visitors have in The Big House thus far — lose.

The half test will feature a still-whole Michigan crew come late afternoon on Saturday. Michigan 38, Maryland 17

CLAYTON SAYFIE: Maryland has a pass offense with lots of potential, led by an improved quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa. His receivers have underwhelmed a bit to this point, but the Terrapins can put up points. We saw some flashes of it in the third quarter of Michigan’s 59-18 win last season, when they scored 15 points, gained 203 yards, picked up 10 first downs and possessed the ball for 10:50.

Doing it for an entire game has been Maryland’s issue against competent opponents over the last few years, though head coach Michael Locksley may have his best team after making a bowl game in 2021. The Turtles will put up a fight, but Michigan and The Big House crowd will be too much to overcome. Michigan 42, Maryland 31

ANTHONY BROOME: It’s time for this Michigan football team to face a little adversity, but will it happen against Maryland? Certainly much more than what the first three teams on the schedule could muster.

The Terps don’t win big games under Mike Locksley and a Jim Harbaugh team has never had a scare against the Terrapins. Eventually, water will find its level. Despite the history under Harbaugh, this is a dangerous Maryland passing attack that will drop back plenty of times for the Michigan pass rush to have a chance to get home. If they can’t, it will put stress against an extremely stout U-M pass defense, but you don’t want to put those guys on an island.

Michigan should be able to get pretty much whatever it wants offensively, albeit with a bit more of a pushback than UConn or Hawai’i. Maryland ranks No. 107 in the country in pass defense, so J.J. McCarthy will have success this week. I expect the Terps to put some drives together, but ultimately Michigan should be too much and gets a W before heading to Iowa next week. Michigan 45, Maryland 20

DOUG KARSCH: Crazy stat. Maryland’s defense played 91 snaps last weekend against SMU. Michigan starting Safety Rod Moore has played only 94 snaps all year!

J.J. McCarthy is 30-for-34 all season. He goes 30-34 in this game for 300-plus yards. Michigan 38, Maryland 23

DOUG SKENE: We finally get to a game with at least some intrigue and urgency.  All B10 games are not equal, but they’re all critical. I expect the Michigan offense to keep on rolling and begin to show some more out of the playbook.   

The Michigan defensive pass rush is the most important aspect. They must continue to find a way to disrupt the quarterback, and I think it will happen against Maryland. Michigan 38, Maryland 17