Sports

Quick Lane Bowl Betting Preview: Maryland vs. Boston College

December 16, 2016 / 9:54 AM EST / CBS Baltimore

By Ryan Mayer

The college football bowl season is upon us. With 40 games spread out over the next two weeks there is plenty of opportunity to add a little bonus to your holiday gift pile. Our bowl picks series will let you know who we think will come out on top against the spread. All lines and totals courtesy of Sportsline/Bookmaker.eu. Find all our picks here.

Quick Lane Bowl

Maryland vs. Boston College

Spread: Maryland -1

Total: 43.5

Spread: So, this game is essentially a pick-em. It's also likely to not be the prettiest game of football to watch. That said, if you're a fan of running the football and trying to stop the run, this game is for you. Both Maryland and Boston College prefer to run the football, though the Terps have been much more successful at doing so this season racking up 205 yards per game on the ground. However, Boston College has been much more successful stopping the run game this year ranking 7th in the country allowing just 106.9 yards per game on a measly 3.3 yards per rush. The BC offense hasn't done much, scoring just 19.1 points per game which ranks 123rd out of 128 teams in FBS. The Terps defense is giving up 29 points per game, mainly because they struggle against the run allowing 217.9 yards per contest. While I'm not enamored with the Terps offense (25.4 PPG), I don't trust BC to be able to score enough to win this game, which is what they need to do in order to cover. Maryland -1

Total: Based on the above paragraph, you've probably got a pretty good idea of where we're going here. Neither offense is particularly prolific. While Maryland's defense has struggled against the run, it's not as if the BC running game has been overpowering this season and it's hard to see them exploding for a ton of big plays and points. So, we're going with the under here. I expect a lot of punts and a low-scoring game overall. Under 43.5

Ryan Mayer is an Associate Producer for CBS Local Sports. Ryan lives in NY but comes from Philly and life as a Philly sports fan has made him cynical. Anywhere sports are being discussed, that's where you'll find him.