Maryland vs Wisconsin Prediction: Can the Badgers Reboot Against the Terps?

Originally posted on College Football News
By Pete Fiutak | Last updated Sep 16, 2025 12:57 AM ET

It’s not going well.

The Luke Fickell era at Wisconsin hasn’t had a lick of luck, but it’s also been more than just a hurt quarterback here and a bad performance there.

This year’s team is 2-1, but it wasn’t even close in a 38-14 loss at Alabama, and after this against Maryland comes what we call in the business, a problem: at Michigan, Iowa, Ohio State, at Oregon - and that’s before November.

But Maryland has never beaten Wisconsin.

The Terps haven’t played anyone, but they beat Florida Atlantic, Northern Illinois, and Towson without breathing hard. More importantly, they were able to get their fabulous freshman quarterback, Malik Washington, plenty of work to get up to speed.

They get home games against Washington and Nebraska after this, and then comes the UCLA free space.

Maryland Terrapins vs Wisconsin Badgers Game Preview

Maryland vs Wisconsin How To Watch

Saturday, September 20, 2025
Game Time: 12:00 PM ET
TV: BTN
Location: Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, WI
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Why Maryland Will Win

The Wisconsin offense isn’t going anywhere.

To be fair, former Terp quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. got hurt early, and most teams will struggle against Alabama, but there are problems.

The offensive line is a painful shadow of its former self, the O is averaging just 333 yards per game, and nothing is working down the field.

Again, Maryland hasn’t played anyone, but the offensive line has been great in pass protection, Washington has the playmaking ability to push the Badger secondary, and …

Why Wisconsin Will Win

Sorry, not sorry, but if you’re playing a horrible non-conference slate like Wisconsin is, you need to be able to run better than 3.5 yards per carry.

It’s not like the Terps aren’t trying, but defenses are daring Washington to make plays, and there’s just no consistent push up front. The Wisconsin pass rush hasn’t been bad, and the run defense has been fantastic.

Alabama threw at will last week, but it couldn’t get much going on the ground. Maryland won’t get grinding, either.

Wisconsin’s Defense Will Take Over Late

The Badgers just don’t have the offense to do anything amazing, but the defense will hold up as the game goes on.

Maryland has weapons, but they’re not clicking on third downs. The offense will move the ball up and down the field, but it’ll settle for field goals, and Washington will make a few big mistakes under pressure.

And again, Wisconsin is 4-0 against Maryland by a combined score of 144-54. You never mess with a college football streak, so …

Maryland vs Wisconsin Prediction, Betting Lines

Wisconsin 26, Maryland 16
Line: Wisconsin -9.5, o/u: 43.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
Must See Rating: 3

Consensus Line from BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

- CFN 1-136 Rankings

This article first appeared on College Football News and was syndicated with permission.

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