WATCH: Ryan Day Previews Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Maryland Terrapins
Ohio State Buckeyes coaches Ryan Day and Jim Knowles take the podium after a week-long hiatus to preview Saturday's home contest against the Maryland Terrapins.
The Buckeyes spent last weekend on their bye week, recovering after a hard-fought, 17-14 win against then-No. 9 Notre Dame.
That time off might mean that the Scarlet and Gray are now back to full strength. However, it also means the Terrapins are in prime position to catch Ohio State with rust (albeit a small amount of rust) on their gears.
The Buckeyes are off to an undefeated start through the first four games of the season, with wins against the Indiana Hoosiers (23-3), Youngstown State Penguins (35-7), Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (63-10) and the aforementioned Fighting Irish. While those margins of victory may be inconsistent in terms of size, but the Buckeyes have shown steady growth over that time.
Ohio State looked the best they ever have during their last game at Ohio Stadium against the Hilltoppers. Both quarterbacks (junior Kyle McCord and sophomore Devin Brown) showed large amounts of confidence, and receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. had a dominant performance which included a career-long, 75-yard touchdown reception.
Does that mean the Buckeyes should show the same amount of strength now that they are back in their home venue? Of course not.
Maryland is an objectively higher-caliber team than Western Kentucky, one which some analysts and college football experts believe could be worthy of a spot among the Associated Press' top-25 teams. There is a (small) chance the undefeated Terrapins could prove to be a thorn in the side of the Buckeyes come Saturday afternoon.
The Ohio State Buckeyes (4-0) are favorites over the Maryland Terrapins (5-0), sitting at -19.5 on SI Sportsbook. Additionally, the over/under line for Saturday's contest is 56.6 points.