What the ESPN FPI Says About West Virginia's Chances vs Maryland

It's the first game of the season and it's viewed as a toss-up game by ESPN's Football Power Index.

This Saturday, the West Virginia Mountaineers and Maryland Terrapins will kick off the 2021 season as both head coaches, Neal Brown and Mike Locksley, enter their third year at their respective schools.

West Virginia is expected to take a big step this fall after going 11-11 in the first two seasons under Neal Brown. The defense returns six starters which doesn't include defensive lineman Akheem Mesidor, safety Scottie Young, and defensive end Taijh Alston. Offensively, WVU returns starting quarterback Jarret Doege, running back Leddie Brown, three offensive linemen, and nearly its entire production at receiver.

Maryland is a little bit behind West Virginia in their rebuild but they will give the Mountaineers a fight. The Terps have the ability to make this a high-scoring affair with Taulia Tagovailoa at quarterback and his dynamic receivers Rakim Jarrett and Dontay Demus.

According to the ESPN FPI, the Mountaineers have a 51.3% chance to win while Maryland has a 48.7% chance to win. Although WVU is considered a slight favorite, one thing to keep in mind is that West Virginia has won nine of the last ten meetings and is 2-0 in season openers under Neal Brown.

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