Via UMD.

For the second consecutive year, the Maryland Terrapins have started the season 4-1 under fourth-year head football coach Randy Edsall. This time, however, they are about to host their first-ever Big Ten game at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium against one of college football’s most recognizable programs: Ohio State.

It was a little less than two years ago when the Terps accepted an invitation to the Midwest-based conference, leaving behind 62 years in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The move was controversial, to say the least, but with the addition of Rutgers University, the Big Ten is aiming to have more of a presence on the East Coast. The conference has already announced that the men’s basketball tournament will come to the Verizon Center in 2015.

But back to football: The Terps (4-1, 1-0 Big Ten) won their first-ever Big Ten contest at Indiana last Saturday in what was a surprising 37-15 victory. Maryland was the underdog going into the game, just like they were when they traveled up to Syracuse the week prior and left the Carrier Dome with a win. The team has steadily progressed over the course of the season, with quarterback CJ Brown showing more accuracy in recent weeks and better utilizing his corps of talented wide receivers. So go figure that Brown got hurt towards the end of the first half against the Hoosiers. The sixth-year senior was having his best game of the season until a sprained wrist took him out of action right before halftime.

But the Terps didn’t miss a beat with junior Caleb Rowe under center in Bloomington. Rowe completed 12 of 18 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns. Brown’s status is up in the air until kickoff, but with a bye week coming up, this writer fully expects Rowe to start in order to let Brown get fully healthy when the team hosts Iowa on October 18. Brown is more of a weapon on the ground running the option while Rowe is a gunslinger and has a much better arm. Regardless, Edsall has been coy about the matter in order to let Ohio State (3-1, 0-0 Big Ten) develop a gameplan for either situation.

And while the Buckeyes lost starting quarterback Braxton Miller to a shoulder injury before the season began, redshirt freshman TJ Barrett has rapidly become an offensive threat to opposing teams. He has already thrown for over 1000 yards and 13 touchdowns just four games into the season, including an eye-opening 330 yard, four touchdown performance against Cincinnati last week. Maryland’s defense, which has been a Jekyll and Hyde unit thus far, will have their hands full when the Buckeyes come to town.

Ohio State has the edge with its high-octane offense, and while their secondary is suspect at times, the Buckeyes put up points. Should Maryland’s defense show up like it did last week against Indiana, which held the Hoosiers to three field goals up until the fourth quarter, then this could very well be a close game.

Where the Terps really shine is their special teams. Place kicker Brad Craddock has been perfect so far this season, making all 10 of his field goal attempts. And when you have Stefon Diggs returning kicks and Will Likely at punt returner, something special is bound to happen.

Prediction: 34-20 Ohio State
The Buckeyes talent wins out in what should be a close game until OSU starts to pull away in the fourth quarter. And while Ohio State lost to Virginia Tech at home a few weeks ago, the team has been playing much better as of late. Maryland’s had to rely more on the big play rather than methodically going the length of the field and racking up time of possession, something that Ohio State excels at. It all depends on who starts at quarterback. With Brown, you have a running threat that will eat up clock and give Ohio State fewer possessions. With Rowe, you’re likely to see more incomplete passes resulting in clock stoppages. Maryland is projected to be a middle-of-the-pack squad in what is a down Big Ten, and while I don’t expect them to win this game, there are several favorable matchups down the road for the Terps.

Saturday’s game takes place at Byrd Stadium in College Park. Kickoff is scheduled for noon and will be televised on ABC. The game is sold-out.