Both of these Big Ten also-rans are trying to prove last season was the outlier, and one of them is about to run out of excuses.
Bush’s Picks
RUTGMD
RUTGMD
OverUnder
Best BetRutgers
Rutgers enters with more continuity than Maryland right now — an offense that was still building steam late in a losing season, under a staff that isn't rebuilding on the fly. Maryland's optimism is all tied to one player in Malik Washington, and betting on him to singlehandedly erase an 8-game skid is a leap. Take the side with the more proven infrastructure here.
Rutgers
+Best offensive output since joining Big Ten (407.1 ypg)
+OC continuity with Kirk Ciarrocca
−Unsettled QB competition after Kaliakmanis departure
−Finished 2-7 in Big Ten play
Maryland
+Malik Washington returns after 2,963-yard freshman year
+No QB controversy for first time in 3 years
−Lost final 8 games of 2025
−Just 1 Big Ten win last season, coach on notice
Rutgers heads to College Park still figuring out who lines up under center after Athan Kaliakmanis's two-year run ended, with AJ Surace the presumptive favorite in a real quarterback competition. Maryland, by contrast, isn't sweating that question at all — Malik Washington is the unquestioned starter after a true freshman season that put up 2,963 passing yards, and new offensive coordinator Clint Trickett inherits a passer with real tools.
The Terps' bigger issue isn't the quarterback spot, it's everything around him. Maryland limped to the finish line in 2025 with eight straight losses and just a single Big Ten win, and that kind of freefall put Mike Locksley squarely in the fanbase's crosshairs even after the school stuck with him. Whether Trickett can get a run game going behind Washington will decide if last year was a rock bottom or a preview of more of the same.
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RUTG Rutgers
MD Maryland
Schiano's group has its own scar tissue, going 2-7 in conference play a year ago, but the Scarlet Knights actually built something on offense — their 407.1 yards per game was the program's best mark since joining the Big Ten. That continuity with OC Kirk Ciarrocca, even amid the QB shuffle, gives Rutgers a foundation Maryland's staff can't claim right now.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Oct 3?vs Indiana—
Sep 25?vs Howard—
Sep 19?vs USC—
Sep 11?@ Boston College—
Sep 3?vs Massachusetts—
Maryland Terrapins
Oct 9?@ Ohio State—
Oct 2?@ Nebraska—
Sep 25?vs UCLA—
Sep 19?vs Virginia Tech—
Sep 12?@ UConn—
Sep 5?vs Hampton—
Recent form.
Neither of these teams was any good defensively last season, and there's no reason to assume that flips overnight just because the calendar does. Rutgers gave up chunks in Big Ten play and Maryland's defense was part of why that losing streak snowballed. If both offenses show up anywhere close to their ceilings, this has track-meet potential written all over it.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Maryland Terrapins
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
This one's really about which program actually took a step forward over the offseason. Rutgers gets to lean on a proven system and an offense that was trending up even in a losing season. Maryland is betting that a settled quarterback situation and a fresh play-caller are enough to erase an 8-game losing streak — that's a lot to ask before a single snap is played.
