Music City Bowl: Auburn vs Maryland Odds, and Picks (Dec 30)

• Auburn lost their final two games, but still reached bowl eligibility at 6-6.
• Maryland had a very streaky season, but heated up a bit down the stretch.
• These two teams last met on November 5, 1983, in a game Auburn won 35-23.

College football has made it to bowl game season! Let’s preview the 2023 Music City Bowl between the Auburn Tigers and the Maryland Terrapins. They both did just enough this season to reach bowl eligibility.

How to Watch

• ABC

Preview

Auburn won and lost in bursts, settling at 6-6 entering this game. They went 3-0 to start the year in non-conference play, but started out SEC play 0-4. Then, they bounced back to win three in a row, before two losses to finish the year. It’s hard to pin the Tigers down, even in their defeats. They lost to Alabama just 27-24, but were defeated by New Mexico State 31-10 the week prior. They need to find some consistency.

Maryland was also streaky this season. They started the year 5-0, outscoring their opponents 193-66 in that span. They lost four straight games after that, before narrowly avoiding a 5th at Nebraska in Week 10. The Terrapins looked solid in their last two games, losing just 31-24 to #1 Michigan, and beating Rutgers 42-24 on the road. They’ll aim to carry that momentum into this bowl game matchup against the Tigers.

Prediction

Maryland will be without QB Taulia Tagovailoa in this game, who opted-out. They still have a talented roster, but will need to find a way to overcome Auburn’s tough SEC defense without their typical offensive firepower. I see this game being close and low-scoring, which makes it possible for either team to win, but I ultimately feel confident in taking the Tigers to win against a Terrapins team that is down their top QB.

NCAAF Picks:

• Auburn 23, Maryland 17 ()