The 2013 Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman is scheduled to kick off on Friday, December 27th at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland. The postseason contest, which features the Marshall Thundering Herd and the Maryland Terrapins, will be broadcast live on ESPN. The latest 2013 Military Bowl Odds have the Herd listed as a -2.5 against the spread and -130 money line favorite ($130 wins $100). The game total is set at 62 points.
Maryland's 6-6 record and Military Bowl berth are commendable considering the program just six wins the previous two years; however, the Terps do not exactly enter this game on fire.
Maryland jumped out to an impressive 5-1 start, but things started to go south for the team following its 27-26 October 12th win over Virginia.
The Terrapins lost their next three games, falling to Wake Forest, Clemson, and Syracuse by an average of 18 points per contest.
Maryland did regain some of its early season steam in its final three outings, though. Road wins over Virginia Tech and North Carolina State sandwiched a 26-29 home loss to Boston College, helping Randy Edsall's squad reach a bowl qualifying six wins.
Marshall's season took a different trajectory as it got stronger as the year went along. The Thundering Herd got off to a somewhat rocky 4-3 start after suffering road losses to Ohio, Virginia Tech, and Middle Tennessee, but they closed their regular season slate in tremendous fashion.
Marshall won four straight in its run up to a season finale meeting with East Carolina and it topped the Pirates 59-28 to earn a spot opposite Rice in the Conference USA Championship Game.
Unfortunately for the Herd, the Owls proved too difficult to overcome as they won the title clash 41-24 after totaling 487 yards and averaging 13.3 yards per pass and 5.2 yards per carry.
Still, Marshall's accomplishments were impressive as it tallied over eight wins for the first time since the 2002 season while registering its first ever CUSA division title.
Game Notes: Marshall's strength of schedule ranked 92nd in the FBS while Maryland played the nation's 65th most difficult schedule. The Thundering Herd are 7-2 in nine bowl appearances; Maryland owns an 11-11-2 bowl record.
Notable Trends: The Terrapins are 0-10 straight up in their last 10 games as an underdog with a total of 54.5 or more points.
Marshall vs Maryland 2013 Military Bowl Odds:
Marshall Thundering Herd -2.5 (-110), Over 62 (-110), -130 (Moneyline)
Maryland Terrapins +2.5 (-110), Under 62 (-110), +110 (Moneyline)
Handicapping Tips: College Bowl Games
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