luckadjusted
CFB Week 4 · 2026

College football · Week 13 2026 · Saturday, November 28

Penn State vs Maryland prediction and pick

Our Penn State Nittany Lions at Maryland Terrapins pick: Penn State by 17.2, 85% to win. The forecast rates every team against the opponents it has played, this season and last, and adds home field. No betting information goes in.

An early look, 9 weeks ahead: it sharpens as the game comes up. Updated every day until kickoff, then frozen and scored. After the game this page shows who deserved to win.

Why the curves are so wide: luck. Even with both teams’ strength known exactly, one game’s bounces, kicks, calls and sequencing move the final margin by about ±12.1 points (one standard deviation, measured from every play since 2019). These forecasts carry ±17.1, so about 50% of the width is that luck; the rest is what nobody knows yet about the teams. That is why a 7-point favorite still loses about 3 times in 10.

Penn State at Maryland

Sat, Nov 28, time to be announced · SECU Stadium

Penn State by 17.2 · 85% to win

Show as a table
OutcomeChance
Penn State win84.5%
Maryland win15.4%
Middle 50%: Penn State by 28 to Penn State by 650%
Middle 90%: Penn State by 45 to Maryland by 1190%
Middle 95%: Penn State by 50 to Maryland by 1795%
Exactly Penn State by 34.6%
Exactly Penn State by 74.4%
Exactly Penn State by 214.1%
Exactly Penn State by 144.1%
Exactly Penn State by 174.0%
P50
Half of games like this end between Penn State by 28 and Penn State by 6.
P90
9 in 10 between Penn State by 45 and Maryland by 11.
P95
19 in 20 between Penn State by 50 and Maryland by 17.
Where the forecast comes from
This season, against its opponentsPenn State+10.9
Last seasonPenn State+9.5
Home fieldMaryland+3.1

The season so far

TeamRecordCoin-flip winsLuck in wins
Penn State 3–1 3.2 +0.3
Maryland 2–2 2.1 −0.7

Coin-flip wins: the wins each team’s games were worth with only the kicks, bounces, drops and calls re-rolled, the record adjusted for luck. Luck in wins: actual wins minus what the play was worth.

Penn State vs Maryland: questions and answers

Who will win Penn State vs Maryland?

Our forecast picks Penn State, with 85% to win; Maryland win 15% of the time.

What’s the spread for Penn State vs Maryland?

Our spread: Penn State −17.2. The betting line isn’t out yet. Ours uses no betting information, so where the two differ is where our read of the teams differs from the market’s.

When is Penn State vs Maryland?

Saturday, November 28, 2026 (kickoff time to be announced), at SECU Stadium.