Northern Illinois vs. Maryland Picks and Prediction, Monday, September 5, 2025
The Northern Illinois Huskies (1-0) and the Maryland Terrapins (1-0) will battle it out on Friday night for a non-conference battle in this Northern Illinois vs. Maryland prediction. Northern Illinois won their opening game 19-17 over FS Holy Cross, while Maryland buried FAU 39-7 at home. Kickoff is set for 7:30 EST and can be found on the Big Ten Network. Keep reading to see our Northern Illinois vs. Maryland prediction, and check in on all of our best College Football Picks!
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Northern Illinois Picks Up FCS Win
The Northern Illinois Huskies will come into this game with a 1-0 record, but it is not as impressive as it looks, as they snuck out a win against an FCS school by only two points. A win is still a win, and the Huskies look to take this momentum into this massive game against a Big Ten school. The Huskies played in the Idaho Famous Potato Bowl last season, winning 28-20 in two overtimes against Fresno State.
The team is starting Josh Holst at quarterback this season. He started three games last year, including their bowl game, where he was named MVP. The 6'4, 200-pound quarterback is a local product and is still just a sophomore who looks to take over the team this year. In their first game, he was 12-18 in pass attempts and finished the game with 101 yards. Holst threw an interception in the game and has yet to throw his first touchdown pass of 2025. The Huskies split carries out of the backfield; they gave the ball to Telly Johnson Jr. 21 times for 67 yards, but got more bang for their buck with Chavon Wright, who had 11 carries for 77 yards in the win.
De'Aree Rogers was their top target in the passing game. He is a 5'11 junior who finished the first game of the season with seven catches for 73 yards. Their defense is only returning two starters, but is mixing in a fresh slew of transfers, including Davonte Murray, who is an edge rusher out of Tennessee-Martin with high potential.
Terrapins Enjoy Early Slate
The College Football Playoff committee has recently stressed the importance of strength of schedule, which will allow power conference schools to battle in their non-conference slate without being penalized for losing to a strong team. The Maryland Terrapins mostly ignored that advice this season, as they dominated an FAU team, have this game against Northern Illinois, and will then face a local team in Towson. They made their first game of the season look easy, taking down Florida Atlantic 39-7 in the opener.
Maryland has no questions at quarterback, as they hand the offense over to their true freshman, Malik Washington under center. He was a big splash in the recruiting pool in the offseason, and the mobile 6'5, 230 quarterback (5th-ranked QB coming out) will be the focal point of the offense this season. In their opener, Washington passed for 258 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions in their easy win over FAU. The Terrapins will look to use a running back by committee approach this season, but another freshman made their biggest impact last week as DeJuan Williams led the team with 54 yards on 10 carries. The team also has Nolan Ray, who ran for 374 yards last season as a freshman for the Terps.
Shaleak Knotts was their top target in the passing game. He is a 6'3 senior who had five catches for 59 yards last week. Octavian Smith Jr. is their top returning pass catcher. The 6'0 senior had just three catches for 33 yards against FAU. Maryland held the Owls to just one touchdown in their opener. They are heavy on transfer talent as Jalen Huskey is their only returning starter as a safety.
Maryland Terrapins -16.5 (5 units)
The sharps in Vegas did not make this line high enough, as Maryland will easily coast to a win here, covering this number. Northern Illinois barely beat Holy Cross, which Maryland torched FAU. For comparison, FAU would certainly be favored by a large number against either Northern Illinois or Holy Cross, proving that the Terps have the firepower to control this game. Maryland handed the ball over to their star quarterback prospect in Washington, which proved to be the right move as he had three TDs and no interceptions in their opener. Northern Illinois barely passed for over 100 yards against Holy Cross; they will not be able to move the ball here.
Take Maryland to cover.
Under 45.5 (4 units(
Maryland's defense is full of new faces; they only returned one starter and relied heavily on the transfer portal, but none of that mattered as they only allowed seven points against FAU in the opener. Maryland should be able to easily control the line of scrimmage, which will allow them to control time of possession and keep the clock moving in an easy win. Northern Illinois was supposed to have a layup in their opener, but only scored 19 points in a narrow win. This will be a low-scoring game that Maryland controls.
Take the under.
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