Maryland Terrapins (4-2) vs. UCLA Bruins (2-4)
October 18, 2025 7:00 pm EDT
The Line: UCLA Bruins -5.5; Over/Under:
(Get latest betting odds)
The Maryland Terrapins and the UCLA Bruins meet Saturday in college football action from the Rose Bowl. Here’s a UCLA vs Maryland prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best UCLA vs Maryland pick.
Maryland Terrapins Betting Preview
Maryland opened up the season on a nice run, bagging four straight wins (each by double-digits) straight out of the gate. Those victories came versus Florida Atlantic, Northern Illinois, Towson and Wisconsin. Maryland ended up taking their first loss of the season in game five, falling at home versus Washington 24-20. In that matchup the Terrapins offense gained a tepid 274 yards (55 rushing) with 4.0 yards per play and 18 first downs. On defense Maryland surrendered 380 total yards and 28 first downs, but did hold Washington to just 5-of-12 on third-down conversions and 1-of-3 on fourth downs.
In their latest game versus Nebraska last weekend, the Terrapins posted 17 points in the second quarter and hit a 14-0 run in the third. Maryland was outscored 10-0 in the final frame however, resulting in a 34-31 home loss in the end. QB Malik Washington was 27-of-37 for 249 yards and a touchdown while Nolan Ray carried 11 times for 62 yards and a score to lead the rushers. Shaleak Knotts caught five balls for 62 yards to top the receivers in the defeat.
UCLA Bruins Betting Preview
Over on the UCLA side, they had the opposite trajectory this year. The Bruins fell in each of their first four outings, dropping games versus Utah, UNLV, New Mexico and Northwestern in that time. UCLA would finally get their first win of the year on October 4, upsetting Penn State in a 42-37 home result. UCLA’s running game was on point in that one as they racked up 269 yards on the ground and a nice 10-of-16 on third-down tries. The Bruins defense held the Nittany Lions to 4-of-9 on third downs and 1-of-3 on fourth-down conversions.
Matched up against Michigan State last Saturday, the Bruins got right to work, jumping out to a 24-7 first-half lead. UCLA scored 14 more points in the third quarter and cruised to the win in the end 38-13. Nico Iamaleava finished 16-of-24 for 180 yards and three scores while Jalen Berger rushed 12 times for 84 yards and a score to top the ground game. Leading the receivers was Mikey Matthews with two catches for 46 yards. Berger also caught a pair of touchdowns among his three grabs for 24 yards in the victory effort.
Maryland Terrapins @ UCLA Bruins Betting Trends: Week 8
UCLA Bruins Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 8, Nico Iamaleava leads UCLA for touchdowns (4) this season.
Maryland Terrapins Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 8, Malik Washington ranks 2nd amongst qualified players for sack percentage (0.9%) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- UCLA ranks 133rd among FBS teams for Q4 opponent points per game this season (10.5).
- UCLA ranks 132nd among FBS teams for average point differential in fourth quarters this season (-6.2).
- Maryland has given up the largest 3rd quarter lead to win a game this season – 17 points vs Washington.
- Maryland ranks 1st among FBS teams for interceptions this season (12).
UCLA vs Maryland Prediction
I’ll likely go with UCLA. That said, you could certainly make a case either way here. We should have a pretty good matchup on our hands if both teams play to their capabilities. The Bruins didn’t have too much trouble with Michigan State in last weekend’s road victory, totaling 418 yards with 238 rush yards, 20 first downs and 6.2 yards per play. On defense UCLA held the Spartans to 253 yards and just 14 first downs alongside 4.2 yards per play on average. Following just 24 combined points in consecutive losses, the Bruins have scored a combined 80 points in a pair of wins. If UCLA can keep the offensive train rolling this weekend, they’ll be in great shape for a potential cover.
As for Maryland, they faltered in the fourth quarter versus Nebraska, ultimately giving up 453 yards, 7.7 yards per play and 23 first downs. The three interceptions were helpful but the Terrapins couldn’t overcome the flat final quarter. That makes consecutive losses by a combined seven points for Maryland, but overall they’ve been scoring pretty well this year. We should have a high-total game if everything goes according to plan for both offenses.
