Maryland Crystal Ball: Predicting every game for the Terrapins in 2025

The Maryland Terrapins face a pivotal 2025 regular season under coach Mike Locksley. Their QB1 from last year, Billy Edwards Jr., is now at Wisconsin. Their top running back from 2024, Roman Hemby, is now a member of the Indiana Hoosiers.

It’s probably safe to say that Locksley is firmly on the hot seat this year. But what will it take for him to save his job? Is simply making it to a bowl game enough? Or does he need to do a bit more?

The Terps went 4-8 last year. Another result like that will probably get Locksley fired. Can he lead Maryland to 6 wins?

We’ll take a look into our Crystal Ball to predict every regular-season game for the Terps in 2025. Here’s a look back at the Crystal Ball pieces we’ve done so far:

• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa

Now let’s take a quick look at the Maryland schedule:

---

Biggest Question Mark: Can Malik Washington be the real deal right away?

Maryland needs to replace Edwards, as we mentioned above. Washington enters the picture as a 6-5, 231-pound freshman QB. There’s a QB battle for the Terps between Washington, a 4-star freshman, and a pair of Martins — Justyn, a redshirt junior transfer from UCLA, and Khristian, a redshirt freshman who hasn’t attempted a pass.

In fact, between the 3 guys vying for Maryland’s starting job, only Justyn Martin has attempted a pass at the collegiate level. He was 24-of-35 for 179 yards, 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions at UCLA in 2024.

Whoever wins the starting job, which I’m guessing will be Washington, will have some talent to throw to. Jalil Farooq makes his way to College Park from Oklahoma, where he was limited by injuries last year. However, in 2023, he caught 45 passes for 694 yards and a pair of scores for the Sooners.

If Washington can settle in as the starter by the time the Terrapins hit their first bye week, Maryland can have a decent season. If he continues to struggle, or needs to be replaced by Justyn Martin, things can get out of hand quickly in College Park.

Maryland Win Total Over/Under

Odds via BetMGM:

• Over 4.5 wins: +105
• Under 4.5 wins: -125

Game-by-Game Predictions

Here’s how I see the 2025 regular season playing out for the Terrapins:

Week 1: vs. Florida Atlantic (W)

This is a tougher game than it might appear on paper. Maryland will likely be breaking in a true freshman starting QB as well as some new pieces on offense. FAU QB Caden Veltkamp was the starter at Western Kentucky last year and threw for 25 touchdowns. The Owls take an early lead before Washington settles in and leads Maryland to a season-opening win.

Week 2: vs. Northern Illinois (W)

Yes, this is the same Huskies squad that won against Notre Dame in South Bend last year, but only in the sense that they’ll wear the same uniforms and play in the same stadium. Northern Illinois has 2 new coordinators and lost almost every player of note to the transfer portal this offseason. Maryland takes care of business.

Week 3: vs. Towson (W)

The Tigers come to College Park and don’t put up much of a fight, leading to Maryland starting the year a perfect 3-0 and navigating nonconference play without a lot of trouble.

Week 4: at Wisconsin (L)

The Terps will be eager to prove to Edwards that he made a bad decision transferring to Wisconsin. But the Badgers will be angry after a loss at Alabama in Week 3. Look for Luke Fickell and Edwards to get the last laugh, rolling to a win over Maryland at Camp Randall.

Week 5: Bye

Malik Washington gets a week to dissect his first Big Ten start, and it pays off.

Week 6: vs. Washington (W)

The Terps pull off a mini-upset against the Huskies, re-energizing the fan base. Washington (the visiting team, not the Maryland QB) struggles in what will likely be an early kickoff time. By the time the Huskies wake up, it’s too late and the Terps manage to hold on for a 1-score win.

Week 7: vs. Nebraska (W)

Maryland trips up a Nebraska team that is prone to being tripped up. This result reminds everyone that winning on the road in the Big Ten is no easy feat. Speaking of…

Week 8: at UCLA (L)

The Terrapins see their modest 2-game winning streak come to an end in Los Angeles, falling to Nico Iamaleava and the Bruins. Iamaleava’s experience at Tennessee comes in handy against the young, mistake-prone Washington. The freshman QB makes a couple of costly errors down the stretch and UCLA pulls off the win.

Week 9: Bye

The Terps’ first bye came after a Big Ten loss. So does this one, but this time around, it doesn’t lead to a bounce-back win on the other side.

Week 10: vs. Indiana (L)

After losing to former QB Billy Edwards Jr., the Terps follow suit by falling to former RB Roman Hemby, who scores twice to lead the Hoosiers to a road win in College Park.

Week 11: at Rutgers (L)

The Terps’ woes continue as they head up the coast and lose a nail-biter at Rutgers. The rebuilt defensive front for the Scarlet Knights gives Maryland problems all day and Rutgers wins a low-scoring contest.

Week 12: at Illinois (L)

The Illini are in prime Playoff position at this point in the season. There’s no way Bret Bielema lets his team lose to Locksley, a former Illinois assistant. The Illini hand the Terps their biggest loss of the season.

Week 13: vs. Michigan (L)

In a likely battle between freshmen QBs in Michigan’s Bryce Underwood and Maryland’s Malik Washington, both guys show the future of the position is bright in the Big Ten. But Michigan’s defense is the story here. The Wolverines score a couple of first-half touchdowns and roll to a road win.

Week 14: at Michigan State (W)

Michigan State will likely be a bottom-3 team in the Big Ten. I have Maryland in the tier above that. The Terps are playing for bowl eligibility and get the job done in East Lansing, picking up win No. 6 on the season.

2025 Projection: 6-6 overall (3-6 in Big Ten play), 12th in Big Ten

Despite avoiding Ohio State, Penn State and Oregon (an incredible stroke of scheduling luck), the Terrapins can only manage 6 wins. An improvement from 2024? Sure. But will it be enough to save Locksley’s job? That probably depends on how good Malik Washington looks by the end of the year.

12-Team Playoff Berth? No

Maryland’s goal for 2025 isn’t to make the Playoff. It’s to show that the 4-8 mark in 2024 was a blip on the radar. The Terps accomplish that by making a bowl game, but questions swirl about the future of the program.