Maryland’s first season under Mike Locksley didn’t go quite as well as most hoped. Despite a strong start, obliterating Howard and Syracuse in the first two games of the season, the Terrapins cooled down significantly and finished the 2019 season with a 3-9 record.

With Locksley entering his second season, Taulia Tagovailoa at quarterback and 5-star wide receiver Rakim Jarrett committing to the program, there’s some hope that Maryland will take some major steps in 2020. But it may not be the case considering the time lost during the spring and summer months, as well as the abbreviated schedule.

Maryland should be better than it was a year ago, but wins are still going to be tough to come by. This year, Maryland will play five teams that won at least eight games last season, including a brutal stretch early against Minnesota, Penn State and Ohio State, which combined for a 35-5 record in 2019.

Heading into the revised season, Maryland isn’t favored in any of the seven games with projections provided by ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI). The season finale against Rutgers does not currently have a prediction.

Here’s how ESPN’s FPI projects the season goes for the Terrapins in the second year of the Locksley era:

  • Oct. 24: at Northwestern — 10.3% chance of victory
  • Oct. 31: vs. Minnesota — 16.2% chance of victory
  • Nov. 7: at Penn State — 3.3% chance of victory
  • Nov. 14: vs. Ohio State — 1.4% chance of victory
  • Nov. 21: vs. Michigan State — 38.5% chance of victory
  • Nov. 28: at Indiana — 9.5% chance of victory
  • Dec. 5: at Michigan — 8.5% chance of victory
  • Dec. 12: vs. Rutgers — N/A