Quick Lane Bowl Betting: Maryland vs. Boston College Odds, Analysis and Pick

Not too long ago, Boston College owned bowl season, winning eight bowl games in a row. Unfortunately, steaks like that tend to reverse themselves, and now the Eagles have lost five bowls in a row. They get a chance to halt that skid when they meet former ACC rival Maryland in the Quick Lane Bowl on December 26 in Detroit.

Quick Lane Bowl point spread: The Eagles opened as one-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark (Line updates and matchup report).

College football pick, via OddsShark computer: 21.2-19.8 Eagles (College football picks on every game).

Why the Maryland Terrapins can cover the spread

Needing a win in their regular-season finale to become bowl-eligible, the Terrapins came up with a 31-13 victory over Rutgers. Maryland grabbed a 14-0 first-quarter lead on the Scarlet Knights and held serve from there and even covered as a 15-point favorite.

The Terps outgained Rutgers 414-350 and outrushed the Knights 318-147, as sophomore running back Ty Johnson rushed for 168 yards on just 11 carries, his fourth 100-yard effort of the season. If he can come up with 155 in this bowl, he'll hit the 1,000-yard mark for the year.

Meanwhile, the Maryland defense produced seven sacks.

So the Terrapins are back in a bowl after also going 3-9 and missing out last season.

Why the Boston College Eagles can cover the spread

Needing victories in its last two games to become bowl-eligible, Boston College got them, blanking Connecticut 30-0, then winning at Wake Forest 17-14. The Eagles trailed the Demon Deacons 14-10 into the fourth quarter, took the lead on a Patrick Towles touchdown pass with eight minutes to go and then survived a missed Wake Forest field-goal attempt to win outright as three-point underdogs.

On the day, Boston College couldn't muster much offensively, but that BC defense limited Wake to 287 total yards and forced three turnovers. That unit now ranks eighth in the nation overall, allowing just 310 yards per game, and seventh against the rush, giving up just 107 yards per game.

So the Eagles are back in a bowl after going 3-9 and missing out last season.

Smart pick

Neither of these teams inspire much betting confidence, and neither deserved a bowl bid. Boston College needed wins over Massachusetts, Wagner and Buffalo to become bowl-eligible, while Maryland needed victories over Howard, Florida International and Rutgers. The best betting advice for the bowl-game odds in this contest is to tread lightly, and perhaps even just walk away.

Betting trends

Maryland is 0-3 ATS in its last three games against Boston College.

Boston College is 0-8 ATS in its last eight games in December.

Maryland is 3-16 ATS in its last 19 games after a win.

All college football lines and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.