CFB Rooting Guide
Methodology

Maryland playoff odds

Maryland makes the College Football Playoff in <0.1% of 2.5 million simulated 2026 seasons. Loading the week 11 guide…

Maryland playoff odds and who to root for

Updated November 8, after week 9.

Maryland is 3-6 (1-5 in the Big Ten) through week 9 of the 2026 season. It makes the College Football Playoff in <0.1% of 2.5 million simulated seasons (ESPN's FPI: <0.1%), wins the Big Ten in <0.1% and wins the national title in <0.01%, with 3.6 projected wins.

That is the 93rd-best playoff chance among the 138 FBS teams.

Who Maryland fans should root for in week 11

No other game this week has a significant effect on Maryland's playoff odds.

What Maryland needs

Even at 6-6, Maryland makes the playoff in <0.1% of seasons.

WeekOpponentWin probabilityPlayoff odds after a winAfter a loss
Week 11vs Wisconsin28.1%<0.1%<0.1%
Week 12at USC9.2%<0.1%<0.1%
Week 13vs Penn State21.0%<0.1%<0.1%

Maryland's playoff odds by final record

Regular seasonChance of that recordPlayoff odds
6-61.0%<0.1%
5-79.7%<0.1%
4-835.9%<0.1%
3-953.4%<0.1%

Maryland's results

week 1, beat Hampton 62-0; week 2, beat UConn 38-14; week 3, lost to Virginia Tech 26-35; week 4, lost to UCLA 3-54; week 5, lost to Nebraska 23-48; week 6, lost to Ohio State 16-45; week 7, lost to Rutgers 30-37; week 9, lost to Illinois 17-20; week 10, beat Purdue 34-29.

The Big Ten race

TeamWins the Big TenMakes the playoff
Indiana42.4%62.9%
UCLA20.8%67.0%
Oregon14.2%24.6%
Ohio State12.8%29.4%
USC6.0%13.0%
Iowa1.7%9.3%
Wisconsin1.6%1.7%
Illinois0.4%0.4%
Northwestern<0.1%0.3%
Minnesota<0.1%<0.1%

The Big Ten title race: every team, the likeliest title games and how ties are broken.

Questions

Will Maryland make the College Football Playoff?
Maryland is 3-6 and makes the playoff in <0.1% of 2.5 million simulated seasons, with 3.6 projected wins. It wins the Big Ten in <0.1% and the national title in <0.01%.
What does Maryland need to make the playoff?
Even at 6-6, Maryland makes the playoff in <0.1% of seasons.
Who should Maryland fans root for in week 11?
No other game this week has a significant effect on Maryland's playoff odds.
What is Maryland's toughest game left?
At USC in week 12, with a 9.2% chance to win.
How are Maryland's playoff odds calculated?
The rest of the season is simulated 2.5 million times. Each simulated season is rated, ranked by a model of the selection committee and played through the bracket. A game's impact is the difference in Maryland's playoff odds between the simulations each team wins it.

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