Maryland's Coach Is Coaching for His Job… Against Ohio State

Josh Pate says the search has begun behind the scenes in College Park. So let's call Saturday what it is: Mike Locksley is walking into Ohio Stadium coaching for his job.

And he's doing it against 5 Ohio State, a 34.5-point favorite, with a team riding a three-game losing streak.

The freefall is real

Maryland started 2-0 against Hampton and UConn. Since then:

- A 35-26 home loss to Virginia Tech

- A 54-3 home humiliation against UCLA — the worst loss of the Locksley era

- A 48-23 loss at Nebraska where the Huskers closed the game on a 34-0 run

That's ten straight Big Ten losses, the longest active streak in the conference. The UCLA game was the one that broke the fanbase: four interceptions from quarterback Malik Washington, 39 rushing yards as a team, 1-for-16 on third down. At home. Against a team that flew across the country.

The numbers on Locksley

Year 8. A 39-51 overall record, 17-49 in the Big Ten. Back-to-back 4-8 seasons. The buyout is 9.2 million dollars if Maryland pulls the plug before New Year's Eve. And this week, the school's PR staff stopped allowing follow-up questions at his press conferences.

You know what that means. Everybody knows what that means.

The other sideline

Ohio State just walked into Kinnick with College GameDay in town and beat 20 Iowa 31-14. Julian Sayin threw for 324 yards and three touchdowns with no turnovers. Jeremiah Smith went for 11 catches, 206 yards, and two scores — setting the school's all-time records for receptions and receiving touchdowns in the process. The defense is giving up 12.6 points a game.

That is the unit Maryland's broken offense has to solve. Good luck.

The honest read

No glazing: Maryland should not be an issue. The Terps are 116th in the country in scoring defense. They're starting a quarterback who just threw four picks. They're playing in the Shoe, where Ohio State hasn't lost all year. The only real question is whether this is still a football game in the second half or a scrimmage by halftime.

If Maryland shows any fight, Locksley buys himself another week. If they come out flat again, the boosters won't wait for Rutgers.

The pick: Ohio State 45, Maryland 10. The Buckeyes cover, and the hot seat gets hotter.