Maryland Football: Back to Reality?

Remember when Ralph Friedgen was supposed to be the savior of Maryland football? An offensive genius? One of the great coaches in the country?

Remember when Friedgen’s Terrapins were supposed to become a true power — and annual contender — in the ACC?

Well, I have to ask: What happened?

Don’t look now, but the Terrapins have posted losing records in three of the last four seasons, a skid that most Marylanders couldn't have fathomed after Friedgen led his alma mater to a 31-13 record — and three quality bowl appearances, including the Orange Bowl — in his first three years. But just take a look at the numbers: After starting out with seasons of 10-2, 11-3 and 10-3 from 2001-2003, Friedgen has gone 5-6, 5-6, 9-4 and 6-7 (a total tally of 25-28) since. In other words, Maryland has been mediocre (at best) since the Fridge's fantastic start, and the question that must now be asked is whether the Terps will ever really be any better than that.

I’m not so sure they will.

Certainly, Friedgen must at least be credited with reviving interest in Maryland football. His seven-year record at the school now stands at a respectable 56-31, and his success has helped the Terps garner more coverage today in Baltimore and Washington, D.C., than they’ve ever enjoyed before. Friedgen has also smartly played up the program’s association with trendy sportswear supplier Under Armour (founder Kevin Plank is a Maryland alum), which has given the program a national profile it never enjoyed previously. Today, most high school kids know Maryland football. That probably wasn’t the case 10 years ago.

In that regard, one can certainly make the case that Maryland football is as healthy today as it’s ever been. That’s Friedgen’s doing, and he deserves credit for it.

But college football history is rather telling. The programs that win consistently are, usually, the programs that have always won consistently. And history tells us Maryland is, right now, pretty much what it has always been: A middle-of-the pack program. The Terps rank No. 38 in all-time college football wins — one spot ahead of Rutgers, and one behind Utah — and No. 63 in all-time winning percentage. In other words, the program is average.

The reasons for Maryland’s endemic average-ness are obvious enough. The school is located in a mediocre recruiting area and, even more problematic, must compete for the few top local prospects with schools from three conferences. Programs from the Big East (Pitt, West Virginia, Rutgers), ACC (Virginia, Virginia Tech) and Big Ten (Ohio State, Penn State) all have focused more attention on the Capital region in recent years, with Penn State — which is being pushed hard in its more traditional recruiting grounds by Rutgers, Pitt, Virginia Tech and others — having the most notable success.

The fact that Baltimore and Washington remain pro sports towns doesn’t make things easy for Friedgen, either. At the end of the day, there's nothing the Terps can do to move the Redskins or Ravens off the front page — or make Maryland into a college football state. It never has been, and never will be. Contrast that with the status programs like Clemson, Ohio State or Virginia Tech enjoy in their local markets, and Friedgen’s recruiting challenge becomes all the more clear.

What might be most troubling for Terps fans, however, is the fact that their team hasn't been able to compete consistently in the expanded ACC — even though the conference hasn't become nearly the powerhouse league many expected it would. With Florida State and Miami struggling in recent years, conference championships have been there for the taking. But even with the momentum generated with his great start, Friedgen hasn't been able to capture a league title since his debut season back in 2001. Meanwhile, Jim Grobe’s Wake Forest — tiny, basketball-centric Wake Forest — suddenly has the look of a consistent Top 25 team. In some ways, it appears that Wake Forest today is what Maryland was five years back.

So what’s this all mean for the future of Maryland football?

Well, this season, at least, the Terps figure to have a good shot at nine wins. The team returns nine starters on offense, and five on defense, and the conference is so weak (with the notable exception of a national-title-caliber Clemson squad) that Maryland should become bowl eligible almost by default.

Looking down the road, though, it's hard to conclude that this program — a program that showed such promise in those first three years under Friedgen — will be anything more than an occasional contender.

Which is, after all, what the program has always been.

Photo: Darrius Heyward-Bey and the Terrapins seem to have hit a plateau. Or maybe more accurately, the program has simply reverted to its historical norm. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)