Terp-ulent Season

Once again Maryland managed to show up and beat a ranked team. Good for them. I didn't watch because ESPN 360 somehow let me keep reseting my password but wouldn't actually let me watch the game. But either way the Terps not only won, but shut out a ranked team. Which can only lead me to believe the Maryland's defense was on point today. Even if Wake Forest's offense was awful, and again I didn't watch the game so I really don't know, it takes some work for a team to shut out or blank another team.

Side Note: When did the term blanking become so prevalent? The ESPN recap only used that word for the shut out, and I read several other articles today that overused the word blank. Maybe it's just me, but when I hear that a team 'blanked' another team, I feel like the authors have censored some dirty four letter word.

So, what's up with the Terps? They can beat ranked teams, in fact have beaten three ranked teams in a row, but can't manage any type of offense against Middle Tennessee and Virginia. This seems terrible right now. Duke beat Virginia 31-3 and then Virginia beat Maryland 31-0. But is UVA really that terrible? After today they are 4-3 overall and 2-1 in the ACC Costal Division. They just beat ranked UNC in OT. So maybe the Maryland game was just a rallying point for UVA. We'll have to see how the season plays out, but right now UVA is not looking like the pushover team that it was when Maryland went in there.

I'm not sure what this will all mean at the end of the season, and I'm not sure what will happen next week. But I think this season is a testament to how crappy BCS rankings are and how evenly matched/wide open most of the ACC is. Right now the ACC seems pretty wide open. No team has really pulled away from the pack. There were three ranked teams this week, two have lost and one is losing in the 4th quarter. All to unranked conference teams. The ACC is not an elite football conference, no matter what the people who added BC, Florida State and Miami want you to think. But we have showed we're not total pushovers this season.

Also I'd like to take a minute to express my feelings about the BCS rankings. I know there are way too many teams in Division I for there to be an objective system of ranking during the season. That being said, there's got to be a better ranking system. I mean its been fun watching what seems like ten upsets a week, but come on, there's got to be a few dominant teams. The BCS rankings this year has been all over the place. I recommend the BCS hire Nate Silver to figure it out. He has not only been the most accurate predictor of the recent primary elections but he came up with PECATO for baseball fanatics. I mean he has got to be the most brilliant stat guy of this generation. Hire him to come up with a new formula. Even if it doesn't work, I'll be placated for at least a few seasons. Did I mention I have a huge crush on this guy, he uses his nerdiness to figure out sports and politics. I think I'm in love. And as a result I have total faith that he can figure out a way to make the BCS better.

Overall, I'm thrilled at the position my Terps are in right now. We're one win away from a bowl game and overall we've played ok. And when it comes down to it, I'd rather see them beat the big teams than beat up on the crappier teams. The elation I feel when we win is so much higher when its against a Cal or Clemson or even Wake Forest. So Maryland, if you can only win so many games a season, well then, I'm ok with you only winning the big ones. I think maybe next year the Terps should only play ranked opponents. I'm not exactly sure how to schedule that in advance, but cutting out any out of conference cupcake teams could help. Don't schedule Delaware of Middle Tennessee next year, instead schedule Penn State and Pitt or even a WVU. And if we don't win, at least we'll get more televised games and hopefully better recruits so we can become an even better team. But then again, what do I know.