Maryland must wait to find out bowl destiny
Maryland has just one game left on its schedule — the waiting game.
The Terrapins (7-5) lost their final two games of the season and can only sit and wait to see which bowl extends them an invitation.
“Right now I don’t think we have a lot of choice,” Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen said. “I think we’ll go where we have to go. If we won [Saturday], I think we’d have a lot better options.”
The Terrapins’ 28-21 loss at Boston College on Saturday ended their season in a four-way tie for third place in the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Atlantic Division. Their 4-4 conference record places them in a six-way tie at the back end of the ACC’s 10 bowl-eligible teams.
But Friedgen, whose team is 7-5 overall, likes his chances to be selected over those teams —Clemson, Wake Forest, North Carolina State, North Carolina and Miami. Maryland defeated all of those teams except for Miami, which it did not play.
“As I look at it, we should be no worse than fifth in the conference if you’re going to go by the same criteria that determines who goes to the championship game,” Friedgen said. “I hope that would give us a leg up.”
Boston College (9-3, 5-3) and Virginia Tech (8-4, 5-3) will play for the ACC Championship Saturday in Tampa, with the victor receiving a bid to play in the Orange Bowl.
Georgia Tech (9-3, 5-3) is arguably the conference’s best team, as it’s the conference’s highest ranked team, with the Yellow Jackets at No. 15 in the Bowl Championship Series standings. No. 24 Florida State and No. 25 Virginia Tech are the ACC’s other ranked teams.
But Maryland is banking on its success against ranked opponents, which includes victories over No. 23 California, No. 20 Clemson, No. 21 Wake Forest and No. 17 North Carolina, to broaden its bowl opportunities.
Maryland is a candidate for the Meineke Car Care, Champs Sports, Emerald, Gaylord Hotels Music City, and Roady’s Humanitarian bowls. Friedgen said on Sunday the Terrapins are not being considered by the Gator or Chick-Fil-A bowls, which are two of the country’s more prestigious bowl games.
