Welcome to the Big Ten: Maryland

Q&A with Maryland expert Dave Tucker (SBNation)

BRETT CIANCIA
June 30th, 2014

In 2011, the Big Ten Conference added Nebraska as its 12th member, and effectively set in motion a frenzy of conference realignment. The latest wave of expansion hits this offseason, as the Big Ten will again expand. Looking for more of an East Coast footprint, commissioner Jim Delany invited Maryland (ACC) and Rutgers (AAC). Along with the expansion to 14 teams, the league axed the infamous “Leaders” and “Legends” division titles for the more geographically sound “East” and “West.” In order to get to know the Big Ten’s new members, we brought in Maryland expert Dave Tucker who is the co-manager of the Terps’ SBNation website, Testudo Times. Through this Q&A feature, we look to learn more about the Terrapin football program and this historic addition. Welcome to the Big Ten, Maryland!

Pick Six Previews:
Maryland was a founding member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, established in 1953 and actually holds the 3rd most football league titles behind powerhouses Florida State and Clemson. Maryland has been an ACC fixture, especially recently on the hardwood, and leaves behind familiar east coast foes for the Midwest-based Big Ten. Think back to November 2012 when the invitation was received, and take us through the initial reactions from a Maryland perspective:

Testudo Times:
"Wait, what?" Maryland leaving the ACC had been a rumor we’d heard now and then but I don't think anyone expected it to actually happen. But once the ACC decided that the school's new rival in the expanding ACC was going to be Pitt, a lot of Maryland fans were angry at how the conference they helped found was treating them. Still, most Maryland fans were initially opposed to the move but I think that was mostly because they didn't yet know how beneficial the move would be to the school.

Pick Six Previews:
In your estimation, what was the initial approval rate of the move to the Big Ten (% of the fan base), and how has that number changed in the 18+ months since?

Testudo Times:
In the beginning, I'd estimate it was 90-10 against the move. Maryland was a founding member of the ACC, how could they possibly leave? But as time went on, fans and alumni began to realize why Maryland made the move. They financial impact, academic impact, and the realization that the ACC most people loved and remembered died when the conference added Boston College, Virginia Tech and Miami.
Now, with the addition of Pitt, Syracuse and Notre Dame, the ACC decided that Maryland's primary rival was going to be the Panthers, rather than a school like Virginia.
I think today, the fan/alumni are probably split 75-25 in favor of the move, as more and more start to understand and embrace why Maryland is leaving the ACC and why they absolutely made the correct decision in joining the Big Ten.

Pick Six Previews:
Maryland leaves behind long-time football rival Virginia, along with several basketball rivals including Duke. Is the fan base upset about losing their old ACC opponents?

Testudo Times:
I definitely think losing some of the school’s longtime rivals will be one of the hardest things for most fans to get over when it comes to the B1G move. But with the new ACC structure, Maryland wasn’t guaranteed to play Duke and Virginia twice per year in basketball anymore. And thanks to the B1G-ACC Challenge, Maryland will still face Virginia this season and will continue to face a former ACC rival each year after.
In football, the Atlantic Division included teams like Boston College and Syracuse, so while they’re no longer playing teams like Clemson and Florida State, I think the impact on the football side will be even less than basketball, especially when you consider that they’re replacing those schools with the likes of Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan State. Plus, Maryland’s main football rival has typically been West Virginia, a series that is slated to continue. Additionally, by joining the B1G, Maryland and Penn State can finally establish a true rivalry, even though the Nittany Lions have absolutely dominated Maryland historically.

Pick Six Previews:
Considering the mediocre state of the program before he arrived, the achievements of Coach Ralph Friedgen cannot be overstated. After seasons of 10, 11, and 10 wins, Maryland dropped down a notch, but was still competitive and an annual bowl contender. Do you feel that Friedgen’s firing was warranted (despite winning the ACC Coach of the Year in the same season)?

Testudo Times:
Ralph Friedgen did a lot for Maryland football. He made the program relevant again, winning the school’s first ACC title in 16 years, becoming the first school to win the title outright since Florida State joined in 1991.
Friedgen’s firing is more complicated than just looking at his record on the surface. He had one year left on his contract and from a recruiting perspective, you don’t want your coach recruiting with just one year remaining, because there is so much uncertainty about the direction of the program moving forward. Athletic Director Kevin Anderson didn’t want to commit to Friedgen longterm so the only real option was firing Friedgen to avoid a lame duck recruiting cycle that could have been very harmful to Maryland.
So the real question is whether Friedgen should have received a contract extension and I think the answer to that is no. From what I’ve heard, Friedgen wasn’t the most liked coach locally, which obviously hurt Maryland in recruiting in-state talent. While he won nine games in his last season in College Park, he only won two the previous year. I think Maryland needed a change.

Pick Six Previews:
How has Coach Randy Edsall changed the culture of the program in his three seasons in College Park (besides the MD Flag uniforms)?

Testudo Times:
It’s definitely his program now. Everyone there is bought in and I think embraced Edsall and his style of teaching. He’s placed a huge emphasis on academics and in the most recently released APR scores, the football program improved for the third consecutive year under Edsall. Under Friedgen, Maryland had actually lost scholarships as a result of poor APR scores.
And while you joke about the uniforms, Edsall has really embraced a Maryland Pride movement that has had a huge focus on keeping in state talent at Maryland. That approach has helped them land top talent from Maryland, including five star wide receiver Stefon Diggs.

Pick Six Previews:
Now part of the Big Ten, do you foresee any shifts in recruiting strategy and success? The Maryland/DC/Virginia region is certainly loaded with talented athletes.

Testudo Times:
I think Maryland is continuing to try to lock down local talent as much as possible. The move to the B1G seems to have definitely impacted Maryland in football recruiting and Maryland’s staff is certainly looking at the midwest for talent. I think selling the B1G to recruits is also a lot easier than the ACC.
For basketball, Mark Turgeon and his staff have definitely been recruiting more within the Big Ten foot print but also continue to recruit in other regions, including the southeast. I think they’re impacted less from a recruiting perspective than the football team.

Pick Six Previews:
Which teams are you most looking forward to playing, and which Big Ten locations are you most excited to road trip to?

Testudo Times:
Definitely looking forward to playing Penn State. I think both Maryland and Penn State lack a “true” rival in football and playing against PSU annually could be the start of a great, local rivalry.
I’ve been to the Big House before and it was awesome. I’m looking forward to getting out to the Horseshoe in Columbus and to a lot of the other B1G stadiums.

Pick Six Previews:
How important will the series with Penn State become? Maryland is just 1-35 against PSU, and the lone win was in 1961.

Testudo Times:
As I said previously, I think Maryland-PSU has the chance to become a great rivalry, but Maryland needs to get some wins first. The series has absolutely been dominated by Penn State, but I think each team lacks a true rival, so hopefully Maryland’s addition to the conference will help foster a rivalry between the two schools.

Pick Six Previews: Fill us in on what a college football Saturday looks like in College Park, Maryland:

Testudo Times:
Lots of tailgating, corn hole and ladder golf. When Maryland is playing well, Maryland’s campus has a very robust tailgate scene. Most of the parking lots, even if they’re on the outskirts of campus, are about a 10 minute walk from Byrd Stadium, so there really isn’t a bad tailgating spot on campus.
The Mighty Sound of Maryland steps off about 20 minutes before kickoff and finishes their pregame show by unveiling the largest Maryland State Flag in the world. That typically gets the crowd pumped up and ready to go.

Pick Six Previews: Lastly, any early predictions for 2014 Maryland Football, or a win/loss estimate?

Testudo Times:
Maryland is returning a lot of players on both offense and defense. They’ll likely have the best receiving corps in the B1G, will have a 6th year duel-threat QB under center and should have a pretty stout defense. I really think Maryland is flying under a lot of people’s radar and believe they could make some series noise in their first season in the B1G.
The Terps could again go undefeated in the out of conference portion of their schedule and I think will finish with eight wins this season, +/- 1, as long as they can stay healthy, which, if you’ve watched Maryland, is a big “if”.

Pick Six Previews:
See our award-winning previews and how we think Maryland will fare in their inaugural Big Ten season, August 1st, our Release Day of our 2014 Season Preview.
Thanks for joining us, Dave. Make sure to check out Testudo Times (@TestudoTimes) to stay updated on everything Maryland.