Big Ten Power Rankings Week 12: Not Much Change as Wisconsin Rises, Nebraska Falls
Nov 15, 2014; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins wide receiver Daniel Adams (80) celebrates with wide receiver Jacquille Veii (34) after scoring a touchdown during the second quarter against the Michigan State Spartans at Byrd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
And recruiting will be helped out based on how they finish the season. Michigan on the road is going to be very tough for this team, but it’s a winnable game. Then, they have Rutgers at home, and that’s a should-win game. They’ve already clinched bowl-eligibility. Now, they need to get to 8 or 9 wins to have something to sell to recruits in the future. That makes the end of this season crucial for these guys.
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6
Maryland Terrapins 6-4 (3-3)
Last week: Lost to Michigan State Spartans 37-15
Last rank: 6
The Maryland Terrapins are doing exactly what they should have been expected to do this year, but every game is an overreaction from the fan base. They beat Indiana, and they’ve surprised everybody by being Big Ten ready. They lose to Ohio State, and now they don’t belong. The beat Iowa, and they are shocking everybody again by winning in the Big Ten. They lose to Wisconsin, and they don’t belong again.
Then they beat Penn State and send “shockwaves” through the Midwest about how good they are. Now they lose to Michigan State, and once again they don’t belong.
The Terps are what they are, and they need to be respected as such. They are a good team not yet ready to compete with the Big Ten elites but good enough to get quite a few wins in any regular season. What’s wrong with that picture? Right now, Randy Edsall’s guys have tons of skill on the perimeter, at running back, and in half of the secondary. But it’s time to build depth and get more physical. That has to be addressed in recruiting.
And recruiting will be helped out based on how they finish the season. Michigan on the road is going to be very tough for this team, but it’s a winnable game. Then, they have Rutgers at home, and that’s a should-win game. They’ve already clinched bowl-eligibility. Now, they need to get to 8 or 9 wins to have something to sell to recruits in the future. That makes the end of this season crucial for these guys.