Big Ten Football: Picking the best season for each program since 2000

Maryland has not found much success since joining the Big Ten for the 2014 season. The Terps’ best season of this century occurred 19 years ago while they were a member of the ACC.

The road to an unexpected ACC title was actually started by previous head coach Ron Vanderlinden. In both the 1999 and 2000 seasons, the Terps finished 5-6, narrowly missing a bowl game. The staff however was recruiting players like quarterback Shaun Hill and linebacker EJ Henderson who later would be key to the Terps’ 2001 success.

After Vanderlinden was fired after his fourth season, Ralph Friedgen took over. Many experienced and quality players returned for the 2001 season and the stage was set.

The Terps opened the season winning its first four games and earned a spot in the AP poll for the first time since 1995. They would continue to win their next three games, including a 20-17 road victory over 15th ranked Georgia Tech.

At 7-0 and ranked 10th in the country, the Terps visited 18th ranked Florida State. The teams were tied at 31 apiece heading into the fourth quarter, but the Seminoles scored 21 unanswered to hand the Terrapins their first loss of the year.

Maryland would go on to win their last three games of the regular season. With Florida State’s losses to North Carolina earlier in the season and NC State later, the Terps would win the ACC outright. It was the Terps’ first conference championship since 1985 and their Orange Bowl bid was their first bowl appearance since the 1990 season.

Ranked No. 5 in the country, Maryland would face the sixth-ranked Florida Gators. The Gators would win a lopsided 56-23 rout, but the Terps had nothing to hang their heads about. The conference title set themselves up for more success and in Friedgen’s 10 seasons in Maryland, the Terps appeared in seven bowl games, winning five of them.