Posse On Bowl-way: Maryland

Happy To Be Here?

Considering that the ACC is considered the be the weakest of the BCS conferences, I would say that any bowl game played outside of Kabul is a sweet reward for going 6-6 (3-5). And to think- they weren't even the last choice from the conference!

Granted, they were only one of four teams that managed to beat two Top-Ten teams this season, although the win against #10 Rutgers feels like it was from an era where women weren't allowed to vote and mass air travel was done via zeppelin. Let's also remember that they claim Villanova and Florida International as two other scalps. Then again, they were at least competitive in most of their losses and this could just be an evening out of karma for last season where they were often outplayed statistically but also often victorious.

Come Here Often?

This is the Terrapins' first trip to the Emerald Bowl, although they have been to bowls the previous three seasons and won them by a combined 95-17.

Why Care?

I'll admit that the Emerald Bowl feels like a raw deal for just about any ACC team; they have to travel all the way across the country and play a team that could likely make a day trip out of it. Moreover, it's usually somewhat uneven- Oregon State is 3rd in the Pac-10 and probably playing better than that, after turning on the rocket sauce late in the season, as is their tradition. Moreover, they're 2nd in the country against the run and Maryland doesn't really have a passing game that's been reliable at any point this year...particularly illustrated by how they're near the bottom statistically in terms of sacks allowed. Guess it wasn't just Chris Long tearing these guys up. Still, Ralph Friedgen is certainly the kind of coach you'd want on the sidelines with about a month's worth of preparation and the Terps have been known to play to the level of their competition as long as it isn't West Virginia.

And The Winner Is...

I imagine that I'll be tempted to give the benefit of the doubt to the ACC considering, you know, it's my beat and all. But in reality, Oregon State has nearly every conceivable advantage on either side of the ball and the fact that the last two Emerald Bowls resulted in upsets is probably not enough for one of the weakest teams that made the postseason.

Oregon State 23 Maryland 13