NCAA Football maryland Terrapins

In 2005, Rivals.com ranked 28 men as five-star football recruits. The players were the cream of the crop, the top football players in America. They signed to play for top teams across the country, from USC to Miami, Penn State to Oklahoma.

There was just one problem: Turns out they were more likely to be arrested than drafted by the NFL.

In the 2009 draft, seven of these 28 men were drafted. Four more left early and were drafted in the 2008 draft. That means there have been 11 draft picks from the 2005 five-stars. Amazingly, that's less than the number of men who have been arrested, 14. If you ever doubted whether being obsessed with college football recruiting was fool's gold, keep this stat in mind: In 2005, five-star recruits were more than twice as likely to be arrested (14) as drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft in 2008 or 2009 (six). There haven't been this many wasted hours on the Internet since first year lawyering.

Haste always invites waste. Such was the case with my 30-second rant last Friday at the end of Around the Horn against the trend of college coaches designating successors.

I expressed my amazement that Ralph Friedgen, the football coach at Maryland where I started teaching last semester, announced last Friday that he was tagging one of his assistants to be the program's coach when his contract ends in three years. I argued that I didn't think Friedgen had earned that right.

More important, I suggested that the growing movement of naming a head coach-in-waiting undermined equal opportunity in coaching.

FanHouse's lead-up to college football's signing day makes like Charles Dickens and looks at the Ghosts of Recruiting -- past, present and future. In the Ghosts of Recruiting Present, we document prominent recruiting makes and misses that changed programs

Hard to imagine now, but former West Virginia tailback Steve Slaton was buying into that whole "fear the turtle" thing. Maryland came out on top among the Philadelphia-area tailback's list of offers, and left him excited to play relatively close to family and home. That is, until they pulled his offer.

Because nobody loves him, it's true. Not like his mom does, at least. And hey, a Third joke! As in, he's about to quarterback his third team in five years after bolting from Florida to Maryland to California...of Pennsylvania. Thanks to fellow Fanhouser Bruce Ciskie, I now recognize them as the team that got worked something terrible in the D-II playoffs by Minnesota-Duluth. Before then, I knew it as the very same school that Virginia's own exiled QB, Kevin McCabe, shuffled off to after an unceremonious benching during the 2006 season.

And while McCabe got in Al Groh's doghouse during a rebuilding year for a couple of INT's (resulting in a longer leash down the line for turnover machine Marc Verica in the same situation?), Portis was basically a weapon that the Terps couldn't seem to find a use for, in spite of his rave-worthy athleticism. Even with Ralph Friedgen's rep as an offensive innovator, the steadier, if not somewhat uninspiring Chris Turner's progression led to a diminished need for the potential for Portis gadget plays. Portis attempted three passes all year and ran 36 times. Somewhere down the road, it's not unthinkable that his huge upside could land him in the "sleeper" territory in 2010's mock draft (similar to Rhett Bomar), but as for now, it's somewhat disappointing that a rare talent in quarterbacking didn't pan out in a conference that really needs it.

If you're the type of guy who spends the livelong day poring over mock drafts, hoping and praying that your team picks something other than an offensive lineman (the relative "socks for Hannukah" result- useful, but sorta boring), you're familiar with this archetype: freakishly talented wide receiver struggles with quarterbacking upheaval, oh, if only he could put it all together and be consistent! More often than not, you see this guy sliding towards the top of the second round despite first-round talent, and in premature draft grades, the team that obtains him is considered to have gotten a steal (especially if they drafted a QB in the first round).

Sometimes you do indeed get a steal. Sometimes you get Malcolm Kelly. And with that, the announcement of Maryland's exciting, if not always dependable Darrius Heyward-Bey throwing his proverbial hat into the ring. Despite the rep that's stuck with him since he shocked the scant ACC viewership world with a 96-yarder against Miami, Heyward-Bey's stats are still pretty tough to argue with: even as a real-deal receiver in a pro-style offense, Heyward-Bey still managed to be the Terrapin's third-leading rusher, and in just three years, he collected the second most receiving yards and third most receptions in Maryland history. Then again, when Jermaine Lewis holds most of your important receiving records, those tasty crabcakes of info are best taken with a bit of salt.

Turkey Legs to Go is FanHouse's complete travel guide for all of the 2008-2009 college bowl games. Here, we cover the Humanitarian Bowl (Boise, Idaho), which pits Maryland against Nevada.

Overview/Matchup: You would THINK that a Maryland - Nevada matchup would get the old ticket sale - juices flowing, right? Yeah, you would be wrong. Because the Terrapins have sold all of SIXTEEN tickets. SIXTEEN! In other words, people in Maryland are none too fond of having to travel all the way up to Idaho and watch their team play. And since Nevada's only slung eight tickets, well, yeah, this might not be the most crowded game. Good news for you = easy hotel reservations!

Hotels: There isn't much in Boise in terms of world-class accommodation, but there are a number of good-quality hotels and budget rooms within easy driving distance of the hotel. Although the nearby Hotel 43 is a competitive alternative, we recommend The Grove Hotel for well-heeled travelers. Just across the river from the stadium and offering a popular on-site restaurant, and even more popular on-site sports bar, the Grove is also probably the best all around value for any bowl traveler. For those who would feel more comfortable in a traditional midrange, try the Courtyard by Marriott. It's also located just across the river from the stadium and has reasonable rates and consistent service. Budget-minded travelers should try the Best Western Airport Inn. Located just two blocks from the airport, the hotel offers rooms for US$79 per night. However, keep in mind before booking that rooms at the Courtyard are only a few dollars more and the location is far superior.

No, seriously.

Buried at the end of a positive article on the Humanitarian Bowl "hoping for a big turnout" that matches the whopping 26,000 that showed last year is this stark reminder of what happens when your bowl game is played in Boise, Idaho:

As of Monday afternoon the University of Maryland says it's sold about 16 tickets to the game. The University of Nevada says it's sold 8 so far.

"About" 16 tickets? How can the word "about" ever be followed by the number 16? If I worked in the Maryland ticket department I would at all times have a completely accurate number of tickets sold in my head: 16.

It will remain 16 until the game, at which point it will remain 16 for all time. If I run in to someone who worked at the Maryland ticket office in 2088 I will immediately query them about the number of tickets sold to the 2008 Humanitarian Bowl and if I do not get the answer "16" I will pull the mask from their face, revealing the supposed Terrapin to be a googly-eyed alien invader. This, I predict, will save the planet.

You're welcome in advance.

(HT: ONBUG)

Truth be told, a lot of casual ACC fans probably didn't realize that the conference tie-in still existed. And I'm not sure if they'd miss it- usually, a bid to Boise is indicative of a season that was horribly uneven, thoroughly disappointing or, in the case of a serious rebuilding project, a half-lit beacon of hope.

Don't know what you got til it's gone, I suppose. More likely than not, Boise State is going to end up at home as the WAC representative, and rumor has it that Roady's is taking a serious look at similarly undefeated Ball State...provided the ACC's cool with that. Lord knows the casual viewer would be, as it would represent the only matchup of undefeated teams during the entirety of bowl season. In the event that we see said BSU/BSU tilt, Maryland might end up in the awkward situation of playing Navy even though they've been quick to opt out of the natural rivalry. Looks like the Congressional Bowl is willing to call Maryland's "we got exams" bluff (see also: "I'm washing my hair that night") and work around the last day of finals for the Terrapins- otherwise, the bowl could have to ask Navy to allow a rematch against Wake.

The topsy-turvy, back-and-forth ACC race finally came to an end on Saturday, and we ... are right back where we were at this point last year.

Boston College and Virginia Tech will meet in next week's ACC title game, a rematch of the 2007 championship. The Hokies won last season's version, 30-16.

Both teams needed wins today to claim spots in the ACC finale, and neither disappointed. Well, both nearly disappointed. Hosting a Virginia team in need of a win to become bowl eligible, Virginia Tech nearly provided UVa. that big victory. Virginia Tech rallied from 14-7 down to take a 17-14 lead, but saved that lead only after an end zone interception off Wahoo quarterback Marc Verica.

Boston College also got a tough challenge, with Maryland taking the Eagles down to the wire. BC survived 28-21, though, clinching the ACC Atlantic.

I could sit here and force you to read a bunch of wisecracks about how the ACC has been a bit of a debacle this season. Or I could say this:

If Miami wins its next three games, the Hurricanes will represent the Atlantic Coast Conference in a BCS game.

That once-baffling possibility became reality courtesy of Maryland, which upset North Carolina today, 17-15. The Terrapins win further clouded what was an already murky situation in the conference.

In the ACC Atlantic, Maryland is now (temporarily) tied with Florida State for first - the Seminoles play Boston College tonight, then visit the Terps next week. Wake Forest, which had been tied for first, lost at last-place N.C. State this afternoon.

But the big beneficiery of the Maryland victory - other than the Terps themselves - is, without question, Miami.