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UM looks to break off pattern, go up top

David Steele

September 25, 2008

Now, with Saturday's game at Clemson, comes the start of Maryland's quest to win a berth in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.

Wait a second, Steele. Didn't we just read here two weeks ago that this team is nothing but a big tease? What, did that shocker over California and the 51 points against Eastern Michigan sucker you in? Suppressed the memory of Middle Tennessee State already, have you?

Yes.

No, not really. But it all does raise the inevitable question that has to be running through the mind of every Terps supporter - not to mention each one who has noticed what is going on in the underwhelming ACC this season:

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Why can't these guys win the conference?

Besides the fact that you can't trust what you see from the Terps from week to week, that is. And the fact that this, as mentioned previously, has become the modus operandi of the recent Ralph Friedgen era.

The positive to be taken out of that, though, is that the Maryland folks finally recognize the pattern and appear to be on diligent guard to avoid it. Their first chance to break it comes Saturday at Death Valley.

Of course, it's also the first chance to prove the pattern is still in place. In his weekly news conference Tuesday, Friedgen acknowledged that, yes, he and the players are well aware that this is the kind of game they won't struggle to get up for. "It better be, it better be," he said.

Good sign there, followed by an even better sign: Friedgen talking about using the game at Clemson "to see where we're at," and bringing up the idea of winning the ACC title - without being prompted on either topic.

Yet there's still that Middle Tennessee State game, babbling on the front of the Terps' game jerseys as in those laundry detergent commercials.

But there's also the inability of any ACC team to establish itself as a clear-cut favorite, as an obstacle Maryland is incapable of overcoming.

Clemson and Wake Forest are the only teams that have won games in the Terps' division so far, and they're also the only nationally ranked teams. (Wake Forest is 16th and Clemson is 20th.) In addition, Clemson entered the season as the runaway favorite in the media poll to win the Atlantic Division. Maryland was picked fifth out of the six teams.

So far, nothing has shown that the gap separating Clemson from Maryland is that wide. The Terps won their big game against a ranked team. Clemson got smoked in its, against Alabama, albeit on a neutral field. Clemson has gotten better since then. Maryland, since its disastrous first two games, has gotten a lot better.

Maybe good enough to close the gap completely.

Maybe not good enough to close the gap on Wake Forest, meanwhile. But the time to see the size of that gap is just more than three weeks away, when Wake comes to College Park.

In assessing the league, Friedgen ticked off the teams that have been impressive in one way or another so far - Wake, Florida State, Boston College, Virginia Tech, even previously lowly North Carolina State, which knocked off East Carolina only last week. "All of them happen to be future opponents," he added. "I think we have our work cut out for us."

Their work, and their opportunity. Eight games in nine weeks, a path that potentially could lead to Tampa, Fla., in December, and further. Not to mention a path leading away from the habits that disrupted the past four seasons.

Never saw that coming after the Middle Tennessee State game, did you?

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