What can be achieved in Year 3 of the Edsall era?

A well chronicled string of injuries at the QB position derailed the University of Maryland’s 2012 season. After losing 4 QB’s to injury, and being reduced to using a LB at the position to end the year – it’s not hyperbole to point to that as a reality no team would be able to recover from.

For anyone paying attention, it was understandable why the Terrapins lost their last 6 games. However, many people don’t look past the surface. They look solely at the record, and the record shows that Coach Edsall has won just 6 of his first 24 games as Maryland’s Head Coach, including a 3-13 mark in Atlantic Coast Conference play.

As Year 3 of the Edsall era prepares to kickoff Saturday vs. Florida International, fans of the Terrapins wonder what can be achieved?

There are reasons for optimism with Maryland Football. The Coaching staff has returned. The recruiting continues to improve. The desire and push to better the facilities has begun. There is a lot of looking ahead to the start of life in the Big Ten* next year. The association with Under Armour, and Maryland’s uniforms brings much needed attention to the program.

(*Even those who look at the move as negative – in terms of leaving the ACC, and having to compete in the Big Ten – have to admit that the change will bring a waive of new interest to the program as a whole.)

Maybe the better question is what needs to be achieved this year?

At the 2013 ACC Football Kickoff, Maryland was picked to finish 5th in the ACC Atlantic Division. With National powers Clemson and Florida State also in the Atlantic, it would an upset to see the Terrapins to compete for the division title in their final year as a member of the Conference. A 5th place finish though? Not acceptable if Maryland wants to sustain the growing positives.

In June we spoke to several National College Football Analysts. I found their commentary  to be encouraging and generally matching to my own thoughts. In July, Zack Kiesel spoke with Terps Radio Analyst Tim Strachan. Strachan provided a wealth of information, and like the National Analysts, was pretty optimistic in his projections.

I like the Terps skill position talent, but think the O-line issues could be what prevents Maryland from achieving more. 7 wins and a lower-tier bowl seems likes a reasonable expectation from my point-of-view.

Florida International at home should be win a win, but FL International figures to have enough talent on their roster to beat MD. (Plenty of talent go around in FL, Conference USA not horrible… while 3-8 last year, Louisville only beat them by a TD.) Clearly a must win game.

ODU is stepping up, but they have program which is used to winning (11-2 last year). MD figures to have a size advantage on the line. Another game MD should win, must win, but could lose.

@UCONN is a game that I look at basically as a pick’em game, with an edge to UConn because MD will be on the road. Experience of playing last year helps. Getting the OOC win would be a good sign.

You’d love to be 3-0 going into the WVU game, and break through against the Mountaineers here in Baltimore. Even some down Terps teams have competed against WVU, but it seems like forever ago that MD trashed them in the Gator Bowl.

Maryland figures to lose at FSU no matter what, but at-least the Terps have the bye week for extra preparation.

UVA at home should be a win, pretty close to a pick’em.

If the Terps want to surprise, they need the road division win at Wake. I always respect Coach Grobe though.

MD has often played well against Clemson. At home, you have a chance. Clemson will be favored with reason however. The Tigers are a dark-horse National contender to many.

Syracuse at home should be a win, pretty close to a pick’em.

At Virginia Tech is an expected loss, even with the extra time to prepare. The Hokies do look a bit vulnerable, but I expect last year was an aberration. Even if Coach Beamer does not find a way to have the Hokies ready for Alabama, Virginia Tech will again factor in ACC play.

Boston College at home? That is a division game you must win.

At NCST? That is another swing game, which could go either way. The Wolfpack will be favored at home.

Must wins: Florida International, ODU
Should be wins: UVA, Syracuse, Boston College
Could be wins: @UConn, @Wake,  NCST
Expected losses: WVU, FSU, Clemson, VaTech

If you told me that CJ Brown, and the starting lines would stay healthy; I’d be pretty excited. I think the starting talent up and down the roster is pretty good.

However, if the lines starting losing guys (as you have to think will happen), it is not hard to see things unraveling. After last year, there are lingering worries about keeping Brown (or whoever else) up at QB. Though the health has to be better this year, right?

Additionally, there have been skill position losses before the season has even begun with Wes Brown & Marcus Leak. There is plenty of remaining talent at both RB, and WR; but you don’t like losing these guys before a snap is played.

The loss that really hurts is not having Derwin Gray around to provide depth on the O-line.

The games listed as ‘Should be / Could be’ wins above represent 1/2 of the overall schedule against fairly evenly matched teams. It is going to be important for the MD kicking game to perform, and not leave points on the board.

It was hard to objectively evaluate Maryland’s 2012 season due to what happened at QB. There can be no false-starts this year. The Terrapins have to take a step-forward, and that can only occur with wins on the field. I think it is important for Edsall and the Terps to win the games they should, along with several of the games they could. If Maryland can break though with a win, where you expect a loss; all the better.

Should the Terps achieve 7 or 8 regular season wins, a 3rd place finish in the ACC Atlantic, and add a Bowl victory – MD should be positioned well to increase the momentum for the program, and enter the Big Ten on the upswing.

Anything below that, and further self-evaluation is going to be required from the leadership at College Park.

Note: Join the Florida International Game Thread here.