That’s where the Maryland Terrapin football team is ranked heading into next fall according to Rivals.

They are sandwiched right in between perennial powerhouses, Northwestern (No. 60) and Western Michigan (No. 58). Every summer Rivals takes a comprehensive look at the college football landscape, and then ranks all 120 teams in Division 1 football. I have been waiting for the Terps to pop up in the recent weeks as I didn’t expect them much higher than 40.

Read on for a few things that caught my eye from the post.

- The guys at Rivals do a really good job with these rankings for the most part, and yes I realize that the difference in rankings this low is irrelevant and the difference between the teams is miniscule, but it’s still hard not to think the Terps got a little bit of a shaft.

First of all the three teams ranked ahead of the Terps in this week’s edition were: Western Michigan, Nevada, and Air Force. Not exactly the cream of the college football crop. I know the Terps lost a lot of talent, especially at linebacker and on the offensive line (as Rivals astutely points out), but I still think the unproven players filling in at those positions for the Terps should be more talented than the players at those other three schools.

- I definitely agree with the strengths assessment. WR Torrey Smith is already a star in the return game and could be a potential breakout star at wide receiver as well. Meanwhile, everyone who follows college football knows the Terps are loaded at running back with Da’Rel Scott, Davin Meggett, and Morgan Green.

The unexpected piece I am glad they pointed out is how important punter Travis Baltz will be as a weapon in the field position game.

- I agree with the weaknesses they list as well, except for one place. Here is what the report says on QB Chris Turner. QB Chris Turner is a returning starter, but he has struggled with consistency for much of his career.

Not really much you can argue with as far as the consistency is concerned, but that doesn’t mean Turner should be listed as a weakness either. First of all he is a senior quarterback in a league that has a plethora of talent under center, but not a lot of experience to back it up.

Here is a list of the other projected starters and how they stack up experience-wise with Turner in the ACC, in order from most passing attempts to fewest:

1. Duke: Thaddeus Lewis (1,061 career attempts)
2. Wake Forest: Riley Skinner (949 career attempts)
3. Maryland: Chris Turner (615 career passing attempts)
4. North Carolina: TJ Yates (500 career attempts)
5. Florida State: Christian Ponder (336 career attempts)
6. Virginia Tech: Tyrod Taylor (307 career attempts)
7. North Carolina State: Russell Wilson (275 career attempts)
8. Miami: Jacory Harris (194 career attempts)
9. Georgia Tech: Josh Nesbitt (136 career attempts)
10. Virginia: Vic Hall (2 career attempts)
11. Boston College: Justin Tuggle (zero career passing attempts)
12. Clemson: Kyle Parker (zero career attempts)

Throw out Nesbitt because he is a great quarterback, but only for Paul Johnson’s triple option offense, which doesn’t throw too often.

Take a look at the rest of that list…who would you rather have other than Turner? Maybe Tyrod Taylor but only because he is a dual-threat. Probably Lewis and Wilson, two solid passers who can also make plays with their feet. Probably Skinner who has been up-and-down throughout his career for the Demon Deacons.

But, other than those four I would argue that Turner is the quarterback I would want entering the season.

That doesn’t spell weakness to me.

lemairedbk@gmail.com

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