Thoughts on Maryland’s First Big Ten Schedule, Take II

November 3, 2012; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins wide receiver Stefon Diggs (1) in action against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Byrd Stadium. Georgia Tech beat Maryland 33-13. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

The Maryland Terrapins not only know who their first opponents in the Big Ten will be, they have the full schedule for the 2014 football season. The Big Ten conference released the 2014 football schedule today for all teams. The 2015 schedule will be the opposite of the 2014 schedule, and then in 2016 the Big Ten will add an additional conference game.

We all knew that the Big Ten would present a challenge to the Maryland football program, and the first schedule shows just how tough it will be. Maryland will be joining the East Division with other new addition Rutgers, Ohio State, Indiana, Penn State, Michigan State, and Michigan. The first two years Maryland will match up with West Division schools Iowa and Wisconsin.

The schedule goes as follows:

9/27 – At Indiana

10/4 – Ohio State

10/18 – Iowa

10/25 – At Wisconsin

11/1 – At Penn State

11/15 – Michigan State

11/22 – At Michigan

11/29 – Rutgers

There is a good balance in the schedule. As tough as it is, there are opportunities at home and on the road for Maryland to grab program boosting wins. Indiana will most likely be one of the easier teams Maryland faces, and Ohio State is a great team to welcome the Maryland fans into the Big Ten. Trips to Wisconsin, Penn State, and Michigan provide fans with some of the best road experiences in the conference. Penn State is one of the few drivable Big Ten schools, and the Big House is one of the most iconic stadiums in the country.

Rutgers and Maryland don’t have a long tradition rich history, but it appears that the Big Ten is looking to push them together as a new rivalry. The difference between the Big Ten pushing Rutgers as a rival and the ACC pushing Pitt as a rival, is that there is more to build on for Maryland fans against Rutgers. Many Maryland students are from New Jersey, it is an easy drive up I-95, and they are the two newest schools to the Big Ten. Maryland has never had an iconic rival, a game that the whole nation tunes in to see, and neither has Rutgers. It makes sense to place the two schools together as rivals. I understand the gripes Maryland fans have with this, but soon enough it will feel naturally to get excited about the end of year rivalry game against Rutgers.

For season ticket holders and students, this schedule provides fans with a great chance to see some of the best programs in the country. With the talent that Coach Randy Edsall and company have been bringing in, whos to say that Maryland can’t compete with these schools? Sure, they won’t go 8-0 and win the Big Ten, but imagine how great it would be to see Maryland beat The Ohio State at Byrd Stadium or to join many Maryland fans in Happy Valley to see Maryland get their second win against Penn State. Hey, crazier things have happened! For now lets look forward to what the future has in stored and get ready for last hoorah in the ACC!