Maryland has found itself in the middle of the pack in Big Ten preseason rankings as head coach Mike Locksley leads the Terps into year five. With the season less than one month away, the first official top 25 is now released as the American Football Coaches Association, in conjunction with USA Today, released its first coaches poll of the 2023 season as Maryland is one of seven teams included. Maryland found itself included in the preseason USA Today coaches poll, picking up ten points and unofficially checking in at 45th in the first rankings of the 2023 season. Maryland will also face three teams included inside the top ten (Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan) while Illinois is the lone team on the schedule who also drew votes in the initial rankings. Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa also drew votes with the Hawkeyes unofficially checking in at 26th. With a chance to reach bowl eligibility for the third consecutive season, Maryland has left little grey area that competing for a conference championship is the goal for the 2023 season. That begins with knocking off the Big Ten elite including preseason top-five foes, Michigan and Ohio State. “I think the way you challenge those teams is to get your players to play well. Most of the things, and if you've followed us over the years, we very rarely worry about the opponent because it’s more what we do than it is what they do. More how we do it and hopefully we do it a little better than our opponents and that's what gives you a chance to win,” head coach Mike Locksley said at media day. “As far as the spotlight of the, you know, we're not shying away from it because the only expectation that really matters to us and I mean this with all honesty, is the expectation we have in that building, the Jones-Hill House. And I can tell you, there's nobody in there that's afraid of declaring that now is the time for Maryland to become a team that competes for Big Ten championships. It's part of our DNA in terms of you know what, we're gonna go fight for everything we get. We know that it won't be given to us. And we've got a bunch of guys in that locker room over there that really feel strongly about now is our time to do the things and create the habits and behaviors to be a championship-level program.” Maryland begins the season against Towson on Sept. 2 at 3:30 PM. Related Links
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