Fleshing out Maryland's difficulties in the B1G-E a little bit:
According to
the Worldwide Leader, the B1G-E is the second strongest division in CFB. That ranking is based on the entire division tough and where the B1G-E really loses out compared to the SEC-W is that the SEC-W's three weakest teams are clearly superior to the B1G-E's three weakest. This will likely be true even if Maryland is really good because I just don't think that Rutgers and Indiana are at anywhere near the level of aTm, Arky, and Ole Miss.
The top-4, however, are a different story. Here are the top-4 in the B1G-E with their AP and Coaches rankings:
- #5/3 Ohio State
- #10/9 Penn State
- #11/12 Michigan State
- #14/14 Michigan
No other division has four teams in the top-15. In fact, no other entire conference even has four teams in the top-14. The next best top-4 reside in the SEC-W:
- #1/1 Bama
- #9/10 Auburn
- #18/18 MissSt
- #25/24 LSU
The SEC-W has an advantage at #1 while #2 is a wash. The B1G-E is substantially stronger at #3 and #4.
Then there is the issue of scheduling. In theory the easiest of the top-4 to knock off should be the lowest ranked, #14 Michigan. The problem is that Maryland travels to Ann Arbor.
The two that Maryland gets at home are MSU on 11/3 and tOSU on 11/17. Those are probably their two best chances both because they are home games and because both are potential "trap games" for the opponent. Maryland gets MSU right before the Spartans host Ohio State and they get Ohio State right before the Buckeyes host Michigan.
I honestly think that Maryland's best chance for a top-4 scalp is Ohio State. For the Buckeyes, the Maryland game is tucked in between a trip to East Lansing and hosting Michigan. It certainly not impossible to picture a worn out Buckeye team coming off of a tough game in East Lansing and looking ahead to a tough rivalry game against Michigan getting knocked off in College Park.