Today's Maryland Football Hype: Trib Top 25

The Chicago Tribune's pre-season Top 25 is out today. Bandwagon jumpers. Terps are ranked #19 and West Virginia is STILL ranked #13. What the heck? Need I remind the pollsters that the Terps absolutely demolished WVU last season TWICE?! Including in a bowl game in which Rasheed Marshall was contained and a complete non-factor? If the pollsters are going to put Clemson ahead of the Terps based on their late-season surge, why wouldn't the Terps similarly be put ahead of WVU based on their complete domination of that program during last season? Correct me if I'm wrong, but prior to the last four games of last season, Clemson alumni were calling for Terry Bowden's head.

We've seen Clemson get their ill-advised ranking prior to the season many times over the last few years only to finish out of the Top 25 and playing in the Continental Tire Bowl or something similar. And yet, the Terps again get no respect. We're always ranked only in the 20-25 range, preseason and finish much higher. We've played in a major bowl game each of the last three years. I'll believe it when I see it that Clemson, WVU, and UVA deserve a higher ranking. They should earn it first.