Phil Steele, that revered college football previewer, has come out with his schedule rankings, and they say the UMD will have it tough this year. The Terps will play 8 teams with winning records, with a winning percentage of 59%, hard enough to put them in the fifteenth spot. This is the hardest in the ACC. The next ACC team is UVA. Here's an incomplete listing of rankings. Included are all ACC teams and a few others of note.
| 15 | Maryland |
| 19 | Virginia |
| 24 | Georgia Tech |
| 27T | Penn State |
| 27T | Illinois |
| 27T | Duke |
| 31T | North Carolina |
| 39 | Miami |
| 41T | West Virginia |
| 41T | Clemson |
| 53 | Florida State |
| 60 | NC State |
| 63 | Rutgers |
| 69 | Virginia Tech |
| 70T | Boston College |
| 86 | Wake Forest |
Yes, Wake Forest has an easier schedule than North Texas and Central Michigan. No, I can't believe it either. This may explain why so many people are calling for a 6-6 year, though.