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Maryland Football Taking More Games to Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium?

So it would seem. MSA's Mike Frenz snuck this little tidbit into a Baltimore Sun piece about the U2 concert's impact on the stadium (h/t to tgrote for getting this in the FanPosts):

In addition, Frenz said the stadium will host a number of college football games in the next five years. Maryland will play West Virginia in 2013 and Virginia Tech in 2014. M&T gets the Army-Navy game in 2014 and 2016, and Navy will play Ohio State here in 2014.

Definitely didn't see that one coming.

If this is true, and it probably is, it won't be the first time the Terps have played in the Ravens' home. They've played Navy there twice, including last year, and the general consensus was that both games were successful. Though I'd prefer for that specific rivalry to continue, I suppose a few return trips to Baltimore isn't a bad thing.

Baltimore has always had a more Terp-heavy vibe than nearby D.C. Cultivating said vibe and rewarding the city sounds like a good plan to me. In fact, I wouldn't mind this becoming a yearly event, sort of like how Kentucky basketball used to always play one game in Louisville. Besides, it's a fun trip and would provide greater earning potential: not only will they have more seats for traditionally large fanbases, they'll also be able to draw in the casual Baltimore fan that they wouldn't be able to reach otherwise.

I suppose I'm a little antsy about "giving away" a nominal home game for an atmosphere that will likely be more neutral, especially without the traditional student support. Considering the likely importance of both of these games, that's a well-founded concern. When you do something like this, there's just no way around it. That said, it certainly won't be as bad in Baltimore as it would be in, say, D.C.

Combined with the Texas and Notre Dame games at FedEx, and the athletic department is coming through on their promise for more interesting schedules. They're certainly giving away a lot of home games, though.