Maryland football just outside of AP top 25 after beating Texas

After starting the 2017 season with an upset road victory over Texas, the Maryland football team is inching closer to being ranked for the first time in four years.

The Terps received 45 points in the AP Poll released Tuesday, placing them 30th overall and fifth among Big Ten teams. Maryland was ranked by 18 of the poll’s 61 voters, slotting as high as 19th.

This is a big jump for a team that didn’t receive a single vote in the preseason poll, but winning on such a big stage certainly didn’t go unnoticed, even if most of the national reaction centered on Texas’ question marks. In addition to climbing in the AP Poll, Maryland received 60 votes in the Coaches Poll (good for 28th place) and was ranked in several outlets’ most recent power rankings.

Alabama kept its No. 1 spot after beating Florida State on Saturday, while Ohio State remains at No. 2. Four Big Ten teams made the top 25, with Penn State coming in at No. 4, Michigan at No. 8 and Wisconsin at No. 9.

It’s unclear how much the Terps can change their position in the coming weeks. Maryland plays its home opener against Towson on Saturday, followed by a bye week and another home game against UCF. Depending on how many teams near them lose one of their next couple games, the Terps could be in the rankings by the start of conference play.

Maryland hasn’t been ranked since 2013, when the Terps started 4-0 and earned the No. 25 billing. They immediately lost at No. 8 Florida State, 63-0, and finished the season 7-6. This time around, the team hopes to keep its name relevant to these weekly discussions.