Maryland football plays 5 top-25 opponents this season

Even though Maryland football supposedly has an “easier” schedule than last year, it’s still shaping up to be a daunting slate of games.

The preseason AP top 25 came out Monday afternoon. Maryland was not ranked, nor did it receive any votes. That part is not particularly surprising, considering the Terps went 4-8 last season.

Also not surprising is how many teams on Maryland’s schedule are in the preseason top 25. Five of the Terps’ 2018 opponents are ranked, including four in the top 15.

In the Big Ten, Ohio State is highest on the list at No. 5. Penn State and Michigan State are next at Nos. 10 and 11, respectively. Michigan is No. 14 and Iowa received votes. Should Maryland advance to the Big Ten Championship, they could face preseason No. 4 Wisconsin.

The Terps open the season against No. 23 Texas ... again. That worked out well last time, as Maryland picked up its first win against a ranked team since 2010.