Three days after Maryland football knocked off No. 23 Texas for the second straight season, the Terps received votes in the Week 2 Associated Press Poll.
With 12 points, Maryland ranks 31st in the country after not receiving any votes in the preseason poll. That puts Maryland seventh in the Big Ten, behind Ohio State (No. 4), Wisconsin (No. 5), Penn State (No. 13), Michigan State (No. 15), Michigan (No. 21) and Northwestern (RV, No. 30). Three voters put the Terps in their top 25, with the Albuquerque Journal’s Steve Virgen putting them as high as No. 18.
The Terps also received two votes in the Coaches Poll and checked in at No. 18 in ESPN’s Power Rankings.
Maryland now plays two non-Power 5 teams in Bowling Green and Temple before starting conference play. It’s unclear exactly how much the Terps will be able to improve their ranking in the coming weeks, but the non-conference slate should provide an easier path to avoid falling.
Maryland hasn’t been ranked in the AP Poll since 2013, when it snuck in at No. 25 after a 4-0 start. The Terps were promptly curb stomped by eventual national champion Florida State, 63-0, and finished the season 7-6. With a revamped offense and the most talented roster they’ve had in years, the Terps will hope to keep their names in this conversation on a weekly basis.