Yes, Maryland suffered a demoralizing loss to Cal. At least Cal was a ranked team from a BCS conference.
Consider how much worse it will be if the Terps lose either of the next two games (James Madison, Middle Tennessee).
The Cal defeat was a momentum buster. A loss in either of the next two weekends could be a season-breaker. The two opponents may not be ACC schools -- meaning the games won't count in the conference standings -- but they are critical to Maryland's sense of itself, to its identity. Remember that this a young team. It's still figuring how who it is. Or who it isn't.
I know Terps fans aren't accustomed to considering Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) schools as important opponents. They are often used by ACC schools to fill out the home schedule.
JMU was 12-2 last season and reached the semifinals of the FCS playoffs. FCS schools just upset ACC teams in Week 1 — Virginia lost to William & Mary, and Duke was beaten by Richmond.
And you all know what transpired when the Terps traveled to Middle Tennessee last season in Week 2. That was a loss that revereberated the rest of the season because it seemed to indicate something troubling about the Terps -- a certain inconsistency that was to show up later.
I'm not saying Maryland will lose to James Madison. JMU lost 37-14 at North Carolina in its 2007 opener and 31-7 to Duke last season. I'm saying Maryland needs to play a sound game to set the tone in front of the home fans on an evening that will mark the opening of the new Tyser Tower. JMU, which lost star quarterback Rodney Landers, has a dangerous punt and kick returner in senior Scotty McGee.
The next week, we'll see Middle Tennessee, which returns 10 starters on offense and six on defense from the team that beat the Terps, 24-14, a year ago.