A hot streak on the field appears to have expanded the possibilities for Maryland, which is an attractive option for next month's bowl games.
After their seventh straight win, a 24-21 victory over then-No. 14 North Carolina State, the Terrapins moved into the Associated Press Top 25 poll this week at 19th. It is the team's first ranking in the poll since it was picked 21st in the preseason.
The win also kept Maryland alive in its hopes for an Atlantic Coast Conference championship. The Terps (8-2, 4-1 ACC) head into Saturday's 7:45 p.m. game at Clemson in sole possession of second place in the league.
Just ahead of them is No. 15 Florida State (7-3, 6-0), which faces a game on Nov. 23 against N.C. State, a team that won last year in Tallahassee. Maryland, if it won all three of its remaining games, would get a share of the ACC championship if the Seminoles lost.
"I'm going to root like heck for State on Nov. 23, and they play them at State," Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen said. "Who knows? Then maybe a few breaks will fall our way."
The prize, unlikely after a 1-2 start in which the Terps lost by a combined 49 points, is a bid in the Bowl Championship Series matchups that Maryland was a part of last year.
The Terps could win a tiebreaker over Florida State, even though the Seminoles won the head-to-head game, 37-10, in College Park on Sept. 14, because of an ACC rule that the BCS spot would go to the higher-ranked team if it were ranked five positions ahead of the other in an average of the AP and coaches polls.
As things stand now, Maryland is in line to play in the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla., on Jan. 1. Because of a variety of factors, the team's opponent could easily be ninth-ranked Notre Dame, which won, 22-0, when the teams met on Aug. 31.
The Gator has the first pick of the non-BCS ACC teams eligible for a bowl, and executive director Rick Catlett indicated that the Terps would be the first choice if they're available, in part because of strong fan support at the Orange Bowl last year.
Maryland sold 22,000 tickets to the game in Miami, performed similarly for the Notre Dame game at the Kickoff Classic in New Jersey, and followed with a boost in season tickets beyond the 20,000 mark.
"In a year, our fans have radically changed the perception of our fans' support for football," Maryland athletic director Debbie Yow said. "[Bowls] know we will be there."
"Maryland was an unknown until last year," said Catlett, who was at the N.C. State game on Saturday. "All the bowls get together, and they got nothing but glowing reviews from [Orange Bowl director] Keith Tribble about how wonderful they were."
Ranked No. 4 in the AP as recently as Nov. 3, Notre Dame is in danger of being bounced out of the BCS, which includes the Fiesta, Orange, Rose and Sugar bowls. The Irish need a No. 6 BCS ranking to guarantee inclusion; they're seventh. While that ranking and a 9-1 record make them eligible, a loss at Southern California would hurt any hopes of an at-large invitation.
Normally, bowls would avoid in-season rematches - for instance West Virginia, another possibility at this point. But that goes out the window for Notre Dame, which has noted drawing power and a relationship with NBC, which telecasts the Gator Bowl.
"We certainly wouldn't have a problem with that," Catlett said of a possible Maryland-Notre Dame matchup. "If Maryland won out, they'd love to have another shot at them."
On the other end of the spectrum, Maryland can lose all of its remaining games - at Clemson and Virginia before remaining home for a finale against Wake Forest -and finish no better than a tie at fifth place. The Terps then would fall below the Dec. 31 Peach Bowl in Atlanta, and would be in a crap-shoot for the Tangerine Bowl (Dec. 23 in Orlando, Fla.), Continental Tire Bowl (Dec. 28 in Charlotte, N.C.) and Seattle Bowl (Dec. 30).
At this point, Friedgen is urging the team not to take anything for granted, starting this weekend against the Tigers.
"We've got to go to Death Valley, where I'm afraid we haven't won in some time there ... 1985," he said. "So we've got a challenge there. ... Every game will be huge for us."
NOTES: Maryland's Steve Suter, Todd Wike and Randy Starks won ACC honors this week for offensive back, offensive lineman and defensive lineman, respectively.
ACC and bowls
The Atlantic Coast Conference has six bowl tie-ins (listed by the order by which teams are chosen):
BCS:Fiesta (Jan. 3), Orange (Jan. 2), Rose (Jan. 1) or Sugar (Jan. 1)
Gator Bowl (Jan. 1, Jacksonville, Fla.): Vs. No. 2 Big East team
Peach Bowl (Dec. 31, Atlanta): Vs. SEC team
Tangerine Bowl(Dec. 23, Orlando, Fla.): Vs. No. 5-7 Big 12 team
Continental Tire Bowl (Dec. 28, Charlotte, N.C.): Vs. No. 4-5 Big East team
Seattle Bowl (Dec. 30, Seattle): Vs. No. 4 Mountain West team