Where Football Polls and Metrics Have Maryland Placed in Week 13

Despite a 24-6 loss at Illinois on Saturday, Maryland improved in two of the polls and rankings we monitor.

Terps athletic director Jim Smith said over the weekend that head coach Mike Locksley will return for an eighth season. At Maryland, Locksley is 36-42 overall and 16-41 in the Big Ten since taking over in 2019.

After starting the season 4-0, the Terps (4-6, 1-6 Big Ten) have lost six consecutive games, all in the Big Ten.

Maryland needs to win both remaining games for bowl eligibility. The Terps’ odds for winning six games dropped in the ESPN Football Power Index to 10 percent, from last week’s odds of 16.8 percent.

Maryland has one home game, and a neutral-site game that will feel very much like an away game.

The remainder of the Terps’ schedule:

* Nov. 22: Michigan (8-2, 6-1) at College Park, Md.
* Nov. 29: Michigan State (3-7, 0-7) at Ford Field, Detroit

Each week, we’ll take a look at where seven national polls and rankings place Maryland’s football team. Maryland ranks 68 in an average of the polls and rankings, a slight improvement from last week’s average of 68.2.

The Terps’ worst ranking this week is 74 in the CBS Sports 136 rankings. Maryland’s best ranking is 60 in the ESPN SP+.

The polls and rankings we monitor are:

* Associated Press
* The Athletic
* CBS Sports
* US LBM Coaches Poll
* ESPN’s Football Power Index
* ESPN’s SP+ rankings
* Massey Ratings

Associated Press Top 25

Maryland still has not cracked the AP Top 25 Poll, the gold standard of college football polling.

The Athletic

Maryland remained at 73 in The Athletic’s 136 rankings. In The Athletic’s preseason rankings, Maryland was 75.

CBS Sports 136 Rankings

Maryland improved one spot to 74 from 75.

US LBM Coaches Poll

The Terps did not receive any votes in this poll.

ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI)

The Terps remained the same at 65. Of six FPI odds, their odds decreased in two categories and remained the same in the other four categories.

Here are the FPI odds for Maryland (with last week’s odds in parentheses):

* 10.0 percent chance of winning six games; six wins would be bowl eligibility (16.8 percent last week)
* 4.7 projected wins to 7.3 projected losses (4.8 projected wins and 7.2 projected losses last week)
* 0.0 percent chance of winning the Big Ten (same as last week)
* 0.0 percent chance of making the College Football Playoff (same as last week)
* 0.0 percent chance of making the national championship game (same as last week)
* 0.0 percent chance of winning the national championship (same as last week)

ESPN’s SP+ rankings

The Terps improved by one spot, going to 60 from 61.

As ESPN writer Bill Connelly says about his SP+ ratings: “It’s a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency … SP+ is intended to be predictive and forward-facing.

“It is simply a measure of the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football. If you’re lucky or unimpressive in a win, your rating will probably fall. If you’re strong and unlucky in a loss, it will probably rise.”

Massey Ratings

Massey Ratings are a compilation of 40 different college football rankings. In the consensus of the 40 rankings, the Terps ranked 68. Last week they were 67.

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