Where Football Polls and Metrics Have Maryland Placed in Week 15

Maryland’s once-promising season ended Saturday night with a 45-20 loss to Michigan State at Ford Field in Detroit.

After starting the season 4-0, the Terps (4-8, 1-8 Big Ten) lost eight consecutive games, all in the Big Ten. Maryland showed early-season promise led by freshman quarterback Malik Washington and other young players. But Maryland lost three consecutive games after holding the lead in the fourth quarter.

Maryland dropped in all five polls and rankings we monitor. The Terps did not receive votes in the other two we monitor.

Each week, we’ll take a look at where seven national polls and rankings place Maryland’s football team. Maryland ranks 77.0 in an average of the polls and rankings, a decrease from last week’s average of 72.6.

The Terps’ worst ranking this week is 86 in the CBS Sports 136 rankings, six spots worse than last week. Maryland’s best ranking is 73 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 did not crack the AP Top 25 Poll, the gold standard of college football polling.

The Athletic

Maryland fell to 78 from 76 in The Athletic’s 136 rankings. In The Athletic’s preseason rankings, Maryland was 75.

CBS Sports 136 Rankings

Maryland dropped six spots to 86 from 80.

US LBM Coaches Poll

The Terps did not receive any votes in this poll.

ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI)

The Terps decreased three spots to 73 from 70. Of six FPI odds, their odds decreased in one category and remained the same in the other five categories.

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

* 0.0 percent chance of winning six games; six wins would be bowl eligibility (same as last week)
* 4.0 projected wins to 8.0 projected losses (4.5 projected wins and 7.5 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 decreased by seven spots, going to 75 from 68.

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 73. Last week they were 69.

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