Feb. 8, 2008

GREENSBORO, N.C. - The Atlantic Coast Conference office and the University of Maryland Friday announced the 2008 football schedule.

Maryland's 12-game slate is highlighted by seven opponents which participated in bowl games last season. Seven games will come within the confines of Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium.

In addition, all four of the Terps' ACC road games feature an opponent ranked at the end of last season or which received votes in the final 2007 polls. The four league teams Maryland will play on the road - Clemson, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Boston College -each won nine or more games in 2007.

"We once again have a very difficult schedule, especially on the road, but it's one I hope our fans will enjoy," Maryland Coach Ralph Friedgen said. "We play seven bowl teams again and our non-conference schedule is extremely tough with Cal and a Delaware team which nearly won the FCS (formerly Division 1-AA) title."

The Terps went 6-7 in 2007, reaching their fifth bowl game in seven years under Friedgen's direction. They also posted a pair of wins over Top-10 teams (Rutgers and Boston College), one of only four teams in the country to achieve that milestone.

Last season, Maryland had 17 players in the two-deep miss at least one game due to injury, but those hardships should help the Terps in 2008.

The Terps are scheduled to have 43 letterwinners, including 14 starters (nine on offense/five on defense), back next season. Last year's injuries also gave a number of backups valuable experience.

The Terps open the 2008 season vs. Delaware (Aug. 30) at Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium, the first of four straight non-conference games. It's the first meeting between the schools since 1948.

Maryland then hits the road to face Middle Tennessee State (Sept. 6) of the Sun Belt Conference before a two-game homestand.

After playing a Pac-10 opponent just three times in school history before last year, the Terps will face two in a four-game span. Maryland played Oregon State in the 2007 Emerald Bowl and will play host to the University of California-Berkeley on Saturday, Sept. 13. It marks the first-ever meeting between the schools.

Next up for the Terps is Eastern Michigan (Sept. 20), a team Maryland played, and defeated, each year from 2001-03.

Maryland will then gear up for a tough stretch which includes three straight opponents ranked or which received votes in the final 2007 polls.

The Terps will travel to Clemson, S.C., on Sept. 27. The Clemson Tigers ended 2007 No. 21 in the AP poll. The last time Maryland visited Death Valley (2006), the Terps posted a thrilling 13-12 last-second win over the Tigers.

Maryland stays on the road the following week (Oct. 4), traveling to Charlottesville, Va., to face the University of Virginia, which was ranked for most of last year and ended the season receiving votes in the final polls.

Following an open date (Oct. 11), Maryland plays host to Wake Forest, which also ended 2007 receiving votes in the final polls.

The next week (Oct. 18), North Carolina State visits Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium. Last season's 37-0 win over NC State in the regular-season finale vaulted the Terps to an Emerald Bowl appearance in San Francisco.

Maryland's second open Saturday (Nov. 1) will allow the Terps to gear up for a Thursday night (November 6) showdown with Virginia Tech which will be nationally televised on ESPN. The Hokies ended last season No. 9 in the AP poll. Maryland and Virginia Tech last met on a Thursday night in 2005 in College Park.

The Terps play two of their final three regular-season games at home.

North Carolina comes to College Park on Saturday, Nov. 15, followed by Florida State on November 22.

The Tar Heels downed the Terps, 16-13, last season in Chapel Hill, but Maryland won five of the previous six meetings.

Florida State and Maryland have split the last four meetings, with the Terps winning each of the last two games in Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium.

The Terps are scheduled to close out the regular season in Chestnut Hill, Mass., with the Boston College Eagles on Nov. 29. BC ended last year No. 10 in the AP poll. The Terps defeated the eighth-ranked Eagles, 42-35, last season in College Park.

Game times for 2008 will be announced at a later date.

Maryland football season ticket renewals and new season tickets are available exclusively on-line beginning at 10 a.m. Monday, February 11. Full adult season tickets are $285 ($187 discounted; $588 for Family 4-Pack). For more information, call the Terrapin Ticket Office at 1-800-IM-A-TERP.

Schedule Notes:

• The seven bowl teams from last year which appear on the Terps' 2008 schedule include California (Armed Forces Bowl), Clemson (Chick-fil-A Bowl), Virginia (Konica Minolta Gator Bowl), Wake Forest (Meineke Car Care), Virginia Tech (Fed-ex Orange Bowl), Florida State (Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl) and Boston College (Champs Sports Bowl).

• Three opponents ended last year ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, including Virginia Tech (No. 9), Boston College (No. 10) and Clemson (No. 21). In addition, Virginia and Wake Forest received votes in the final poll.

• The Terps' four ACC road opponents (Clemson, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Boston College) posted an aggregate record of 40-14 (74 percent) last season. All four finished first or second in each of their respective ACC divisions.

• Maryland is facing Delaware for the first time since 1948. The Blue Hens own a 5-3-1 all-time record in the series, though the Terps won the last three meetings. Delaware was 11-4 last season and advanced to the FCS Championship Game, where it lost to Appalachian State.

• Maryland owns a 2-0 record in the series with Middle Tennessee State. The Terps won 45-27 in 2000 and 24-10 in 2006. Both games were played in College Park.

• The Terps are facing California for the first time. It marks the Terps' fifth Pac-10 opponent in school history. They played UCLA twice, losing 12-7 in Los Angeles in 1954 and winning 7-0 in College Park in 1955. Washington defeated Maryland, 21-20, in the 1982 Aloha Bowl. The Terrapins lost to Oregon State, 21-14, in the 2007 Emerald Bowl.

• Clemson owns a 30-24-2 advantage in the all-time series, but the Terps have won four of the last seven meetings, including two of the last three in Clemson.

• The Terps lead the all-time series with Virginia (41-29-2). After dropping nine straight to the Cavaliers, Maryland has won four of the last seven meetings, including a 28-26 thriller in 2006 in Charlottesville when the Terps rallied from a 20-0 halftime deficit.

• Wake Forest has won the last two in the series after Maryland had a seven-game winning streak over the Demon Deacons. Maryland owns a 40-15-1 advantage in the series.

• Maryland evened the all-time series with NC State 30-30-4 with last season's dominating 37-0 win in the regular-season finale. The Terps have won six of the last eight in the series.

• Maryland leads the all-time series with Virginia Tech, 15-13, but the Hokies have won the last three. Prior to that, the Terps won six in a row.

• UNC has a 36-31-1 record in the all-time series with the Terps. UNC's win last season snapped a four-game winning streak in the series for Maryland. The Terps have won the last three in College Park.

• Florida State owns a 16-2 lead in the all-time series, but both of those wins have come in the last four meetings. The Terps have won the last two meetings in College Park.

• Boston College leads the all-time series 3-2. Maryland and Boston College met for the first time in 21 years in Massachusetts in 2006 with the Eagles winning 38-16 in Chestnut Hill. Maryland's 42-35 victory last season over the eighth-ranked Eagles snapped a three-game BC winning streak in the series.