Cast your mind with us back to the fall of 2010, when Maryland football was on a high. The team finished 9-4 and was ranked No. 23 in the final Associated Press poll (No. 24 in the USA Today coaches poll, if that's your bag). Leading the way was quarterback Danny O'Brien, who completed 57 percent of his passes for 2,438 yards and 22 touchdowns compared to just 8 interceptions.
O'Brien's season was impressive enough for him to be the first Terrapin ever to be named ACC Rookie of the Year. He was also named to the Freshman All-America team by the Football Writers Association of America. A golden age of quarterbacking seemed to be ahead in College Park.
Then, Randy Edsall took over for Ralph Friedgen. Then, O'Brien struggled and was replaced by C.J. Brown. After Maryland spiraled to a 2-10 season, O'Brien and Edsall announced that the quarterback would transfer. O'Brien found a home in Madison, Wisconsin, from which Badger head coach Bret Bielema issued this tweet Sunday.
Also had so many questions about our QB situation that want everyone to know we are going to start Danny O'Brien in our opener against UNI.
— Bret Bielema (@BretBielema) August 20, 2012
Wisconsin, for the record, is ranked No. 12 in both preseason polls. Meanwhile, C.J. Brown is expected to miss the entire season after tearing his ACL last week.