With a 6-2 record, the Maryland Terrapins are finally beginning to receive some national respect in the college football polls. After yesterday's 62-14 shellacking of Wake Forest, the Terps are among the highest teams in the "others receiving votes" category of the AP Poll.
The Terps are currently ranked 29th in the poll, with 11 points. One voter had Maryland at 23, two had them at 24 and four had them at 25. Maryland is ahead of traditional powerhouses Florida, Miami and USC, and only three ACC teams -- Florida State, North Carolina State and Virginia Tech - are ahead of them in the poll. If you predicted that before the season starts, you're lying.
The Terps have had an easy schedule, to be fair, but given the way so many ACC teams are struggling, is it really out of the question that Maryland can win the league? If so, they were certainly be in the national picture and will certainly be ranked higher in the AP Poll in the future.