The Maryland Terrapins begin their 2012 season on Saturday against William & Mary at newly re-turfed Byrd Stadium. That's right, college football is officially back (and don't forget to check out Pete Volk's Maryland previewwhile you're celebrating).
But not everyone is so ethusiastic about Year 2 of the Randy Edsall era, as Patrick Stevens of The Washington Times has revealed.
According to department figures, the Terrapins had sold 16,241 season tickets through Friday, down from 19,892 a year ago. The shrinking base comes in the wake of the Terrapins' 2-10 record a year ago.
That's a drop of 18.4 percent, for those of you who don't want to do the math.
The reasons for the decline are self-evident. As Patrick notes, the Terps went 2-10 in 2011, and are expected to approach that record again after the season-ending injury to quarterback C.J. Brown. Also, the early home schedule is noticeably bereft of sexy opponents, with William & Mary, Connecticut, Wake Forest, and North Carolina State the first four on the docket. Admittedly, Georgia Tech and Florida State come to College Park in November, but by that point, Maryland could have nothing to play for.
Patrick has more thoughts on the numbers here, if you are so inclined.