During B1G Media Week, Chris Ash and Pat Hobbs told NJ Advance Media that there are talks underway regarding a trophy game with Maryland.
A couple of days ago, I wrote about possible trophy games for Rutgers. Regardless of what crazy reasons one could think to have trophy games with other B1G teams, almost everyone is in agreement that it makes the most sense to have one with Maryland. Here’s why:
B1G Newbies
Rutgers and Maryland both joined the B1G at the same time, expanding the conference to 14 teams and causing a realignment of the conference divisions. Both teams are now in the B1G East and are stuck at the bottom of the standings, finding themselves nowhere close to the likes of Ohio State and Michigan State.
Geography
If you thought Penn State was the closest B1G school to Rutgers, you are wrong. Maryland is around 188 miles from Rutgers, while Penn State is about 227. The drive to Maryland is just under 3 hours which isn’t too bad considering where the rest of the conference teams are located.
Identical first two seasons
Both teams had records of 7-5 in the 2014 regular season, their inaugural season. Both teams also surprised a lot of people by 1. Beating Michigan and 2. Making it to a bowl game. The only difference is that Rutgers won their bowl game.
Recruiting Battles
Given their geographic locations, Rutgers and Maryland have had to battle over many of the same recruits. Dwayne Haskins was the main example in the 2016 cycle, being from New Jersey and at the time living in Maryland. He committed to Maryland before eventually flipping to Ohio State. This year, Rutgers was able to pluck four-star linebacker Tyshon Fogg from Maryland while the Terps have yet to land a player from New Jersey.
Ridiculous head-to-head games
True story: Right before half time of this game I left the room and looked at my dad and said, “Can’t wait ‘till they hire Rex Ryan”. That is how certain I was they were going to lose that game. I was never so happy to eat my words.
At half time of this game, I looked at my phone from Jersey City and was relieved that I wasn’t missing much of a game and Chris Laviano got to end the season on a high note. Boy, was I wrong.
The bottom line is that in consecutive years, the winner of this matchup has had no business winning the game. The games have been atrocious and sloppy but at the same time incredibly entertaining and must-watch TV.
Naming The Trophy
Of course, if there is a trophy, there has to be a name. Let’s get to brainstorming!
- I-95 Trophy - Simple, makes sense, kinda boring, but it gets the job done.
- Testudo - Easy, we steal their mascot and don’t give it back until they beat us. Like they could actually steal the Scarlet Knight in retaliation anyway.
- The Fridge - Either a small statue of Ralph Friedgen or an actual fridge where the lone magnet on said fridge is that of the winning team. Of course this is for Ralph Friedgen, who Maryland didn’t want so we took him and beat them.
These are just a few I could drum up. All suggestions are welcome in the comments below. I can neither confirm nor deny that this is what they will use when naming the trophy, IF there is a trophy.