We've heard it for years in the week leading up to the Maryland - West Virginia football game. "This game is the key to the season. Beat Maryland and it will be a good year."

 

You know what? It's not just talk. It's fact. Look at these numbers, courtesy of Greg Hunter of the Blue & Gold News:

 

* The last 12 times WVU has defeated the Terps, it has gone to a bowl at the end of each season.

 

* West Virginia has missed a bowl in 16 of the 24 seasons it has lost or tied the Terps all-time.

 

I love this game being on the schedule. I hope it never goes away. I've felt that way for my nearly two decades of involvement with this rivalry (and being on both sides of it), but I believe this to be even more true now. After watching conference realignment wreck traditional rivalries, many of which were based on the close proximity of the schools involved, I think it's essential for Maryland and West Virginia to play every year.

 

Maryland is in its first year in the Big 10. They are about to find out the same thing West Virginia has experienced since joining the Big 12. The money is great, but all of that green does not build rivalries. Rivalries develop over time. Decades. Great games. Memories passed on from generation to generation. How many of you feel like you were there the day Bill McKenzie booted a 38-yard field goal to beat the Pitt Panthers in 1975 even though you weren't even born yet? That's what rivalries do. They give you stories that are talked about forever. They take time to build. There aren't many rivalry stories from West Virginia - Iowa State games. You can find thousands of Maryland fans who will give you great ACC stories about Bobby Ross doing battle with Clemson nearly a quarter of a century ago. It will be 2040 before that same time has elapsed. 2040 - think about that. Physical closeness always helps rivalries and Maryland and West Virginia have that.

 

Maryland is in a little better spot than WVU when it comes to proximity to future rivals. Yes, they are giving up Virginia and North Carolina (UNC, Duke, NC St and Wake Forest), but at least Rutgers and Penn State are in the general region (both campuses sit less than 200 miles from College Park). West Virginia's closest conference foe is Iowa State, located more than 900 miles from Morgantown.

Both Maryland and West Virginia are now part of conferences that don't make much sense geographically. Granted, that's the new reality in college athletics where television rules. I understand. That doesn't mean I will quickly associate Maryland with the Big 10. That's going to take a while. I would say the same thing about WVU. Getting used to viewing TCU, Texas Tech and Baylor as rivals rather than Pitt, Syracuse and Virginia Tech will take time.

 

Maryland as a rival, though? No need to get comfortable with that matchup. We've been watching it for decades. The West Virginia - Maryland game has everything you want in a rivalry.

 

Close proximity: As border states, with campuses only 200 miles apart, a natural rivalry exists. The importance of this for both fan bases should be noted. With fewer games within driving distance for both schools, having a game within a few hours of most fans is important. It can't all be about television.

 

History - these teams will meet for the 51st time on Saturday. Games in this series have been talked about for decades. Memories of these games are passed between different generations. You can't say that about any current conference opponent for Maryland or WVU.

 

Evenly matched - WVU leads the overall series 26-22-2. The best rivalries have balance. This one has it.

 

Enjoy this game. Given the current state of college athletics, you don't know how much longer this matchup will be around. For the foreseeable future, the rivalry with Maryland will continue to be the one with the most history.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows the post-game handshake between WVU's Dana Holgorsen and the Terps' Randy Edsall following last year's 37-0 Maryland win. Quinton Spain and UMD quarterback C.J. Brown - both show in last year's outing - should figure promintnely in this year's game. Photos by Ben Queen of www.benqueenphotography.com.