Maryland football finally broke through, reaching bowl eligibility in Mike Locksley’s third season with the program. It is the first bowl for the Terrapins since 2016 under DJ Durkin.

It was no secret that a bowl game was a key goal for Locksley and the program all season long. Now, the Terrapins have a chance to record their first bowl win since Ralph Friedgen led Maryland to a win after the 2010 season.

Facing Maryland in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl will be former ACC foe Virginia Tech. The two faced off 5 times from 2004-13 as ACC members before the Terrapins left for the B1G in 2014. The Hokies were 4-1 in those games with Rand Edsall’s Maryland squad beating Frank Beamer in 2013.

Entering the bowl game, Virginia Tech is a program in flux. Former Penn State DC Brent Pry has accepted the head coaching job of the Hokies heading into 2022 following the firing of Justin Fuente before the end of the season.

However, ESPN’s Football Power Index still believes the odds will be in favor of VT. According to the FPI, Maryland will have just a 36.9% chance of coming out with a bowl victory to finish the season.

Can the Terps flip the script to finish the season? Wednesday’s kickoff is set for 2:15 pm EST on ESPN.