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Terps expected to visit Philadelphia again next year

Temple coach Fran Dunphy brought the Owls to the BB&T Classic this year.

The payoff is probably coming next season.

Dunphy said Maryland is expected to return to Philadelphia next season, though it is uncertain where the game will be played.

"I think we schedule tough games, but here's a program like Maryland that's going to come back to Philadelphia next year," Dunphy said. "Here's a program like Georgetown we went there last year and they're coming back to us. If we can get that quality opponent to come back to our home area, whether it's at Liacouras or at Wells Fargo or at the Palestra, we'll take it. We'd like to have it on our home court, because it's a terrific facility that we have. To have that kind of people coming back to you, that's what you want."

This comes as no surprise. Maryland played Villanova in last year's BB&T, and returns a game to the Wells Fargo (nee Wachovia, nee First Union, nee CoreStates) Center on Jan. 15.

Regardless of whether it is in North Philly (where Maryland last played in 2006), the Wells Fargo Center just across the street from Lincoln Financial Field or at the Palestra (the Terps last played there in 2000), the game against Temple can be counted upon to be one of Maryland's nonconference highlights.

It also means more than a third of Maryland's 14-game nonconference schedule can at least be penciled in for next season. In addition to the visit to Temple, the Terps will play in a three-game tournament in Puerto Rico and also presumably participate in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

(EDIT, 1:11 p.m): Old friend Stephen Whyno of Philadelphia Sports Daily reports Maryland-Temple next year will be at the Palestra, a venue that should be on any college hoops junkie's short list of coveted places to visit.

D1scourse Half-Dozen: Coaches who could use 2010 as a springboard

It's far more common to come up with a list of hot seat denizens than up-and-comers (and don't worry, it'll come all too soon here), and in some reasons it's odd.

Chances are, most fans won't be paying attention to the 3-9 teams shedding head coaches, but will be paying attention to coaches whose teams exceed expectations.

That said, this isn't simply a list of every coach outside of a power conference who will be good this year.

There's a few assumptions in play. Namely: Chris Petersen and, to a lesser extent, Gary Patterson are content to oversee dominant programs at Boise State and Texas Christian, respectively. Obviously, they could do quite well for themselves if they wished to leave --- but that's already the case heading into the season.

It seems unlikely Kyle Whittingham wouldn't bolt Utah as it heads into the Pac-10. Ditto for Bronco Mendenhall if Brigham Young goes independent.

So who's left? Some mid-major best and brightest, as well as a pair of coaches at bigger-name schools without a long history of sustained success.

1. Kevin Sumlin, Houston

His first two Cougar teams have averaged more than 40 points each. Houston won 10 games last year, including defeats of Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. He has a history with one of the nation's best programs (Oklahoma). And at 46, he's just about the perfect age to be viewed as a long-term answer by a major program. If Houston wins another 10 games, Sumlin could be the coaching silly season's hottest commodity.

2. Al Golden, Temple

He's won at Temple --- yes, nine victories definitely counts as "winning at Temple" --- and he's recruited a roster that should be able to remain in Mid-American Conference contention for years. There's not a lot of flash to the Owls' on-field style, and that should come as no surprise considering Golden played for Joe Paterno and coached under Tom O'Brien and Al Groh. Who knows if he'd win really big at a large school, but it would be foolish to bet against him winning a lot more than he lost.

3. Rick Stockstill, Middle Tennessee

A 10-win season in Murfreesboro will get you a lot of attention, as well it should. Following it up with another should make a coach a viable candidate for some sort of step up. Quarterback Dwight Dasher is back, so the Blue Raiders could chase down a Sun Belt title. This is Stockstill's fifth season at Middle Tennessee, and it might be the last if his team is as good as last year's.

4. Jim Harbaugh, Stanford

Good: Harbaugh's coaching chops. Bad: The chances for consistent success at Stanford based on fairly recent history. Most guys who succeed with the Cardinal jump elsewhere before, and Harbaugh has improved his team's win total in each of his three seasons. Given his name recognition, his ability to develop talent and his penchant for big wins (Stanford beat Oregon and Southern California last year), a bigger school might come calling. Alma mater Michigan, perhaps?

5. Randy Edsall, Connecticut

The Big East might be there for about a half-dozen teams to take. Why not Connecticut? And if it happens, would the Huskies' efficiency at making the most of a less-than-ideal talent base make Edsall a candidate for bigger things? Connecticut might not be a truly elite program, but it has won eight games in five of the last seven season. A lot of places could do worse than a guy who has shepherded the Huskies into football relevance; the question is whether he'd want to leave.

6. Ken Niumatalolo, Navy

Another guy with the "would he want to leave?" tag who could easily stay in Annapolis and keep churning out great teams for many years. Nonetheless, another 10-win win season at a service academy (a distinct possibility this year), coupled with the triple-option's success at Georgia Tech under former Midshipmen coach Paul Johnson, might make a few athletic directors at struggling programs curious. Success prompts copycats, and while Niumatalolo doesn't project the same swagger as his predecessor, he possesses more than enough steady, quiet certainty in the way he does business. At some point, someone will --- and probably should --- be interested in hiring away the third-year coach.

Coming tomorrow: Coaches who must either win or hire a real estate agent

College football countdown: Nos. 56-60

The countdown is past the halfway point, and that means the process of ranking all 120 major college teams changes direction a bit.

It was sort of difficult to slot several teams over the last installment or two. But suddenly, it seems like there's about 15 teams that belong in this grouping.

No matter. They'll pop up soon enough. For now, here's five more teams to consider ...

No. 60 CENTRAL FLORIDA

Bruce will be loose. And that will do wonders for the Knights this season.

"Bruce" is Bruce Miller, the returning Conference USA defensive player of the year. The defensive end had 13 sacks last year and is major college football's active career leader in the category with 27.

So the Knights have a pass rush, and they ranked fourth nationally against the run last year. Defensively, these guys are in great shape.

The schedule also stacks up well, too. Central Florida plays only four teams with winning records from a season ago, which should make getting back to a bowl game for the third time in four years just a little bit easier.

And if you're looking for an early-season mild upset, you could do much worse than taking the Knights over visiting N.C. State on Sept. 11. It has all the makings of a true toss-up game.

No. 59 TEMPLE

The Owls know exactly what they'll get from one backfield position and can't be too certain what they'll receive from another.

Temple went 9-4 and reached its first bowl game in 30 years last fall, and did so with a rotation of quarterbacks who weren't exactly superstars. Chester Stewart completed 40 percent of his passes and had three touchdowns and three interceptions. Vaughn Charlton checked in just north of 50 percent with 10 TDs and 11 interceptions.

Charlton, who started the EagleBank Bowl loss to UCLA and followed up a strong first half with a 1-for-7, 6-yard, two-interception performance after the break, is now at tight end. It would seem it is Stewart's job to lose.

Fortunately for him, he has sophomore Bernard Pierce to hand it off to much of the time. That strategy worked wonders for the Owls, who got 16 touchdowns from Pierce a season ago.

Pierce (along with three other stud rushers) cracked the top 20 all-time list of freshman runners last season. It's a list that has Hall of Famers, all-pros, Heisman winners and plenty of representation from Wisconsin. In short, it bodes well for Pierce's future --- not to mention the Owls' immediate prospects:

1,925: Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma, 2004

1,863: Ron Dayne, Wisconsin, 1996
1,801: Jamario Thomas, North Texas, 2004

1,799: Dion Lewis, Pittsburgh, 2009
1,732: Chance Kretschmer, Nevada, 2001

1,655: Ryan Williams, Virginia Tech, 2009
1,616: Herschel Walker, Georgia, 1980

1,586: Tony Dorsett, Pittsburgh, 1973
1,569: P.J. Hill, Wisconsin, 2006
1,546: LaMichael James, Oregon, 2009

1,475: Alex Smith, Indiana, 1994
1,474: Tyrell Fenroy, Louisiana-Lafayette, 2004
1,466: Anthony Davis, Wisconsin, 2001
1,455: Michael Hart, Michigan, 2004
1,429: Marshall Faulk, San Diego State, 1991

1,388: Damion Fletcher, Southern Mississippi, 2006
1,364: Jamal Lewis, Tennessee, 1997
1,361: Bernard Pierce, Temple, 2009
1,341: Emmitt Smith, Florida, 1987
1,334: Knowshon Moreno, Georgia, 2007

No. 58 OKLAHOMA STATE

Do. Not. Trust.

The Cowboys were a popular choice to be a top-10 party crasher, and then made naysayers (guilty as charged) look like idiots when they opened with a defeat of Georgia.

The Pokes promptly lost to Houston, later got hammered by Texas and Oklahoma and eventually lost the Cotton Bowl to another program that overhyped in the preseason (Mississippi).

There isn't that sort of spotlight on the Cowboys this year, especially since graduation gutted the program of most of its stars (as well as the offensive line, which per Phil Steele brings back just 12 career starts).

The Big 12 South is still tough, the Cowboys have to deal with Nebraska and chances are good Tulsa or Troy could poach an early-season win in Stillwater. A return to a regular season in the neighborhood of 6-6 is in order for T. Boone Pickens U.

No. 57 BAYLOR

Yet again, it's all about Robert Griffin in Waco.

The quarterback suffered a season-ending ACL injury in the third game last fall. The Bears were 2-1 with Griffin, 2-7 without him.

Some of that speaks to the difficulty of having to deal with Texas and Oklahoma and the rest of a loaded division. But the reality is, Griffin could be worth the two extra victories needed for Baylor to reach a bowl game for the first time since 1994.

Griffin will have as favorable a schedule as he'll find on deck, too. Baylor avoids Nebraska and Missouri from the North, gets three winnable nonconference games (plus a trip to Texas Christian) and plays what would have been a road game against Texas Tech at JerryWorld in Dallas.

Despite the back-to-back 4-8s, Baylor is on the cusp of becoming sort of relevant. The Bears will need Griffin to return to his 2008 form to make sure it happens this season.

No. 56 MISSISSIPPI STATE

The Dan Mullen era got off to a decent start, with a 45-point outburst in the opener and a 41-27 hammering of Mississippi in the Egg Bowl.

It was the first time the Bulldogs scored 40 points twice in a season since 2000. And it's going to be awful hard to replicate that feat this year,

The Bulldogs will break in a new quarterback and tailback, and the front four on defense is inexperienced as well. The talent level is improving in Starkville, but it could be a year of treading water.

The big reason for that? Alabama, Auburn, Louisiana State and Arkansas are quite the imposing quartet, and Mississippi State also draws Florida and Georgia from the East Division. Fun times.

This could be a case where a team gets a little better and winds up with the same results as a year earlier. For the Bulldogs, that would be a 5-7 record.

The one bright side? Ole Miss probably won't be a nine-win outfit, so the chance for in-state supremacy --- and perhaps escaping the SEC West cellar --- very much exists.