Let's just be honest right out of the gate: if you ask a Penn State fan who their rival is, they’ll probably look at you and say "unrivaled" or start talking about Ohio State. But if you ask a Maryland fan about the Nittany Lions, you’re going to get a very different, much saltier reaction. This Maryland vs Penn State football dynamic is one of the weirdest "non-rivalries" in the Big Ten. It’s lopsided. It’s occasionally ugly. And yet, for a game that Penn State has won 44 times out of 48 tries, it carries a weirdly high amount of genuine animosity.
You saw it again in late 2024. Penn State basically dismantled the Terrapins 44-7 in University Park. It wasn't just the score, though. It was the vibe. There was a reported post-game spat between Mike Locksley and James Franklin where Locksley apparently called out what he felt was "bulls***" regarding how things went down. When coaches are trading barbs after a 37-point blowout, you know there’s something deeper than just a random conference game on the schedule.
The Mason-Dixon Line and the "In-State" Recruiting War
The friction isn't just about what happens on the Saturday scoreboards. It’s about the zip codes. For decades, Penn State has treated the "DMV" (D.C., Maryland, Virginia) area like its own backyard. James Franklin famously claimed Maryland was "in-state" for recruiting purposes shortly after he took the job, which is basically like walking into a neighbor's house and helping yourself to the fridge.
Maryland fans haven’t forgotten that.
Mike Locksley has spent his entire tenure trying to build a "fence" around the state. He wants those four and five-star kids from DeMatha or Quince Orchard to stay in College Park instead of heading north to Happy Valley. Sometimes it works. Often, it doesn't. But that tug-of-war over 17-year-old athletes is why Maryland vs Penn State football feels so personal. When a local kid like Dani Dennis-Sutton or Chop Robinson (who actually played for Maryland before transferring to Penn State) ends up in a blue and white jersey, it’s a direct hit to the Terps' ego.
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Then you have the coaching history. Did you know Locksley and Franklin actually worked together? Back in 2000, they were both assistants at Maryland under Ron Vanderlinden. They were the only two assistants kept on when Ralph Friedgen took over. They know each other’s tendencies. They know where the bodies are buried. That kind of shared history usually leads to a professional respect, but in the hyper-competitive world of the Big Ten, it just adds more fuel to the "who’s the big brother" fire.
Why the "Rivalry" Label is So Contentious
If you look at the raw numbers, calling this a rivalry is a bit of a stretch. Penn State leads the all-time series 44-3-1. That’s not a back-and-forth battle; it’s a beatdown. Before Maryland joined the Big Ten, they hadn't even played for 20 years. The series paused in 1993 and didn't pick back up until 2014.
But man, that 2014 game changed everything.
Maryland walked into Beaver Stadium, refused to shake hands during the coin toss (which was super awkward and led to a penalty before the game even started), and then proceeded to win 20-19. It was a statement. It was Maryland saying, "We’re here, and we don't like you."
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Since then, Penn State has responded by mostly hammering the Terps. We’re talking 59-0 in 2019, 66-3 in 2017, and that 51-15 thumping in 2023. For the Nittany Lions, these games are often a chance to flex. For Maryland, they are a measuring stick that keeps telling them they aren't quite "there" yet.
The 2024 Reality Check and Beyond
The 2024 matchup was a microcosm of the current state of both programs. Penn State was chasing a College Football Playoff spot, looking every bit like a top-5 powerhouse. Maryland was struggling to find consistency in a post-Taulia Tagovailoa era. The 44-7 result was a reminder of the massive gap in depth.
But things are shifting again. With James Franklin’s departure from Penn State in late 2025—a move that shocked a lot of people after he'd won nearly 70% of his games—the power vacuum is real. We’ve already seen a wave of decommitments from Penn State's 2026 class. High-profile local recruits who were Happy Valley-bound are suddenly looking at College Park again.
This is where Locksley has to pounce. If Maryland can flip the recruiting momentum while Penn State is in transition, the Maryland vs Penn State football games in 2026 and 2027 might actually start to look like the competitive "border war" fans have been promised for a decade.
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What Most People Get Wrong About This Matchup
There’s a common narrative that Maryland just doesn't care about football as much as basketball. That's a lazy take. The investment in the Jones-Hill House (Maryland’s massive practice facility) and the NIL pushes show that the boosters are all-in.
What people actually get wrong is thinking that the lopsided record means the games don't matter. For Penn State, a loss to Maryland is a season-ruiner. It’s the kind of loss that gets people fired. For Maryland, a win over Penn State is a "program-builder." It’s the kind of win that lands you a top-10 recruiting class. The stakes are wildly asymmetrical, which makes every snap feel like someone is playing with their life on the line.
Actionable Insights for the Next Matchup
If you're heading to the next game or betting on it, keep these things in mind:
- Watch the Trenches, Not the Stars: Penn State usually wins this game because their defensive line lives in the Maryland backfield. In 2023, they held the Terps to -49 rushing yards. Yes, negative. If Maryland can't protect the QB, the score will get ugly fast.
- The "Blackout" Curse: Maryland loves to schedule "Blackout" games against Penn State. Honestly? It hasn't worked. The 59-0 drubbing in 2019 was a Friday night blackout. If you see the Terps wearing all-black, maybe temper your expectations.
- Follow the Decommitments: Keep a close eye on the 2026 recruiting rankings. If Maryland lands more than two players who were previously committed to Penn State, the 2026 game becomes a massive "grudge match" for those individuals.
- The Post-Game Handshake: Seriously, watch the coaches. Since the 2024 "bulls***" comment from Locksley, there is zero love lost. The body language at midfield after the clock hits zero tells you more about the state of the rivalry than any press release.
Ultimately, the Maryland vs Penn State football series is defined by a lack of balance on the field but a surplus of drama off of it. Whether you call it a rivalry or just a yearly scheduled headache, it’s not going anywhere. The geographical proximity and the recruiting overlap ensure that these two will be chirping at each other as long as the Big Ten exists.
Maryland needs to prove they can win more than once a decade to get the respect they want. Penn State needs to keep winning to prove they are still the kings of the Northeast. Either way, it’s going to be loud, it's going to be chippy, and someone is definitely going to say something they regret in the post-game presser.