Everyone's favorite Mason-Dixon Line clash occurs for only the 11th time in 2028. Maryland and Delaware scheduled one another for a 2028 clash last week. However, the game is just a one-off rather than a home-and-home series. Delaware will join the FBS fraternity in 2025, so one would think they are worthy of having their bordering state's flagship school pay a visit, right?
Maryland has not played at Delaware since the Theodore Roosevelt administration in 1948, so a return trip to the first state to ratify the Constitution is long overdue. The Terrapins not scheduling a road date with Delaware is simply hypocritical. In 2022, Maryland visited Charlotte's quaint Jerry Richardson Stadium, which only seats 15,000 fans. Delaware Stadium is over 300 miles closer to College Park than Charlotte and seats 7,000 more fans.
It is hard to tell if Maryland will ever play Delaware at Delaware Stadium after the 2028 game. Schools routinely schedule games into the mid and even late 2030s. Maryland could have scheduled Delaware further down the road. The Terrapins' latest scheduled game is 2031, so plenty of future openings exist. Delaware may have to earn the Terrapins' respect before getting a home game against them.
More realistic than a Delaware home game is one at Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Philadelphia Eagles. Maryland traveled to "The Linc" to play Temple in 2019 and drew a respectable crowd of 30,610. Around 10,000 Maryland alumni live in the region, making a game in Philadelphia a lucrative opportunity.
Furthermore, Maryland rarely plays in the City of Brotherly Love, with only four road meetings against Temple all-time in their history. The loss of the Villanova rivalry means Delaware will soon lose frequent games in Philadelphia. The right amount of money could persuade Delaware to play a "home game" at Maryland at Lincoln Financial Field.
It is simply shameful that Maryland did not schedule a home-and-home series with Delaware. This refusal may be all Delaware needs to know about where they stand with the nearby Big Ten school. Delaware Stadium is an adequate venue to host a school of Maryland's standing. Nonetheless, the Blue Hens likely need to earn some respect and credibility at the FBS level before the Terrapins come out of their shell.
