B1G 2020, Maryland Potluck #4: What’s more likely, Maryland winning 6 games or you finishing the Chessie?

Note: Yes, you’re all brilliant. A 2020 football season will probably not happen, especially in light of today’s news.

But we are treating today as “If the Season Happens in Full”. We cool? Cool.

The Football

Would you look at that: We made it to Predictions Day of Maryland Week!

Similar to our Rutgers conversation from this morning, Maryland is following the local FCS/mid-major/P5 home-and-home model of scheduling.

The difference from Rutgers is while we may be able to see the fruits of Greg Schiano’s labors early in 2019, with Maryland, uh...

...when “at Northwestern” is the most winnable crossover, it’s not a great setup for success, is it? I also don’t know what scheduling hell has given us the “all crossovers, then get dicked by your divisional powerhouses” setup, but it’s a rough November for Rutgers and Maryland. Oof.

That game with Neal Brown’s West Virginia Mountaineers could be telling, though, for the trajectories of both programs. Maryland has notably not lost to a Big XII team since a 2015 pasting by the Mountaineers (you may remember a couple wins over Texas), but the game could reveal which second-year coach has their program in a better place.

Looking at that schedule, though…

(1) How will Maryland fare in 2020?

(2) The West Virginia rivalry was played continuously until 2007, lapsed, was renewed from 2010-2015, and now comes back for 2020-2021, then falls off again. Any old rivalries—deserved or just kind of developed—that you miss your teams playing?

Beez: Maryland starts 3-0 as per usual, runs its record to 5-1 with the loss not against who you’d expect, and then finishes 1-5 down the stretch, including a loss to an MSU team who accumulates 104 total yards of offense. All in all, pretty entertaining!

BrianB2: Maryland wins 3 to 5 games. I miss Maryland not having to play in the Big Ten East.

Thumpasaurus: Ummm...unless I’m missing something, I see a four win ceiling, with two wins very possible. I’d be delighted to be wrong about this. Towson’s a win. NIU is a toss-up. Rutgers might be tougher than years past. Toss-up. Tough luck with the crossovers. If I had to make a prediction I’d say 3-9 (1-8)

We scheduled Missouri again and gave ourselves plenty of time to stop sucking. I think we scheduled it something like 8 years in advance? We’re about halfway through that time...we start in 2023...here’s hoping Mizzou completely implodes before the Arch Rivalry returns.

MNW: One of Rutgers or Northwestern. That might be it in conference...there’s a fair chance Maryland improves and manages to drop in the standings. I blame Mark Turgeon.

Give me 3-9 (1-8).

Obviously the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are a rivalry that I think many of Northwestern, Purdue, Michigan State, and Michigan would like to see back on their schedule regularly. But it’s not a perfect world, is it.

I liked the Northwestern-Cal and Northwestern-Stanford things that were kind of happening or developing. It’d be nice to get a rotation going with the smart schools of the Pac-12 and SEC again, but such is life. Can’t wait to go 1-3 against Duke in the 2020s.

WSR: It kinda feels like 4 wins is the ceiling here. You’ve got Towson, which you’ll win. And you’ve got a chance against Northwestern, Rutgers, and Sparty. So….yeah. Don’t expect me to bet any of my own money on Maryland this year.

Minnesota has played Washington 17 times, once in the Rose Bowl and 8 times each in Minneapolis and Seattle. That’s a rivalry I bring up every time someone mentions long-dormant series, and one that I’ll continue to bring up until we kick Nebraska out of the B1G, at which point I’ll demand to play them every season in non-conf.

DJ: Four wins, tops. This schedule and roster makeup are disastrous.

Please give me the annual WVU game back. I hate that University and it is all that is right with a rivalry.

The Food

It’s been a week light on hearty Maryland fare. Having played FMK with Maryland’s iconic images and substances, enjoyed a Black-Eyed Susan at the Preakness, sucked on a lemon stick (still not a euphemism, somehow), and even toured the state’s breweries with the good-looking BrianB2, we should probably get some actual grub.

No Maryland Week, of course, is complete without me continuing to bleat that I once ate an entire Chessie in one sitting. The Chessie, of course, is a 1.5-pound crab dip pretzel:

WaPo

What I’m proud of, though? That during Maryland Week, 2015, I vowed I would eat it. AND I DID IT, MOM!

Not the point, MNW. The Potluck. Get to the Potluck.

I don’t know...maybe I’ll share that the article above on the Chessie taught me that Chesapeake nachos were a thing?

Nachos are a quintessential party food. Originating in Mexico using just tortillas, cheese and jalapenos, today variations on nachos can be found around the world. Being from Maryland, we saw it fit to create our own recipe for crab nachos, using our lump Maryland crab meat.

Our lump Maryland crab meat is picked from the beautiful Maryland blue crabs caught in the Chesapeake Bay and makes a great addition to any plate. The saucy spiced crab and gooey cheese on top of a crunchy chip is the perfect party bite. This seafood nacho recipe is sure to impress guests at your next get together.

We hope you enjoy our crab nachos recipe. Pro tip: melting the cheese on the first layer of chips before adding a second layer will help to ensure an even dispersion of cheese throughout!

Alright. So that’s a thing. Tell me then, writers:

(1) Chesapeake/crab nachos. Yea or nay? Is there anything appropriate to do with crab besides steam it, lump it, or put it in crabcakes?

(2) In the “crab dip” oeuvre, if you were to make one go-to-party dip, what’s your recipe?

(3) Share any eating fits of strength, in honor of the fact that I once ate an entire Chessie by myself. Not sure if I’d mentioned that before.

Beez: Yes I would the the hell out of those nachos. My only concern with crab stuff is I get tired of the Old Bay flavor, because it is strong and it is recognizable and it is all OVER crab and crab-related things. You can also put softshell crab into sushi, and I’d eat it on pizza or in a taco or really anywhere at any time.

I don’t think I’ve ever made a dip, but if I did, I’d make a buffalo chicken dip. Cheap and delicious and full of cream cheese I assume.

I am a small guy with a small stomach, and while I’ll try basically anything at least once, I’m not foolish enough to try an eating challenge. The closest thing I have to an eating feat of strength is the time I was at a blue crab boil for a post-campaign celebration with coworkers. There was an ice luge which means no idea how drunk you are or getting. In opening a crab, I managed to slice my thumb from knuckle to tip (side note: honestly surprised this doesn’t happen more!), and being drunk, thought rinsing it in water and wrapping a napkin around it would work. The feat of strength here is I woke up the next morning having not bled to death or gotten some scary crab-based infection.

BrianB2: Things I have had crab dip on...soft pretzel, tortilla chips, nachos, celery, crackers, baguette, bread bowl, cheeseburger, grilled cheese, spoon… are any of these things bad, no. I would probably eat almost anything existing in the savory plain with a bit of crab dip on top.

I have made crab dip for gatherings many times, but it can be a bit pricey if you are purchasing quality crab meat. I generally do buffalo chicken dip or some sort of home-made salsa as a cheaper alternative.

I am 6’3”, but have the stomach of an 8 year old. I don’t think I can even finish a tiny Dominos pie by myself anymore.

MNW: I don’t need to answer your shitty questions, Potluck-man.

I make pretty good buffalo chicken and spinach artichoke dips that have appeared at multiple parties/events/Tuesdays in the past year. That’s about it for me.

WSR: Yes, I would eat the hell out of crab nachos. The fact that I love crab in most forms is the closest I’ll get to liking Maryland’s presence. Gimme gimme gimme.

My dips that I typically have made in the past are either taco or buffalo chicken, but my favorite one I’ve ever made is a smoked red snapper that I did everything to except fillet (left that to my step-grandpa). It was outstanding, and some winter I’m going to make it back down to Texas to get the ingredients to make more.

Food feats of strength? Yeah, I would like to invoke the 5th amendment here. My target weight is 230, and I haven’t weighed that since around 2002. If you have a stupid eating challenge, I’m almost always up for it.

DJ: You’ve missed out on a great one: stuff a butterflied filet of rockfish (striped bass for you non-east coast people) with crab meat. GIVE ME PLEASE.

Go to dip at a party? Probably smoked chicken in a buffalo chicken dip. It’s just so damn good and easy to make considering I have frozen smoked chicken on hand at all times.

Unlike Brian, I do not have the stomach of an 8 year old and is challenge is not hard. Not sure I’ve actually participated in any feats of strength from the food world though; I just indulge in whatever I please.

Tell us your predictions in the comments! And again—we know about that new tweet suggesting it’s probably just 10 Big Ten games (and then probably no Big Ten games) in 2020. This was all compiled before that news, though, and we’ll update our thoughts as the situation develops.