After the Terps’ circus-style dismantling of Eastern Michigan on Saturday, it’s now time to get serious. And there’s no buffer zone this year…first up is Clemson, and in Death Valley no less. Maryland is currently an 11.5-point underdog. Clemson will be tough, but somehow they alway seem highly touted at the beginning but ultimately fall short. They’re like the Jacksonville Jaguars of the ACC.

Looking back on the first quarter of the Terps’ season, it’s hard to find any definitive lessons, other than what we already knew (in a nutshell: they’re medicore). The ACC’s fairly weak start (only Wake remains undefeated) means the Terps are third in the Atlantic Division. Yep – the big, mushy middle. I guess that’s pretty good overall, though, considering the Terps’ own stumbles out of the gate.

Clemson is coming off a cupcake gorging of its own, but there are concerns over QB Cullen Harper and the Tigers offense. I bet both teams will be hungry to prove themselves with some intra-conference red meat this weekend. We’ll see how the Terps respond.