Maryland-Virginia rivalry
| First meeting | October 11, 1919 |
|---|---|
| Latest meeting | October 12, 2013 |
| Next meeting | September 16, 2023 |
| Trophy | Tydings Trophy (1920s–1945) |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 78 |
| All-time series | Maryland leads, 44–32–2 |
The Maryland–Virginia football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Maryland Terrapins and Virginia Cavaliers. The Terrapins and Cavaliers first met in 1919 and the series has been played annually without interruption since 1957, although the series' future is in doubt beyond 2013 because of Maryland leaving the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) for the Big Ten Conference in 2014. On January 12, 2017, the schools jointly announced a home-home series would be played during the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
Maryland leads the series 44–32–2, although Virginia is 15–7 since 1991. Maryland possesses the longest winning streak of the series, sixteen games between 1972 and 1987, while Virginia has the second longest streak with nine consecutive wins ending in 2000.
Several factors contribute to the intensity of the rivalry. The two states, and their eponymous flagship universities based in Charlottesville, Virginia and College Park, Maryland, respectively, share close historical and cultural ties. The schools are located in relatively close geographic proximity, separated by about 129 miles (208 km). Due in large part to this proximity, the schools aggressively compete for recruits in the Mid-Atlantic region. Former Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen expressed the importance of the rivalry by stating, "It's a potential rivalry in every sport we play. They're border states. We compete for students, not just athletes."
The two are both long-time members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, with Maryland becoming a founding member in 1953 and Virginia joining later in that same year. When the conference reorganized in 2005, Maryland and Virginia were placed in separate divisions, but designated as cross-divisional rivals that continue to meet annually. The intensity of the rivalry is increased by a long history in the series of comebacks, shutouts, and spoilers that prevented one team from securing a conference championship or bowl game appearance. From the 1920s until 1945, the teams competed for the Tydings Trophy, named for former politician and Maryland alum Millard Tydings who had several friends amongst the professors at Virginia. In 2003, the schools discussed reviving the trophy tradition, but it was ultimately rejected by Virginia, due to concerns over the reorganization of the ACC.
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