Politicians aren't the only ones who have to sometimes reconsider their positions. We sometimes have to do the same regarding coaches. Take Maryland head coach Mike Locksley, for example, who not long ago seemed (at least to us) to be one of the most unlikely coaches to stabilize a team. After all, this was the same Locksley who couldn't have used a jackhammer to better destroy the New Mexico program he inherited from Rocky Long at Albuquerque in 2009. The Lobos would plumb such depths that Locksley had to be relieved just before the midway point in the 2011 campaign after having secured just two wins across 28 games in charge. Landing on Randy Edsall's staff at Maryland thereafter, it would become Locksley's turn to be elevated into an interim head coaching job in 2015 when Edsall was pink-slipped halfway through that campaign.
But it was a subsequent three-season stint at Alabama, rising to offensive coordinator for Nick Saban, that proved a truly effective rehab assignment before another stab at a head coaching spot, which he got when former employer Maryland came calling after the 2018 campaign.
Now the Terrapins have been to back-to-back bowls for the first time since the Ralph Friedgen era fifteen years ago. Is it time, perhaps, to start looking at Locksley in a new light?
Bruce Marshall's full breakdown of Maryland's 2023 outlook, which includes how he's playing their win total, can be found below as part of SportsLine's preview of the Big Ten season.
Big Ten preview: Conference winner | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Maryland | Michigan | Michigan State | Minnesota | Nebraska | Northwestern | Ohio State | Penn State | Purdue | Rutgers | Wisconsin
What do you need to know about Maryland before locking in your Big Ten futures bets? And which side of their win total makes for the best play? ... Join SportsLine right now to see Big Ten futures betting strategy from a veteran college football expert!
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