Would you want to see Penn State play Maryland?

So now that Penn State has set-up the reigniting of the rivalry flame with Pittsburgh, everybody seems to want a piece of the Nittany Lions. Or so it may seem.

Randy Edsall, Maryland’s new head coach, has stated a desire to play Penn State once again and it makes plenty of sense for the Terrapins. Penn State has lost just once in the series and the games were rarely close and there really is little for Penn State to gain from a potential series with Maryland. But the potential gain from a series between the two schools would be much more valuable for Maryland.

“I think it would be good for the region and for both programs,” Edsall said to the York Dispatch Monday during an appearance in York, Pennsylvania for a charity golf tournament. “Kevin Anderson, my athletic director, he and I have talked and that’s something we want to do, but we’re not going to play two for one (two games at Penn State for every one at Maryland). If they want to play us in a one for one and have an extended series, we would love to do that.”

I personally would like to see this take place just because it would mean one more road game that would be easy to travel to for me and a number of Penn State fans. But realistically, if it were to happen Penn State would prefer to play a road game in Baltimore at M&T Bank Stadium or possibly in FedEx Field. As it turns out, Maryland would probably feel the same way.

Maryland is moving two future games against Virginia Tech and West Virginia to Baltimore in exchange for a healthy paycheck. How healthy? Try $3.5 million per game (roughly $2 million than a game played in Maryland’s Byrd Stadium would net), according to a report by The Washington Post.

“In addition to all the other benefits of playing this type of game in Baltimore – extending our fan base, recruiting, enhancing the experience for our student-athletes and fans – the additional revenue is vital for the ongoing financial challenges facing Maryland Athletics,” Maryland athletic director Randy Eaton said.

“There’s no question there is a financial benefit to this, and it achieves all our objectives,” Anderson said. “So it was like the perfect storm.”

Maryland has the rights to move any scheduled home game to another venue without permission from the visitor, and if the Terps really would want to bring Penn State back below the Mason Dixon Live then they should consider the option of playing in an NFL venue. Byrd Stadium can seat a capacity crowd of 54,000, or half of a Beaver Stadium. M&T Bank Stadium, home of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens, can hold 71,008 fans and FedEx Field, home of the Washington Redskins, seats 91,704. Penn State played a road game there just last season when Indiana moved their home game to the stadium after being invited by Redskins owner Dan Snyder, who has shown an interest in bringing more college football to his stadium.

Would Penn State be open to playing a home game against Maryland, from the ACC, and a road game at one of the larger stadiums in the country? Probably, and why not? There is a significant alumni base in the D.C. metro region, as evidenced by last year’s Indiana game. And as our friend William Yurasko reminds us, that Indiana game outdrew Maryland’s home game against Florida State later that same day, and just up the highway. He also informs me that FedEx Field is planning on removing approximately 6,000 seats in favor of party decks. Regardless, the attraction of moving a game there is still there. On paper, and financially speaking, it makes enough sense to be available option for Penn State.

And if Maryland can actually become relevent in college football, it may be even more worth discussing.

Oh, and in case you have not been following along on Twitter (give us a follow @TheNLD), it is now just 1,905 days until Penn State vs. Pitt. If you lost count.