Commentary: Penn State vs. Maryland matchup is no rivalry

Editor's note: This column was originally published July 30, 2015. Randy Edsall has since been fired as Maryland football coach.

No matter how hard Randy Edsall tries, there is no rivalry between his Maryland Terrapins and the Penn State Nittany Lions.

The Maryland coach spoke at the first day of Big Ten Media Day on Thursday, and told a Big Ten Network reporter that his team's rival is "Penn State now." During his news conference, he continued playing up the significance of games against Penn State.

Edsall's statement is laughable, just as ridiculous as when the Terrapins tried to assert themselves as a rival to the Nittany Lions by refusing to shake hands before last year's game in State College.

It takes a lot more than a blatant disregard for sportsmanship and a bold statement to a reporter at a preseason media day to build a college football rivalry.

Counterpoint: The Penn State vs. Maryland rivalry is alive and well

Last season's great handshake refusal did fuel an emotional game in the first Big Ten meeting between the teams, an intense game Maryland won 20-19 on a last-minute field goal. Edsall's statement Thursday — and Penn State coach James Franklin's response Friday that Penn State has no true Big Ten rival — will add intrigue to this year's matchup on Oct. 24 in Baltimore. But games between these two teams are still a long way from rivalry status.

Yes, these state universities share a border in the Mason-Dixon Line. In southcentral Pennsylvania, fans of both teams intermingle and talk trash at the water cooler. But a rivalry takes years — decades, really — to establish, and we're a long way from tagging the "rivalry" moniker to this matchup.

Last year's game between Penn State and Maryland was their first since 1993. They met every year from 1960 to 1993, but those meetings were hardly memorable. Penn State won every game, except a 21-17 loss in 1961 and a 13-13 tie in Baltimore in 1989. The Nittany Lions lead the all-time series, 35-2-1.

How many other "rivalries" have seen one team win 35 out of 38 meetings?

Would you consider Notre Dame vs. Georgia Tech a rivalry? That one's actually more competitive, with the Fighting Irish leading the series 27-6-1. What about LSU and Vanderbilt? That's also more competitive, with the Tigers leading 22-7-1.

Right now, the only football rivalry shared by Penn State and Maryland is on the recruiting field. Because of the schools' proximity, similar academic standards and Big Ten membership, both programs are going after many of the same players. But a recruiting rivalry doesn't automatically translate to an on-the-field rivalry.

Take my alma mater, Missouri, for instance. The Tigers share a border with the Iowa Hawkeyes, and they battle for recruits every year. But aside from the 2010 Insight Bowl, they haven't played since 1910.

If Missouri joined the Big Ten tomorrow, would we call that matchup a rivalry game? No.

What if the Tigers walked up to the pregame coin toss and didn't shake the Hawkeyes' hands in the first meeting? I doubt it.

Rivalries take long periods of competition to form, and until that happens between Penn State and Maryland, their annual meeting is simply another game between conference opponents in neighboring states. And because the Nittany Lions get back their full set of scholarships this season, this game might never become more than that.

Penn State's only conference rival is Ohio State. The Buckeyes and Nittany Lions have won more Big Ten titles than any other team since Penn State joined the conference in 1993, and they've shared a competitive series that Ohio State leads 17-13.

James Franklin says Penn State's never had a true rival in the Big Ten.

The Nittany Lions will also renew a series worthy of the being called a rivalry next season, as they start a four-game series with the Pittsburgh Panthers. Penn State leads this once-heated in-state series 49-42-4.

When Penn State and Maryland meet in three months, though, it's not a rivalry game.

When they play on the last week of the season -- what many consider "rivalry week" -- in 2017 and 2018, it still won't be a rivalry game.

It may never be a rivalry game.