Edwin Williams just wants to have fun.
After traveling to San Francisco and Orlando the last two seasons for bowl games, the Terrapin football center appreciates the fact that the Terps have already locked up a spot in some sort of postseason game.
"There's no such thing as a bad bowl," Williams said. "The only bad bowl is the toilet bowl, when you're not going anywhere."
But if the Terps (7-4, 4-3 ACC) want to have more fun in late December, or possibly even on New Year's Day, a win Saturday against No. 20 Boston College (8-3, 4-3) could go a long way.
A blowout loss against Florida State in their home finale bumped the Terps from the Atlantic Division lead and straight out of the ACC Championship picture. The Terps need a win Saturday to improve their bowl positioning and separate themselves from a mostly unimpressive cast of second-tier ACC teams.
"I don't think we want to be where everybody else is," coach Ralph Friedgen said, referencing the fact that 11 of the 12 ACC teams could finish with at least four conference wins. "There's a lot to play for."
A win would keep Boston College out of the Dec. 6 conference championship game and tie the Terps for the top spot in the Atlantic Division with the Seminoles, who would play the yet-undecided Coastal champ for a spot in the Orange Bowl.
After each loss this season, the Terps have responded by knocking off a ranked opponent. If the trend continues in Chestnut Hill, Mass., the Terps would finish the season 5-0 against ranked teams and with some momentum.
That's something Greg Creese, Champs Sports Bowl's director of communications, said his selection committee will be looking at. The Champs Sports Bowl picks fourth out of the ACC's nine bowl affiliations.
Cornerback Nolan Carroll said the Terps could even be picked for the ACC's No. 2 bowl - the Chick-fil-A Bowl - based on Clemson's appearance last season, despite not reaching the conference championship game.
Any little bit might be the difference in a parity-filled conference that has beaten up on itself throughout the season.
"I think out of the teams that we have left, we're gonna get a team that's had some successes and had some [shortcomings] this year," Creese said. "The whole ACC has had it, and Maryland is no exception to that."
Just last week, Saturday's game looked like it might be a virtual one-game playoff for a spot in the conference championship.
Now, it is just the Eagles, the nation's leader in interceptions, with a shot at their first championship since joining the league in 2004.
But that doesn't mean the Terps aren't set on bouncing back once again to improve their bowl resume.
The Terps' 30 seniors hope to end their careers in style. After bowl appearances that included trips to Walt Disney World and Alcatraz Island in the last two seasons, respectively, the Terps can reach for an even better destination.
"We're definitely into it, and the seniors are ready to go," said senior tight end Dan Gronkowski, who just hopes the Terps end up somewhere warm. "We've got to get this win."
Staff writer Jeff Newman contributed to this report.
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