Maryland to Tennessee: Music City Bowl pits Terrapins against Auburn in Nashville

Maryland’s third straight appearance in a bowl game will take the Terrapins from the nation’s capital to the capital of country music.

The Music City Bowl will feature Maryland for the first time, the Nashville, Tennessee-based game announced Sunday. The Terrapins will face Southeastern Conference opponent Auburn on Dec. 30 in the schools’ first meeting since 1983.

It’s the first time Maryland will play in the bowl, which has existed since 1998, and the second Terrapins bowl game in Tennessee after the Liberty Bowl in 1974.

“This will be our third straight year participating in a bowl game, which is a credit to our players and the consistency we’re building within our program,” Maryland coach Mike Locksley said. “We’re excited to get back out on the practice field and continue the development of our players before we travel to Nashville to take on a really good Auburn team.”

Maryland (7-5) has won seven games for the third straight season, the first time doing so in 20 years, and earned bowl eligibility in threestraight campaigns for the first time since 2006-08. The Tigers (6-6) come off nearly upsetting in-state rival Alabama, falling on a last-minute, fourth-down touchdown pass.

Quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa set the Big Ten’s all-time passing yards mark (11,256) in the regular season finale, a 42-24 win at Rutgers on Nov. 25. The senior said after the game he would play in a bowl, in what will be his final appearance as a Terrapin.

Led by Tagovailoa, the Terrapins have won both of their recent postseason appearances — over Virginia Tech in the 2021 Pinstripe Bowl and over North Carolina State in the 2022 Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

Previously, Maryland was a prime target for either the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix or the Las Vegas Bowl, with The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel writing on social media it was “50-50” that if Vegas (which selects before Phoenix) didn’t pick the Terrapins, then the Guaranteed Rate would.

All of that was upended, however, once Alabama unseated Georgia on Saturday in the SEC Championship game, ending the Bulldogs’ 29-game winning streak and throwing the College Football Playoff into chaos. 

By virtue of Georgia missing the playoff and ending up in the Orange Bowl, the SEC runners-up took that spot from the Big Ten. The tradeoff for that spot was the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, which bumped the selection order for the rest of the conference down a place.

The Big Ten’s third selection then went to the Music City Bowl instead of Las Vegas as originally scheduled. Maryland had been projected to be the third conference team picked among the non-New Year’s Six games for the last few weeks.

Maryland will be at a deficit in the game in multiple positions. First, linebacker Jaishawn Barham announced Sunday via social media that he will transfer. The outstanding St. Frances product leaves College Park after only two seasons, tallying 96 total tackles, seven sacks, and an interception in his time as a Terrapin.

At tight end, starter Corey Dyches and reserve Rico Walker also both declared their intention to enter the transfer portal when it opens on Monday. Dyches was one of Tagovailoa’s most trusted receivers over the last two seasons, and Walker was Maryland’s top recruit from the 2023 class who appeared in eight games this season.

Along with Barham, they begin the list of Terrapins who won’t play in the bowl. It is a list that will soon grow due to more expected transfers and NFL declarations.