GREENSBORO, N.C. - The Atlantic Coast Conference and the University of Maryland announced the 2009 football schedule Thursday, a slate which includes seven home games for the Terrapins and eight contests against bowl teams.

The home slate features games against Rutgers, Clemson, Virginia and Virginia Tech.

Maryland, which finished 8-5 last season, including its sixth bowl trip (Humanitarian Bowl) in Ralph Friedgen's eight years, will open the season at California (Sept. 5) before beginning a four-game homestand, including the ACC opener against Clemson (Oct. 3).

The Terrapins had two of their four wins vs. ranked foes last season against Cal and Clemson. The Terps upended the 23rd-ranked Bears, 35-27, in College Park and downed the 20th-ranked Tigers, 20-17, on the road.

The Terps, who are scheduled to return 38 letterwinners, including 10 starters (six on offense; four on defense), play James Madison in the home opener on Sept. 12 then face Middle Tennessee State the following week in Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium.

Maryland and James Madison have met just once (1998), while the Terps and Blue Raiders will be playing for the third time in four years. JMU advanced to the semifinals of the 2008 FCS playoffs.

The Terps close out the non-conference portion of their schedule on Sept. 26 when the Rutgers Scarlet Knights invade College Park. Maryland and Rutgers played in Piscataway, N.J., in 2007 with the Terps downing the 10th-ranked Scarlet Knights, 34-24.

After the four-game homestand, the Terps will play three of four on the road, starting with Wake Forest on Oct. 10. Maryland follows that up with its annual interstate rival game against Virginia (Oct. 17), which will take place in College Park.

Road trips to Duke (Oct. 24) and North Carolina State (Nov. 7) are sandwiched around the team's lone bye week (Oct. 31). Maryland and Duke will be facing off for the first time since 2004.

Maryland will entertain Coastal Division champ Virginia Tech on Nov. 14 and take a road trip to Tallahassee, Fla., to meet up with Florida State on Nov. 21. The Terrapins close the regular season at home with Atlantic Division champion Boston College (Nov. 28). The Terps and Eagles and faced off in the regular-season finale last season.

Game times will be announced at a later date. ACC home games are selected on a 12-day option by ESPN/ABC or Raycom Sports. Four times during the season, ESPN/ABC can choose certain ACC games on a six-day window.

Maryland football season-ticket renewals and new season tickets are now available. A variety of season-ticket options are available with prices starting as low as $135. Family 4-Packs are also available for $500. For the first time, the Maryland ticket office is offering a season ticket payment plan which allows fans to spread the cost over four installments.

For ticket information, call the Maryland ticket office at 1-800-462-TERP or click here

Schedule Notes:

• The eight bowl teams from last year which appear on the Terps' 2009 schedule include California (Emerald Bowl), Rutgers (Papajohns.com Bowl), Clemson (Konica Minolta Gator Bowl), Wake Forest (EagleBank Bowl), NC State (Papajohns.com Bowl), Virginia Tech (FedEx Orange Bowl), Florida State (Champs Sports Bowl) and Boston College (Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl).
• Five opponents ended last year either ranked or receiving votes in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll, including Virginia Tech (No. 15), Florida State (No. 21), California (RV), Boston College (RV) and Rutgers (RV).
• The Terps are facing California for the second time. It marks the Terps' sixth Pac-10 opponent in school history. They played UCLA twice, losing 12-7 in Los Angeles in 1954 and winning 7-0 in College Park in 1955. Washington defeated Maryland, 21-20, in the 1982 Aloha Bowl. The Terrapins lost to Oregon State, 21-14, in the 2007 Emerald Bowl and defeated No. 23 Cal last season.
• Maryland and James Madison have played just once. The Terps defeated the Dukes, 23-15, in 1998 in College Park.
• Maryland has a 5-3 mark in its series with Rutgers. The two teams met annually from 1939 to 1942, but faced each other just once since (2007).
• Maryland owns a 2-1 record in the series with Middle Tennessee State. The Terps won 45-27 in 2000 and 24-10 in 2006. Both games were played in College Park. However, MTSU upended the Terps, 24-14, in Murfreesboro last season.
• Clemson owns a 30-25-2 advantage in the all-time series, but the Terps have won five of the last eight meetings, including three of the last four in Clemson. However, the Tigers defeated the Terps in their last trip (2007) to College Park.
• The Terps lead the all-time series with Virginia (41-30-2). After dropping nine straight to the Cavaliers, Maryland has won four of the last eight meetings.
• Maryland snapped a Wake Forest two-game winning streak in the series last season with a 23-0 shutout of the 21st-ranked Demon Deacons. Maryland owns a 41-15-1 advantage in the series, including victories in eight of the last 10.
• The Terrapins hold a 30-18 edge in the series with Duke and have won nine of the last 10 meetings.
• Maryland owns a slim 31-30-4 advantage in the all-time series with NC State. The Terps have won seven of the last nine in the series, including a 37-0 victory in the 2007 regular-season finale which locked up an Emerald Bowl berth.
• Maryland leads the all-time series with Virginia Tech, 15-14, but the Hokies have won the last four. Prior to that, the Terps won six in a row.
• Florida State owns a 17-2 lead in the all-time series, but both of Maryland's wins have come in the last five meetings.
• Boston College leads the all-time series 4-2. Maryland and Boston College met for the first time in 21 years in Massachusetts in 2006 with the Eagles winning, 38-16, in Chestnut Hill. Maryland's 42-35 home victory in 2007 over the eighth-ranked Eagles snapped a three-game BC winning streak in the series.