BALTIMORE — You can unveil countless outlandish uniform combinations and show off each one in a spectacular fashion. You can generate new logos and advertise all across the region. You can even switch conferences after 60 years in the same league.

But if you’re trying to brand your football program as one that deserves national attention, nothing is as important as winning. And the Terrapins football team finally appears to be matching the buzz it has created off the field with some legitimate success on it.

Saturday’s 37-0 shellacking of West Virginia proved that the Terps are making hefty strides. Their dominance of a respectable Mountaineers team — they forced six turnovers while holding their rivals to six first downs and 175 yards of total offense — implied that they are, in fact, a team that deserves respect.

The Terps are 4-0 for the first time since 2001, have beaten the Mountaineers for the first time since the 2004 Gator Bowl and are just two wins away from gaining bowl eligibility for the first time since 2010.

Plus, the plastering of the Mountaineers came at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, a fertile recruiting area and the state’s biggest city. It was a win that could expand the fan base, draw interest from recruits and set a positive tone for an entire program.

“I just thought it was a great experience, and we all won today,” coach Randy Edsall said. “The state of Maryland won, the city of Baltimore won, we all won today, and that’s really what it’s all about.”

Edsall seemed pretty cheerful for a guy who was still wet from standing out in the rain for three hours. But Saturday’s win signaled great progress, so why would the third-year coach let damp hair dampen his mood?

A pair of losing seasons in Edsall’s first two years didn’t help him attract many fans, and though the Terps held their own on the recruiting trail, the poor results kept the team from hauling in classes that ranked in the top 20 nationally. A 4-0 start and a big win in slick jerseys should change things, though.

“All we’re trying to do is we’re trying to grow our brand,” Edsall said. “Trying to get more people behind us and be a part of what we’re doing. I think there’s enough room for us with the Orioles and the Ravens.”

It’s unlikely that the Terps are going to contend for a national title this season, and no one expected them to, either. Still, for the first time since Edsall arrived, they are moving in a positive direction and are giving fans a reason to take a peek at the Terps’ box scores on Sunday mornings.

College football can be cyclical. When a program isn’t winning, its recruiting efforts often suffer, fans lose interest and the team’s struggles persist.

That’s why the Terps’ blazing start this season is so important. By putting themselves in a position to compete, they can enter a positive cycle. They can be a team highly touted prospects want to play for.

“Anything we did in the first four games makes you want to come here,” tight end Dave Stinebaugh said. “Coach Edsall’s building a great program. The guys are behind it. [Under Armour founder] Kevin Plank’s doing some crazy stuff with the uniforms and everything like that, so I think everything so far this season should make you want to come to Maryland.”

Certainly the crazy uniforms and other off-the-field attractions are important, but the four mostly resounding wins are the key difference.

A Sports Illustrated piece on the publication’s Campus Union blog reacting to several key college football games Saturday mentioned the Terps’ win over West Virginia as a prime example of two programs heading in opposite directions. The Terps didn’t get that recognition because of their Pride 2.0 uniforms but because “Maryland looks like it’s steadily getting better, and the offense appears sharp under quarterback C.J. Brown.”

West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen might agree that the Terps are trending upward.

“Give Maryland a lot of credit,” Holgorsen said Saturday. “They whipped us on all three sides of the ball.”

When cornerback Will Likely made his decision to come to College Park in the winter as a four-star prospect from Belle Glade, Fla., he was betting on a program that had only six wins in the past two seasons combined.

Now, though, the Terps are giving Likely, prospective recruits and a long-frustrated fanbase tangible evidence that it can compete on a national level.

Likely took a chance on a middling program, but he thinks Byrd Stadium is becoming a place the best players want to be.

“Of course,” Likely said. “We got nice unis. The defense balled out. The offense balled out, too. Even the special teams — All three phases.”

Nice unis and balling out. It sounds simple, but that’s a formula for a program on the rise.