Last season, the UVA football team eked out unlikely win after unlikely win, finishing 6-2 in the ACC and becoming the first NCAA team to win five games by two points or less. It was enough to earn a January bowl berth for the lucky bastards and get Head Coach Al Groh a contract extension.
Groh had better bask in the good will while it lasts. According to the preseason football magazines, August 30 and everything after isn’t likely to offer much for Cavalier fans to shout about.
 If a young offensive line doesn’t pick things up quickly, UVA’s new quarterback—probably Peter Lalich—will get a lot of experience on his back. Holes on offensive and defensive have preseason guru Phil Steele picking UVA to finish below Duke in ACC play. |
Lindy’s and Athlon Sports have UVA finishing fifth of six teams in the ACC Coastal Division. “The QB spot is a mess and Chris Long isn’t around to bail the offense out,” notes Lindy’s. “Questions at quarterback and on the offensive and defensive lines make it difficult to envision this team approaching the success of last year’s,” Athlon Sports says. “Never mind another January bowl. A winning season could be a lot to ask.”
That’s not the worst prediction: Phil Steele (whose publication’s cover proclaims “The most accurate preseason magazine the last nine years!”) has UVA finishing dead last in the ACC Coastal Division—behind Duke, a team that hasn’t won an ACC game since 2004. It all leaves you dripping with anticipation for UVA’s first game of the season against perennial powerhouse USC, which is tuning up for a matchup against Ohio State here in Charlottesville.
What happened? Oh, nothing much. Just an academic semester, which apparently wasn’t kind to quarterback Jameel Sewell, cornerback Chris Cook and defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald, who all withdrew from the University; an NFL draft, where defensive end Chris Long went No. 2 overall and left guard Branden Albert went No. 15 overall, while tight ends Tom Santi and Jonathan Stupar were picked up in later rounds; and a couple of arrests—cornerback Mike Brown and linebacker J’Courtney Williams. Throw in graduation, which took away kicker Chris Gould and two starting offensive lineman, and the Cavaliers are left with a lot of inexperience to fill some pretty huge gaps. Only 11 starters are returning.
So UVA fans, now is the time to cheer. This summer, UVA football coaches have been busy raking in commitment after commitment from high school teenagers who want to be future Hoos—17 so far from the class of 2009. And 10 of those are from the Commonwealth, as opposed to the paltry four from the incoming recruiting class of 18. Too bad you can’t tailgate verbal commitments.
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