If you can peer past the Olympic ephemera, you can see college and professional football flexing their muscles in preparation for new seasons. Fox is broadcasting preseason NFL games. The Daily Progress is previewing the Cavaliers starting lineup. Brett Favre is getting as much attention as Michael Phelps.
That means it’s also time for C-VILLE to dust off its crystal ball to see if our town team, with seven home games this year, might perform as well as 2007’s 9-4 surprise. Rising from the ether we see a balanced figure emerge: 6-6, with a not-as-pleasant 3-5 ACC record. Hey, what do you expect when you lose two first-round draft picks and a boatload of underclassmen who struggled with academics or the law?
 With Chris Long playing on Sundays, the Cavaliers will drop off to 6-6 this season. At least that’s what our crystal ball tells us. |
It’s only fair, however, to review our own record from last year’s predictions. The result: We were prescient at a macro level, but not a micro one. While we were a lousy 5-7 in terms of picking the individual games correctly, our aggregrate prediction, 8-4, was only a game off the Cavs’ actual 9-3 performance in the regular season. Forgive us: We saw the forest instead of the trees.
Southern Cal (August 30): Considering USC has more All-Americans than most NFL teams, the more interesting question is whether the Trojans will cover the 19.5-point spread. Cornerback Ras-I Dowling and the rest of the defense impresses the sold-out crowd and contains the blowout. L, 7-24.
Richmond (September 6): Even though the Spiders are led by UVA’s former defensive coordinator, Mike London, Division I-A talent has got to mean something. Cavs give fans something to be excited about after last week’s disaster. W, 31-10.
At Connecticut (September 13): Luck ran with the Huskies last year, much as it did with the Cavaliers. With both teams slogging back to reality, the Hoos again come out on top thanks to a clutch last-minute sack from Clint Sintim. W, 28-27.
At Duke (September 27): A much-improved Duke team under new coach David Cutcliffe gives Hoos fits and starts. Cavaliers are forced to rely on their inexperienced kicker to boot the Devils in Durham. W, 16-14.
Maryland (October 4): The Charlottesville curse continues for the Terps. Quarterback Peter Lalich hits all his routes, Mikell Simpson makes tacklers look stupid and Vic Hall returns a punt for a touchdown to cap it off. W, 38-17.
East Carolina (October 11): Feisty Pirates raid the backfield time and time again, but runningbacks Cedric Peerman and Simpson carry the Cavs to a five-game winning streak. W, 17-14.
North Carolina (October 18): Trendy dark horse for the ACC title wrecks Hoo hopes in the South’s oldest rivalry. The Tar Heels put their feet down to keep Peerman from running all over them, and Lalich starts throwing to the other team in desperation. L, 13-21.
At Georgia Tech (October 25): The Yellow Jackets iron out the kinks on their newly installed triple option and steamroll the Cavs in Atlanta. L, 17-30.
Miami (November 1): You think Miami might want some revenge after last year’s 48-0 beat down in the final game in the Orange Bowl? We do too: Young Hurricanes finally play to potential and unleash a downpour on the Cavalier D. L, 7-41.
At Wake Forest (November 8): The ACC’s newest powerhouse continues its baffling success, earning a revenge win against a dejected bunch of Wahoos still one game away from bowl eligibility. L, 14-31.
Clemson (November 22): A talented troop of tigers tromp into Hoo-ville expecting the Cavaliers to roll over as they march on an ACC title. Of course, when’s the last time Clemson won when it was supposed to? W, 21-20.
At Virginia Tech (November 29): Since taking the reins in 2001, Al Groh has been trounced by Frank Beamer all but once. Hope springs eternal—but it can’t guarantee victory. A beat up UVA squad takes its lumps in Blacksburg and resigns itself to the newly created Congressional Bowl for the worst bowl eligible ACC team. Hey, it beats going to Boise. L, 10-35.
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