Looking over the sea of orange that was the student section in Saturday's loss to Florida State before a record-breaking crowd in attendance for a game shown on ESPN, one couldn't help but try to evaluate where our football program is in coach Groh's third year.
There is no doubt about it: Virginia is a football school now. When the basketball team was introduced at halftime, the applause was minimal. To see Groh's impact on Virginia fans was easy enough last week as students dressed down, donning orange for the biggest game of the season. The noise level was astounding and it was easy enough to see that the Cavalier faithful are prepared for the next level (we can only hope that the Peach Bowl and Gator Bowl representatives who were at the game saw this too).
There is little doubt that administratively the Athletic Department and University are willing to take the necessary steps to promote and fund a top tier football program. From the Schaub4Heisman.com promotional Web site to the Virginia football commercials, the Cavaliers are willing to spend with the best of them. If getting the school name out and promoting the image is half the battle, Virginia is well on its way -- something a nationally-televised night game on ESPN says only too well.
But the publicity aspect is truly only half the battle. While Virginia publicists and fans can see the moral victory in such a large and orange-clad crowd, Groh is also adamant that it not reduce the importance of Virginia's football.
"We did respond," Groh said in the post-game press conference. "We were hanging in there, grinding back and pounding. But, I think it's important our team understands that there are no medals in trying and there are no moral victories. If we let the slightest hint of that creep into what we're willing to hear it means that we've just set our expectations that what happened tonight is good enough. And it's not."
It would be easy enough to find silver linings and moral victories in Saturday night's game --- the defense held the 'Noles to one touchdown and it was only a five point game --- but for those fluke plays like the interception. The truth of the matter is that although Virginia football is improving, the Cavaliers have yet to meet their goals.
When he took the coaching job almost three years ago, Groh set a goal for his team to win the ACC. Now after two consecutive conference losses the Cavaliers find themselves barely third in the ACC a half game up on Clemson (who win a tie-breaker against Virginia since they beat the Cavaliers), N.C. State, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest. The Cavaliers have yet to play the Wolfpack, the Yellow Jackets and a Maryland team which is a half game ahead of Virginia in conference rankings. One thing is clear: the Cavaliers will not win the ACC this year. The goal will go unmet, and considering the Cavaliers will be in a division with Miami next year, it is unlikely they will have the chance to play for a conference title for a while. As long as Cavalier fans, media and the team itself takes a moral victory out of a conference loss (even to Florida State or next year to Miami), the Cavaliers are that far away from ever meeting Groh's goal. If this is a team that competes for a national title, they take no moral victories.
The play on the field is getting better and with the attitude Groh brings to the table -- not settling for moral victories against the best teams in college football -- and the support of the fans and University the Cavaliers will one day be a premier college football team -- just not yet.
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