They have won 11 of 12 ACC championships since they joined the conference in 1992. They have only lost 7 games to ACC foes in 99 total contests. Their only home conference loss was at the hands on N.C. State in 2001.
This is the history the No. 6 Cavaliers (5-0, 2-0 ACC) will be up against when they clash with the No. 7 Seminoles (4-1, 2-1 ACC) in Tallahassee tomorrow night.
In a season in which the Cavaliers have yet to be challenged -- they have defeated opponents by an average of 30.8 points -- this contest should easily fill that void. The Seminoles' lone defeat was a 16-10 setback at No. 3 Miami in the season's first week, and Florida State boasts the conference's top-ranked rushing defense. The No. 1 unit has allowed only one rushing touchdown and an average of 65.6 rushing yards per game.
Florida State "plays a lot of eight- and nine-man front stuff with guys that can run," Virginia coach Al Groh said. "They're able to get a lot of saturation at the point of attack. A lot of that is based on starting from the outside-in with the very good shut down corners they've had over the years."
The Seminole defense will encounter its strongest test of the year in the Cavalier offense and rushing attack. Virginia leads the ACC in scoring, rushing, passing and total offense and boasts the fifth-ranked rushing offense in the nation. Virginia is averaging 275 rushing yards per game and has 21 scores on the ground alone.
Virginia "likes to run and is big and physical," Florida State linebacker A.J. Nicholson said. "We have different packages and schemes for that. It's going to be a good game and a physical game."
Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans faced his toughest test last Thursday versus the Clemson secondary. He was only 14 of 26 passing, yet threw for 225 yards and a touchdown. Hagans will meet a speedy Seminole defense that has picked off seven passes.
"They have a quarterback that is very dangerous, very mobile," Florida State coach Bobby Bowden said. "This kid here can kill you running the ball as well as throwing the football. He has a good arm and is very accurate."
The Cavaliers are 1-11 all-time against the Seminoles. Their sole victory came in 1995, when Mike Groh -- Al Groh's son and now the Virginia quarterbacks coach -- directed the Cavalier attack. Virginia defeated the No. 2 Seminoles 33-28 after stopping Florida State tailback Warrick Dunn on the goal line with no time left on the clock. Since 1995, Florida State has defeated Virginia by an average of 25.7 points, yet escaped with just a 19-14 victory in Charlottesville last season.
The magnitude of this contest cannot be underestimated. A loss for the Seminoles would give them two conference defeats and severely endanger their chances for a 12th conference championship in 13 years. A loss for the Cavaliers would likely require them to beat No. 3 Miami in November to remain a strong contender for the ACC title.
"The fight is on," sophomore linebacker Ahmad Brooks said. "We've got to be well-prepared for Saturday, and hopefully we'll come out with a victory."
Despite the series' one-sided statistics, this may be Virginia's best chance to reverse history. This is the first time the Cavaliers come in ranked higher than the Seminoles. Florida State struggled with Syracuse last week, as they were down 10-3 late in the third quarter before rallying to a 17-13 victory. The Cavaliers, on the other hand, dominated the Orange -- outgaining them 427 to 254 yards en route to a 31-10 triumph.
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