I'll be honest. I usually don't buy the hype about Virginia football 4 ½ months before the season starts.
But for some reason, maybe because as a rising fourth year, I am faced with my last chance to see Virginia football in all its glory, I've found myself the slightest bit interested in this Saturday's spring game, which starts at 2 p.m.
I know, I know. I'm a sucker. It happens every year. A season starts with great potential and ends with abject disappointment and a minor bowl game. But I don't care. I'm in on the 2007 squad and I'm ready to see what they bring to the field this week.
Fans will finally get their first glimpse of glory this weekend. Like any other season, we've got plenty of questions to be answered.
The first of these is a question even infrequent football fans tend to ask: what's the deal with Al Groh?
Football pundits have debated this offseason whether or not Groh is on the hot seat this year. Some are saying another miserable season will end Groh's career in C-ville, while others believe that no matter what happens to Groh in his seventh season, he's not at risk to lose his job.
Groh's contract lasts through the 2010 season. It also stipulates that should Virginia fire him "without cause," like not winning enough, he will receive his salary (about $2 million) times the number of years left in his contract. In other words, should Virginia fire him at the end of 2007, they'll owe him $6 million. And that's the reason why many have come to believe that Groh is safe in 2007. But if the wins don't go up this season, it will only get easier and easier for the athletic department to cut Groh's contract early. As for now, we all hope this will be a non-issue.
Meanwhile, questions still arise on the field. Seniors Chris Gould and Noah Greenbaum are competing for the position of placekicker. Gould went 11 for 19 last year, while Greenbaum was one for two.
Sophomore quarterback Jameel Sewell is undergoing a shorter practice schedule due to surgery on his wrist during the offseason. Virginia recruited quarterback Peter Lalich from Springfield, Va., who is considered one of the top QB's in the nation. At this point, no one knows whether he will redshirt in 2007 or if he will suit up immediately. Should Groh redshirt him and Sewell struggle early, expect fans to raise fury and call for Littlepage to exercise his $6 million option on Groh.
In general, the 2007 edition of the Cavaliers have more reasons to smile than frown. Virginia had 19 of 22 starters returning for 2007 until junior wide receiver Kevin Ogletree tore his ACL, taking himself off the roster until 2008. That lowered the number to 18. Of the four spots to fill, three are offensive ball carriers.
On defense, the Cavaliers return an impressive squad led by senior Chris Long. Behind him are junior Jon Copper and sophomore Jeffrey Fitzgerald. Both had breakout seasons last year and are entering their second year as starters for the defense. With another year of experience under their belts, the defense should compete just as well as it did last year, if not better. Copper and Fitzgerald stand as two of the brightest spots on the Virginia roster going in to this week's spring game.
The fact is, we should expect a lot from this year's squad. They have plenty of starters fighting to keep their jobs, a stellar defense and fairly easy schedule.
A quick glance at the 2007 schedule brings a smile to my face. The hardest road opponent Virginia faces is a tattered, rebuilding Miami program Nov. 10. Virginia gets the luxury of playing at home against Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech. The Hokies seems to be the only national contender Virginia faces all season and the only game we have little chance of winning.
With an out-of-conference schedule consisting of Wyoming, Middle Tennessee State, Pittsburgh and Connecticut, and competition in a notoriously weak ACC, we should all have high expectations for 2007. A 10-win season for Virginia is quite possible. An eight-win season is a must.
But we're miles from knowing if the Cavaliers have six wins, eight wins or even 10 wins in them. Saturday will help answer much more basic questions, like how Sewell's wrist is working, or who is most likely to take Ogletree's starting wide receiver spot.
I can be realistic. I know that an easy schedule, a load of returning starters and a talented defense don't guarantee a winning season. But this is my last chance. Why not get my hopes up? Like always, odds are with the Cavaliers. And even if they do take a rather characteristic Cavalier plunge, I'm along for the ride. Who's got a parachute?
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