They’re Not Just Hoos. They Are Nationally Ranked Hoos

For just the second time in a decade, Virginia fans woke up Monday morning able to talk at the watercooler about how their beloved Wahoos have a nationally-ranked football program.

When the Associated Press and USA Today top 25 polls were revealed Sunday afternoon, UVa (6-2, 4-1 ACC) appeared in both for the first time in nearly seven years.

In addition, the Cavaliers (ranked No. 22 in the coaches’ poll and 23 in the AP) became bowl eligible for the second straight season after Saturday’s win. That’s another feat that hasn’t been achieved in years — 13 in this case — that the team can scratch off the list.

The home victory over North Carolina itself was something no UVa team had registered since 2008.

Throw in the fact that UVa hasn’t won a Coastal Division title in the 13 years of ACC divisional play and therefore never played for an ACC Championship, and it’s certainly possible that this year’s team could wind up with one of the more memorable seasons in program history.

Coach Bronco Mendenhall took a page from Virginia basketball coach Tony Bennett, who once compared the accolades and the added attention to eating cotton candy.

“It takes a lot of time to eat it,” Mendenhall said, “you get all sticky, it’s not filling, and you usually feel worse when you’re done. So any acknowledging that stuff does nothing for us.”

Mendenhall admits that being ranked and earning praise can be addictive, “and feels really good,” he added, but that “every second we spend dwelling there is taking the us farther away from our objective.

“That’s my job, is to make sure we’re on point,” he said.

Coach Mendenhall took somewhat of a different approach when it comes to the talk and the possibility of winning the Coastal. After Saturday’s win, his players were openly admitting that they want to win the division. They “want the throne,” as sophomore linebacker Charles Snowden put it.

“I think in that moment when they’re saying, ‘We want the Coastal,’ I think it was just simply some clarity on [the fact that] it is possible,” explained Mendenhall, who qualified his team for a bowl appearance for a 13th time in his 14 years as a head coach. “We have a real chance, we’re acknowledging that.

“I don’t think it was in any other way, shape or form presented, other than maybe they just couldn’t help but say it because it’s new and exciting. So in that context, I think it was great. My job then is to say, ‘Okay, if that’s what you really want, let me help you understand what that’s going to take. Then the focus goes right back into what we need to do.”

Mendenhall was asked if Monday’s practice would be extra grueling just to keep the team grounded and not overconfident just because of the extra hype ahead of Friday’s primetime clash with Pitt.

“It might be if it was a Saturday game,” he said. “There is not time.”

Mendenhall believes the national rankings are “a complete waste of time” prior to this point in the season. He says now is “just the beginning of the homestretch,” as teams are going up against league rivals week-to-week, in which case just about anyone remaining on the schedule is capable of an upset that can reshuffle the whole deck.

Take this past week, for example — No. 6 Texas, No. 9 Florida, No. 15 Washington, No. 16 Texas A&M, No. 18 Iowa, No. 19 Oregon, No. 20 Wisconsin, No. 21 South Florida, No. 22 N.C. State, No. 24 Stanford and No. 25 Appalachian State all lost tough conference matchups, many to unranked opponents. As a result, seven of those 11 teams dropped out of the top 25.

“I think that the rankings are a by-product and maybe outside acknowledgement,” said Mendenhall, “and I think prior to week eight, the rankings have zero bearing other than possible intrigue to make players or fans feel better about themselves, and maybe the intrigue of a television matchup.

“Nobody can know [until the completion of week eight] what does this really look like. I think it was indicative this week of the number of teams that lost. The number of teams added is just now starting to become relevant.”

Mendenhall added that he thinks the timing of the first College Football Playoff rankings, set to be announced tomorrow night, is perfect.

“They have it right,” he said. “It no longer to me is relevant for anything before then.”

The last time UVa had a number next to its name was Thanksgiving week of 2011, which was also the last time the Cavaliers played for a division title, when Mike London’s squad came in at No. 24 and got blanked by sixth-ranked Virginia Tech. Before that, Virginia had not been ranked in the top 25 since late in the 2007 season under Al Groh, as that squad reached as high as No. 16.

Virginia went bowling four years in a row during the Groh era, from 2002-05, and since then have only appeared in a postseason contest three times (2007, ‘11, ‘17). After qualifying for the postseason last year, even though the result was far from desirable, the Cavaliers came into 2018 confident that they could repeat the feat.

“I just think it’s the New Standard,” said Snowden Saturday. “We expect to go to a bowl game now and so we’re obviously very proud that we qualified for a bowl game, but it’s what we expected to do going into the season. We’re happy, we’re going to celebrate, but we’re just moving forward.

“We’re definitely just taking it one game at a time. We’re going to celebrate our victory and enjoy everything, but we have a really good team coming in here on Friday and so we’re just going to get ready for that.”

So, to recap, the ‘Hoos are alone in first place in the Coastal, controlling their own destiny. They can win their fourth game in a row Friday for just the fourth time in a decade. They’re nationally ranked for the second time in that span. They’re going to a bowl game for consecutive seasons for the first time in over a decade.

There’s the possibility of putting an end to a certain 14-year losing streak (I’m sure you’ll hear much more about that in the weeks to come), and the Cavaliers can qualify for the program’s first ACC Championship game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on Dec. 1. Not too shabby for a team picked to finish in last place.

There’s still quite a bit to accomplish for this year’s team in November, and the players realize that. The veteran leaders will not let anyone forget last year’s tailspin at the end of the season. Being overconfident is exactly what led to the 1-6 finish to 2017, according to senior linebacker Chris Peace.

“It’s big,” Peace said of staying focused and not overlooking any remaining opponent, beginning with the Panthers Friday night. “Myself, [Olamide Zaccheaus], [Jordan Ellis], a lot of people from last year — we keep reminding everybody, ‘We were 5-1 last year. Don’t get complacent.’ And we’ve just been reminding each other the last two weeks about that.”

Bryce Hall added that the ultimate goal is just to go 1-0 every week and let the rest take care of itself.

“That’s our mindset,” said Hall. “Every team in the ACC is capable, and if we’re not focused on what’s exactly ahead of us, then that’s when upsets can happen. That’s when we can let things slip, so it’s important each and every week to be dialed in on who we have in that week and don’t lose sight of that.”