By Jerry Ratcliffe

Virginia has arrived at midseason with a 5-1 record, 3-0 in ACC play and a No. 19 national ranking. With the second half of the schedule deemed more than manageable, the Cavaliers appear primed to return to a bowl game for the first time since its 2019 appearance in the Orange Bowl.

Here’s what some of the national observers are projecting for the Wahoos in the postseason:

CBS Sports: Virginia vs. Mississippi State in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte. This would be an extremely popular destination for UVA fans, which already has a healthy fan base in the Charlotte area. Virginia is 3-0 in the Charlotte bowl, having lopsided wins in all three appearances: vs. West Virginia in the 2002 Continental Tire Bowl; vs. Pitt in the 2003 Continental Tire Bowl; and vs. South Carolina in the 2018 Belk Bowl.

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach: Virginia vs. South Carolina in the Taxslayer Gator Bowl. The Cavaliers are 0-2 in the ancient Gator Bowl, with George Welsh’s 1991 team getting blown out by Oklahoma and Al Groh’s 2007 squad losing a late-game decision to the late Mike Leach’s Texas Tech “Air Raid” team in Jacksonville.

ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura: Virginia vs. TCU in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. The Cavaliers have a long history with this bowl, which has gone by various names such as the Citrus Bowl, the Carquest Bowl and the Micron PC Bowl. But UVA has never tasted victory in this postseason game, once played in Miami before moving to Orlando, where the game is presently based.

Welsh was oddly 0-4 in the game, losing a close battle to QB Jeff George’s Illinois team in the 1989 Citrus Bowl; losing to Boston College in the 1994 Carquest Bowl; dropping a game to Miami in the ‘96 Carquest; then getting blown out by Illinois in the 1999 MicronPC Bowl.

UVA has faced TCU in postseason play once, with Welsh’s Wahoos beating Pat Sullivan’s Horned Frogs in the 1994 Independence Bowl.

Notably, the Pop-Tarts Bowl had a scout at Virginia’s win over Florida State two weeks ago.