2008 Virginia Cavaliers College Football Predictions Courtesy of Alex Smart, An Award Winning Football Handicapper featured on Touthouse.com. If you are betting on college football games this season be sure to purchase Alex’s college football picks and guarantee a winning NCAA season.

Virginia Cavaliers (9-4, 6-2 in 2007, 2nd place in ACC Coastal)
Al Groh and the Virginia Cavaliers have enjoyed success in the ACC over the past few seasons, but that success could be curbed a bit with only 11 starters returning from last year’s team that went 9-4 and played in its first New Year’s Day bowl game in several years. Not only must the team find a way to replace the #2 overall pick in the NFL Draft, DE Chris Long, but three other starters due to academic ineligibility and their top recruit from 2007 due to an off-season arrest.

2007 Highlight: In the final game for the Miami Hurricanes at the Orange Bowl, the Cavs crashed the party by spanking the Canes 48-0. Miami had no answer for Jameel Sewell and the Virginia offense, and couldn’t solve Long and the defense either. The offense racked up 418 yards, while the defense held Miami to 189 yards of offense and forced five turnovers.

2007 Lowlight: Though the season ended up being a success for UVA, it sure didn’t start off on the right foot. The team paid a rare visit to Wyoming, and was absolutely taken behind the woodshed. It was the worst offensive game of the year for Virginia, only mustering five first downs and 100 total yards, including -3 on the ground. Sewell only completed 11 of his 23 passes and threw a pair of interceptions.

Offensive Outlook: The offense took a major hit when Sewell was booted off of the team for his sub-par grades, and now must turn to little-used sophomore Peter Lalich to run the attack. The offensive line in front of Lalich is suspect after losing Brendan Albert to the NFL, but Lalich better find a way to stay healthy. None of the other QBs on the UVA roster have ever thrown a pass. If there’s a highlight in the offense, it’s their depth at running back. Mikell Simpson had a solid season a year ago, and Cedric Peerman returns in ’08 after suffering a season-ending injury in the middle of 2007. The three top receivers from a year ago all return, and they’ll be key in an offense that will look to throw the ball a lot more than usual this season.

Defensive Outlook: Not only do the Cavs have to fill in six holes in the defense from a year ago, they also have to replace former defensive coordinator Mike London. There is absolutely no experience up front on the defensive line. Fortunately, three of the four starting linebackers from a year ago return, and should help turn up the heat on opposing quarterbacks with their unconventional 3-4 look. Junior Vic Hall will have to be the captain of a secondary that also lacks much experience.

2008 Preview: It won’t get any bigger for Virginia than the first game of the season when the USC Trojans come to town. However, the likelihood of pulling off the upset is slim to none. Their second game provides an interesting match-up. London left UVA to become the head coach at Richmond. The Spiders will be in Charlottesville the first week of September. If Virginia is going bowling, they’d better have the necessary six wins in the bag before the last three games of the season, because games against Wake Forest, Clemson, and Virginia Tech will provide about as difficult a stretch as any team will have in the ACC this season.

2008 will be a success if… the team can continue to find ways to win close games. The Cavs played five games that were decided by two points or less last year and won all five of them. That grit and tenacity is a must if Virginia is to head back to a bowl game this year.

Prediction: 6-6, 5th place in the ACC Coastal