Collegiate Times

For those of you who thought the Georgia Tech game three weeks ago was the Coastal Division championship game, think again.

Somehow, someway, the Virginia Cavaliers, who have been mostly forgotten about on a national level over the past few seasons, are in a position to play for their first-ever Coastal Division championship on Saturday.

At 8-3 and 5-2 in the ACC, the Cavs – just barely left out of this week’s BCS standings – will need to get by their bitter rivals from Blacksburg if they’re to travel to Charlotte for the first time next weekend.

Having won 11 of the past 12 meetings between the two teams, including seven in a row, the Hokies (10-1, 6-1) have put themselves in a position to compete for a national title game appearance, if a few games go their way over the next two weekends.

One of those games, of course, is the battle for the Commonwealth Cup, which will take place on Saturday in Charlottesville. Tech fans will be confident coming in, and with good reason. However, Virginia has been playing good football as of late and has enough weapons to give the Hokies a legitimate scare.

Here’s why I’m afraid of the Cavaliers:

FOUR-GAME WINNING STREAK

Few teams have been hotter than the Hokies over the past month, but Virginia might be one of them. Since starting the season 2-2, the Cavs have reeled off huge wins against Georgia Tech, Miami, and Florida State. Paced by the improved play of quarterback Michael Rocco, this team has really come on strong as of late, especially in last week’s 14-13 win over the Seminoles, when their defense came up big in several critical situations. It’s safe to say that Mike London is the worst thing to happen to Hokie football since Al Groh got fired.

PERRY JONES

Jones ranks fifth in the conference in rushing with over 79 yards per game. He is also first in the conference in receiving yards and receptions among running backs, with 416 and 41 respectively. He has five rushing touchdowns, and three reception touchdowns. Basically, UVa is going to get this guy a good amount of touches, and with good reason. He’s a dangerous threat, and his success, or lack thereof, on Saturday will determine how the day goes for the Cavalier offense.

CHASE MINNIFIELD

The senior cornerback from Lexington, Ky. isn’t having the greatest year statistically – just three interceptions and eight pass breakups – but, that can be easily explained: quarterbacks are simply not throwing his way. Similar to their rivals in Blacksburg, the Cavs are known for their line of above-average defensive backs (see Ronde Barber, Chris Cook, Ras-I Dowling, etc.) and Minnifield is no exception. I can’t imagine Logan Thomas will look his way all that much on Saturday.

WHY NOT NOW?

If there was ever a time that UVa was actually going to beat Virginia Tech, you’d have to think it would be on Saturday. I mean, they’ve lost 11 out of their past 12 games to their in-state rivals, and it’s clear that Mike London has turned this program around. But how long will he stay in Charlottesville? That’s a question Hoo fans might seriously have to worry about this offseason. He’s a stand-up guy and has said before that he wants to coach at UVa long-term, but history says that enough money can change anyone’s mind. And if he does leave, it’s not like Mike Londons grow on trees. It’d be tough for the university to hire a better coach than the one they already have.

Even though I think that the Cavaliers have a pretty good chance at knocking off a certain top-5 team on Saturday, I don’t think it will happen. Here’s why I’m not afraid of Virginia:

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A version of this article appeared in the Nov 26 issue of the Collegiate Times.