ACC Previews continue with Virginia football.
Best / Worse Case Record for :
Louisville | Miami | Duke | Georgia Tech | Boston College | Pittsburgh | Florida State | Virginia Tech | NC State | Clemson | Syracuse | North Carolina | Wake Forest
Virginia
Bronco Mendenhall has his stamp on Virginia. The Hoos are tough, hard-nosed, physical and well coached. Even after a 1-4 start in 2020, they managed to win 4 of their final 5 games to finish the year at .500. This was following 17 wins the previous two season. When I think of Virginia in 2021, I think do not underestimate a Bronco Mendenhall coached team.
Will Go 8-4 (5-3) if:
QB Brennan Armstrong takes another leap forward. Armstrong will enter 2021 as one of the more underrated QBs in the ACC, but the dual threat quarterback had over 2600 total yards passing and rushing in 2020. Virginia improved in the 2nd half of last season, just as Armstrong did. A 123rd ranked pass defense must get better, because it couldn’t be much worse. If they just make a 25 yard improvement from giving up just over 300 yards a game through the air, that will probably be worth a couple of wins. Games at UNC, at Miami, at BYU, and a home game at Notre Dame will be tough, but take one of those or split and every other game on the schedule is winnable. They do avoid the Atlantic’s three best teams – Clemson, NC State, and Boston College. That helps.
Will Go 5-7 (3-5) if:
If the Hoos 4 toughest games end up as losses. Virginia could easily go 0-4 in their games with UNC, Miami, BYU, and Notre Dame. That would require Virginia to go 6-2 in their other 8 games just to reach a bowl game. They still only have 1 win against Virginia Tech since 2003, and games at Pitt and Louisville are no gimmes. When your defense is coming off a season where it ranked nearly 100, it has to make some major strides. If Virginia doesn’t sweep Duke and Georgia Tech, that could really spell trouble.
