CBS Sports Is The Latest National Outlet To Leave UVA Out Of Its Bowl Projections

Sep 14, 2024; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers head coach Tony Elliott walks back to the sideline after checking on an injured player against the Maryland Terrapins during the second half at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

College football programs are always searching for bulletin board material and there will be no shortage of it for the University of Virginia. The Cavaliers, who have not been to the postseason under head coach Tony Elliott, are not being given much of a chance to make it this season, despite having arguably the easiest schedule in the power four.

After being left off of ESPN's preseason bowl projections, UVA did not make it onto CBS Sports Bowl Projections either.

Can this team surprise the nation?

Jul 22, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Virgnia quarterback Chandler Morris answers questions from the media during ACC Media Days at Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Despite the fact that this team was picked to finish 14th in the ACC, head coach Tony Elliott believes that his team is ready to compete this season:

"There's a lot of excitement surrounding this year's team. I absolutely love being around our young men. Another huge thank you to our administration, Dr. Williams, our donor base and staff for contributing the resources, the time and the effort to assemble the deepest and most complete roster that we've had in four seasons.

Speaking of the staff, we're one of only six Power Four programs to return our entire staff. This off-season we added 54 new players. 32 of those through the transfer portal and 22 of those being high school signees. I'd also like to add that our staff has gone about building to this point, and we've done it the right way. Three years ago on the front end we made a decision to honor the commitments of the young men that were committed to the previous staff. We also decided to honor the commitments of the young men that were currently on the roster, to embrace them and work alongside them until graduation.

Our current roster is very balanced. 46 percent of our players are upperclassmen and 54 percent are underclassmen. With the addition of the players that we added in the transfer portal, we added 850 games of college football experience.

We held a lead in nine of our 12 games last season, and we're hopeful that the added depth and experience will help us in working towards closing out games in which we have a lead.

As a staff and administration, we're hard at work building a competitive roster. The scholar athletes are hard at work on the grounds in the classroom. In the spring we set a football record with a 3.23 team GPA, and as a program we've been above a 3.0 GPA five of the seven semesters we've been on the grounds. In our seven semesters, we've averaged 77 members of our team accessing a 3.0 or Above Club each semester. This season we have seven home games, four of which are within the first five weeks, and our staff and players are excited to see our outstanding fan base pack Scott Stadium and create an environment that makes it the hardest for opposing teams to play in."

The Cavaliers have the experience and the schedule to make a run at the postseason for the first time since 2019. Let's see how this team responds to the doubt.

Virginia opens their season on Aug. 30th against Coastal Carolina.