Week 1 Bowl Projections: Latest Matchups Signal A Disappointing Season Ahead for Virginia

Will Virginia be able to make a bowl game this upcoming season or will they be left out?

Sep 2, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Virginia Cavaliers head coach Tony Elliott looks on from the sideline during the second half against the Tennessee Volunteers at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images | Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

It is officially game week for Virginia Football.

The Cavaliers have had a busy offseason that included 30+ players being brought in through the transfer portal, have coaching staff continuity, and as favorable of a schedule as there is in the country. Can head coach Tony Elliott parlay that into a bowl appearance for the first time since he took over as the head coach?

Another unfavorable projection

Nov 9, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Virginia Cavaliers running back Xavier Brown (0) runs on his way to scoring a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

There have been a number of bowl projections this offseason from national outlets and none of them have included Virginia. The latest comes from Scott Dochterman and Stewart Mandel at The Athletic, and they did not include the Cavaliers.

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 Saturday against Coastal Carolina.