At the start of week three, ESPN’s Football Power Index has Virginia sitting at 11-1, a number that could be good enough to put the Cavaliers in the College Football Playoff conversation for the first time.
The updated projections paint a mostly favorable path, even if a few games got a little tighter this week. Virginia is still a heavy favorite in Charlotte, but West Virginia’s offense has pushed the numbers slightly in the Mountaineers’ direction after back-to-back strong outings. That said, West Virginia’s defense was well below average at home against Coastal Carolina.
Delaware’s odds also dipped after the Blue Hens nearly knocked off Vanderbilt on the road. Even so, Virginia may end up facing more resistance from its mid-major visitor than it first appeared.
Florida State, meanwhile, looks like less of a road problem by the week. The Seminoles let New Mexico State hang around longer than expected in week one, then got four SMU turnovers and still lost at home last time out.
Syracuse did not exactly inspire confidence in its first ACC game either, struggling to move the ball against Cal. The Orange still have to prove they belong in the ACC’s below-average tier.
SMU’s own profile got a little more curious after coughing up four turnovers and still winning at Florida State. Against Virginia, though, that kind of mistake margin would almost certainly be fatal.
Duke now looks more threatening than it did at first glance. The Blue Devils beat Illinois from the Big Ten, and this is shaping up as a high-floor team capable of hanging with anyone.
Wake Forest remains another defense-first question mark in a league full of them. The Demon Deacons did beat Purdue, which at least gives them something to build on.
California stayed steady in the projections, with Virginia still favored by nearly 91 percent. The Golden Bears looked lost against UCLA before grabbing a close win at Syracuse, so there is still plenty to sort out there.
North Carolina’s number moved up in a big way, though questions remain about the Tar Heels’ offense. They only won by 32 against a vastly inferior opponent.
And then there’s the one that stands out most. What had been close to a 50-50 tossup has now flipped, and Virginia is projected to win in Blacksburg, Va. for the first time this century.
In Other News...
Virginia Gets An Early Chance To Prove Something In Charlotte
Virginia gets an early measuring-stick game in Charlotte this week, meeting West Virginia at Bank of America Stadium in the Dukes Mayo Classic with both programs still unbeaten. It is the kind of nonconference showcase that can tell a lot about where a team really stands, and for Tony Elliott and the Cavaliers, the setting adds an extra layer of intrigue. Virginia has talked about its preparation and the value of playing in a venue with this kind of stage, where the margins tend to show up fast.
For the Cavaliers, this is also the first of two scheduled trips to Charlotte against the Mountaineers, which gives the matchup a little more staying power than a one-off neutral-site date. Virginia has reason to want a cleaner showing in Bank of America Stadium this time around, and the meeting arrives early enough in the season to shape how the rest of the schedule is viewed. A win would not settle anything, but it would offer a sharp answer to a basic question Virginia is trying to answer for itself right now. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Faces A Serious Defensive Test Before West Virginia Kickoff
Virginias defense is heading into its next nonconference matchup with a different kind of stress test, one that has Tony Elliott focused on more than just the final score. West Virginia brings an efficient, high-tempo offense that can make a defense work from snap to snap, with quarterback Michael Hawkins and running back Cam Cook both giving the Mountaineers production on the ground and keeping the pace moving.
For a Virginia unit that has looked solid in earlier games, the challenge is about sustaining that level while adjusting to a style that does not give much time to breathe. The Cavaliers are also dealing with a likely defensive tackle injury that adds another layer of uncertainty up front, just as they prepare for an opponent built to press that weakness quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Former Virginia Standouts Are Already Forcing Bigger NFL Roles
Week 1 is hardly enough time to draw sweeping conclusions, but several former Virginia standouts wasted no time making themselves part of the conversation at the next level. Olamide Zaccheaus filled in as Atlantas emergency quarterback and running back, Malik Washington led Miami in targets while also helping on special teams, and Malachi Fields made his NFL debut with the Giants and came away with two catches.
The most intriguing early returns may belong to the players who flashed more than one way to help. Jonas Sanker led the Saints in tackles and came close to adding a score, while Dontayvion Wicks found the end zone for Philadelphia, a reminder that Virginias recent NFL pipeline is already producing players who can push for bigger jobs. For a program that has spent years trying to turn college production into pro staying power, that kind of first-week impact is a welcome sign. [Read more 🡒]