Virginia

The University of Virginia was founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819, and the folks at UVA never let you forget it. It is one of the most beautiful places in the South, with a glorious collection of lovely old classical buildings and wide lawns. It is also one of the very best universities in the South, and is generally regarded as the best public university in America outside of the University of California. Every parent in Virginia -- especially in the hyper-competitive counties of Northern Virginia -- is intensely aware that if their child is accepted at UVA, he or she can get a high-quality education at a remarkably low price. For better or for worse, almost every child in Virginia is ultimately judged by whether they were worthy of admission to Mr. Jefferson's University -- a fact that gives UVA an extraordinary presence in the Old Dominion.

But UVA is usually not very good at football. In fact, until George Welsh took over as UVA's coach for the 1982 season, the Cavaliers were arguably the worst major college football program in America. Welsh did a great job of turning the program around, and he tapped into the large amount of African-American talent in the Commonwealth. (In no Southern state do white people spend less time and energy on football than they do in Virginia). In 19 seasons, Welsh had a record of 134-86-3, which may not that spectacular to an SEC fan, but which made Welsh the winningest coach in Virginia history. Welsh was replaced by Al Groh, a very mediocre coach who went 59-53 at UVA, but who kept the job for nine years because of the low expectations among Virginia fans.

The current Cavalier coach is Mike London, who represents a significant break with past history. London is an African-American who grew up in the Hampton Roads region, which is the home of virtually all D-I talent in the Commonwealth. London led the University of Richmond to the I-AA national title in 2008, and UVA was hopeful that he could start bringing some of the talent in Richmond and Hampton Roads up to Charlottesville. Last year, in his first season, the Cavaliers went 4-8, and they started off 2-2 this year. But since then, they've gotten really hot, losing only to North Carolina State:

10/01/11: Virginia 21 - 20 Idaho (OT)

10/15/11: Virginia 24 - 21 Georgia Tech

10/22/11: Virginia 14 - 28 N. Carolina State

10/27/11: Miami (Fla.) 21 - 28 Virginia

11/05/11: Maryland 31 - 13 Virginia

11/12/11: Virginia 31 - 21 Duke

11/19/11: Florida State 13 - 14 Virginia

The Cavaliers are now 8-3 overall, and 5-2 in the ACC -- their best record in years.

Now they have the chance to capture the UCFC. The Cavaliers' only UCFC wins came in 1989, when they took the title from N.C. State and held it for two more weeks. Their overall record in UCFC play is 3-10.