Virginia head coach Bronco Mendenhall landed in the 32nd spot out of CBS Sports’ ranking of the 65 Power Five football coaches, down six spots from his position (#26) in last year’s ranking.
Here’s what CBS Sports had to say:
“Bronco was on the precipice of our top 25 last season, but after a rough start to his Virginia tenure, he tumbles a bit in the rankings. Last year's 2-10 mark was Mendenhall's first losing season as a head coach. Will 2017 be his second?”
Virginia’s expectations are relatively low again for this coming season, but perhaps a friendlier schedule - which features William & Mary, UConn, and Indiana - will allow the Hoos to crack bowl eligibility for the first time since the 2011 Chick Fil A Bowl.
Within the ACC, Mendenhall beat out #59 Dave Doeren (NC State), #51 Dino Babers (Syracuse), #50 Steve Addazio (BC), #46 Dave Clawson (Wake Forest), #43 Pat Narduzzi (Pitt), and #34 Justin Fuente (Virginia Tech). Larry Fedora (UNC) at #26 was the only ACC coach ahead of Mendenhall in the first release of the rankings, which covers numbers 26-65.
The Virginia football season kicks off on Saturday, September 2, against William & Mary.