Yes, I like hypotheticals.

Assuming that this sets the ACC to be destroyed, what will happen to UVa?

Just a question first:

1) Is UVa joined at the hip with VT?

I think that if the answers are no and yes, respectively, UVa would end up heading to the B1G. Very appealing to me. Hopefully they would take us.

If it is yes and yes, then SEC would be a likely landing spot, since I haven't heard much about VT and the Big 12. I prefer the Big 10 to the SEC.

And, we could end up staying in the ACC. Two ways this could happen: first, ACC doesn't actually get gutted and maybe replaces a few teams with somewhat equal teams (EX: FSU leaves, ACC gets Notre Dame). Second way, the Hoos stay in likely the fifth league in college football, and end up being maybe a high-level mid-major, like say, Utah was. Very unappealing.

What do you think is best for UVa, and where do you think they will end up in the superconference era?

Coming off of a narrow but spectacular victory over the Princeton Tigers, the Cavaliers travel to Philadelphia this weekend for a second round NCAA match-up with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Notre Dame is a relative newcomer to the world of college lacrosse, though their performance in recent years has been top-tier. They have appeared in the NCAA tournament every year since 2006, losing to Duke in the finals in 2010; head coach Kevin Corrigan has been an outstanding leader on and off the field.

Virginia's 2012 NCAA seeding is quite opportunistic. The Cavaliers match up well against the Fighting Irish, with a wicked offense and a stifling defense that shut down a vaunted Princeton offensive unit. Readers may be questioning Virginia's offensive capability, and at this point in the season they are certainly trending downward; before stumbling against Duke, Virginia averaged just over 13 goals per game. In the four games since and including Duke, Virginia has been averaging 7.5. These numbers may appear alarming, but there are a few caveats. Many of our higher-scoring games came against lesser opponents like VMI, Vermont, and Mount St. Mary's, thus our early season numbers are certainly inflated. I would treat every Duke game as a statistical outlier, at least until such point in time where the Blue Devils are no longer Cavalier Kryptonite. Tyler Fiorito, Princeton's goalie, was a man on fire during last Sunday's game; Virginia could easily have scored another 5-7 goals on fairly routine one-on-one looks, thus Princeton remains somewhat of an outlier as well.

In my opinion, this 2012 Virginia squad averages in the range of 9-13 goals against top-tier opponents. I expect our offense to come out firing against Notre Dame, for a couple of reasons. Matt White being substituted in at attack makes a big difference on the field; he is a threat to score from behind the crease as well as nearly any point 0-10 yards in front of it. He keeps pressure off of Steele Stanwick, assists with quarterbacking, and has excellent dodging skills to complement midfielder Colin Briggs. If our midfielders can initiate close dodging either in the alley or from goal line extended, this creates more open looks for our talented spot shooters Rob Emery and Chris Bocklet. Colin Briggs has come on strong in the late season, and a few weeks of needed rest should have the boys ready to go.

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The Richmond Times-Dispatch has been reporting on their website for the past few days that Tony Bennett has signed a 5 year extension, locking him up through 2019. There's no increase to his annual $1.7 million salary, but he will get a half-million dollars if he is still employed with the University for the 2014 season. Strangely enough, I haven't heard any talk of this anywhere other but the RTD, who has finally decided to report on something other than Eagle-Cam and murder-confession-for-chicken-dinner bargains.

Can anyone out there confirm this story?

So a playoff is (almost) official now. How will this affect Virginia (if at all)? I don't think this changes much, as the Hoos would still need to run the table to reach the championship game in the BCS and even now UVa would still need to win all their games, or at least go 12-1 and win the ACC. Even then, Virginia might not be top 4, because there could be undefeated B1G, SEC, Pac-12, and Big 12 champs who would be held in higher regard than the ACC champion. Basically, how does a playoff affect Virginia, and what do you think about the playoff?

Country Club Prep is having a facebook contest where the preppiest kid on the block will win a $500 gift card. Imagine ALL THAT SEERSUCKER AND MADRAS. All you have to do is click on this handy link and then vote for your boy, Brian Leung. He's the dashing fellow wearing various pastels and playing croquet, all with that beautiful red solo cup in the background.

Vote early and spread the word. Help me make UVA proud.

After taking a look at the offense in Part One of the Depth Chart breakdown, we look at the defensive side of the ball in Part Two. The defense has a lot more question marks and new faces this year, as well as the biggest recruiting need, Linebacker. Replacing all the departing players with fresh blood is a daunting task, but as Corey Mosley says, "We ain’t scared of nothin’ baby!"So without further adieu, here’s where Virginia’s defense stands now, and the moves they could make on the recruiting trail in 2013 and beyond.

Defensive Tackle

Current Depth Chart:

Both starters from last year, Matt Conrath and Nick Jenkins, are gone. Conrath made a major impact on both defense and special teams in 2011, with two forced fumbles and three blocked field goals. He will be tough to replace. As things stand heading into April, Sophomore Chris Braithwaite and Senior Will Hill are penciled in as the starters. Two others who could also see playing time at the position are redshirt Freshman David Dean, and Junior Justin Renfrow. Renfrow, a mountain of a man at 6’6’’ 300, could be effective in eating up blockers in the middle and opening up lanes for pass rushers coming off the edges in Jim Reid’s defense. A couple other redshirt freshmen, Vincent Croce and Marco Jones, basically round out the Depth Chart at the position. The only Defensive Tackle commit in the 2012 class (unless one of the Defensive End commits grows into the position) is Tyrell Chavis, who is expected to prep at Fork Union this fall, and enroll either in January or in the summer of 2013.

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Flowers are blooming, pollen is in the air, and Spring Practice has begun for the Virginia Cavaliers. Every year, Spring Practice gives the Coaching Staff a great opportunity to evaluate their talent and depth, as well as help determine the winners of key position battles for the upcoming fall campaign. Spring also marks the beginning of a new recruiting cycle for the Cavaliers. In part one of a two-part series, we look at the UVA Offensive Depth Chart, and what it means for the 2013 recruiting year.

Quarterback:

Current Depth Chart:

At this point last year, the Quarterback situation in Charlottesville was anything but settled. Eventual incumbent Michael Rocco was in a four-way dead heat with Ross Metheny, Michael Strauss and early enrollee David Watford for the starting spot. Heading into this years’ Spring Practice however, the position is much less chaotic. Rocco is solidly in the Starter’s role; Strauss and Metheny transferred to Richmond and South Alabama respectively, and David Watford has been relegated to backup duty. Early enrollee Greyson Lambert is participating in Spring Practice and at 6’5’’ 200, he certainly looks the part. Lambert, along with fellow 2012 QB commit Matt Johns are expected to redshirt this season, while adjusting to the college game.

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We've got a group of UVa alums going down to New Orleans for a bachelor party this weekend. Can anyone recommend a bars where they may be playing the Cavs in the ACC tournament on Friday (and, fingers crossed, Saturday and Sunday)?

As the SEC tournament is going on in New Orleans that weekend, I'm thinking an ACC-friendly bar may be harder to find than I'd hope. Any recommendations are much appreciated!

http://hamptonroads.com/2012/02/how-does-james-farrows-transfer-affect-hokies-plans-secondary

This link has James Farrows transferring from the Hokies.
No word on where he goes.
Any chance possible he'd come to the light side and join the Cavs?
I mean it isn't like our secondary is stacked this season and Farrows was a true freshman (not redshirted) who played last year so it'll be a year before he can play but when recruited from high school he was ranked #40th overall in prospects, #2 athlete I believe also.

Anyone else want to recruit him?

I think it'd be great for London and the Cavaliers.

I recall one of the great comebacks in elementary school being "I can do what I want, it's a free country." It was always a solid choice, given the breadth of knowledge of constitutional law possessed by the typical 8 year-old.

I raise this because there was a regrettable incident at the UVA-Miami basketball game Saturday night.

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