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What is UVA Football's Statistical Outlook for the 2nd Half of the Season?

UVA needs to go 4-2 in the 2nd half of the season to make a bowl game, but has struggled in the back halves of seasons recently.

Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports

Now that the Virginia Cavaliers have reached the halfway point of the season, UVA needs to go 4-2 in the second half of the season in order to make a bowl game. Unfortunately, the Hoos have only finished a season that strong once in the previous five seasons under Mike London. That was back in 2011, not surprisingly the last and only time they made a bowl game in that stretch. Even in the last two years of the Al Groh era the Cavaliers went 2-10 in the second halves of the schedule as seen in the chart below.

UVA Football 2nd Half Record

So in the past seven seasons, Virginia has only gone 11-31 in the second halves of seasons. The Hoos opponents in the second half of the season are UNC, GT, Miami, Louisville, Duke, and VT. The Blue Devils are the only ranked team, and Louisville, VT, and GT currently have losing records. That sounds like an opportunity to get four wins out of those six games. However the chart below shows how UVA has done against those opponents during Mike London's tenure.

UVA Football 2nd half opponents

Virginia has only gone 2-18 against North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Duke and Virginia Tech in the past five seasons. Somehow the Cavaliers have beaten the Hurricanes four out of the past five seasons, and may be a large reason why Miami's coach Al Golden is on the hot seat in Coral Gables. Hopefully the Hoos can keep the momentum coming off of the Syracuse win and finish the season strong with a bowl game. If not, basketball season starts a day before the Louisville game.