THE COLUMN: Virginia vs. Syracuse Complete Preview

The most anticipated basketball football matchup in the ACC this year!

The Orangemen and their anthropomorphic orange mascot, Otto (antics included), make their first visit to Charlottesville for football since joining the ACC in 2013.  It's worth noting that we, too, tried out our own anthropomorphic mascot.  It's name was Sabre and, well, you can guess what happened to it.

Many saw this game as potentially the easiest ACC game for Virginia.  However, don't think so fast.  Syracuse is 3-2 and is playing well despite their disappointing loss to South Florida last week.  Virginia, on the other hand, is 1-4 and the prospect of a winning season seems questionable at best.

Virginia will hope to get back on track this week and beat Syracuse in front of a Homecomings crowd.  But hey, even if we lose, things aren't so bad.  After all, as Syracuse's coach Scott Shafer put it: "We're just so doggone lucky to be alive."  Watch the embedded video, you won't regret it.

Anyway, let's break down down this week's matchup in THE COLUMN.  Also, #BEATCUSE.