ACC Football: Biggest offseason question for every team
By John Buhler
Virginia Cavaliers: Can this team make a jump under Bronco Mendenhall?
When Bronco Mendenhall dreamed of coaching a Power 5 team when he was back at BYU in Provo, did he think that he and his family would love living in an RV down by the river in Charlottesville? Then again, maybe that was part of the plan all along?
Either way, no, it was not a good first year on the Mendenhall era for Virginia Cavaliers football. After going to a bowl game every year he was the head coach of the BYU Cougars (2005-15), Virginia went 2-10 (1-7) in 2016.
Needless to say, Virginia will again probably be the worst team in the ACC this fall. The Hoos, Duke and Syracuse were the only three ACC schools that didn’t go bowling last holiday season. Virginia has the longest active bowl draught in the ACC, having last played the Auburn Tigers in the 2011 Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl. Virginia went 8-5 that season.
Mendenhall is clearly seeing this massive rebuilding project through. He and his family have new house in Charlottesville and it can only get better for Virginia in 2017, right? The Cavaliers almost beat Lamar Jackson’s Louisville Cardinals that one time, so that was neat.
Given his reputation at BYU, we have to believe that Mendenhall will get four years to turn the Virginia program around. Mike London got four years to drive it into the ground. Let’s get excited to see what Mendenhall can do in year two?