The doldrums are almost behind us, dear reader. We are so very close to being on the other side of the long offseason that we might as well sound the alarm. No sense in waiting for the actual games to arrive first.

Though technically the season began with Saturday night's opener between Miami and No. 8 (somehow) Florida, the real business picks up this weekend and in a few short hours, UVa will hold its first Monday availability of the season.

Week 1 has finally arrived.

It’s not entirely accurate to say Wahoo fans have been patiently waiting. Sure, ever since Bryce Perkins and Co. went through South Carolina like a hot knife through butter there has been a discernible excitement around this program. But the last 10 months have been full of excitement elsewhere too, which underscores the kind of backdrop that colors this particular place and time.

Beating the Gamecocks 28-0 in the Belk Bowl feels like a lifetime ago in some ways, and with Olamide Zaccheaus, Juan Thornhill, and several other key seniors gone the team feels different too. But only so much, in large part because the program is so well established. And that might be the thing that propels UVa to an even greater height this fall.

The schedule sets up in an interesting way. The Cavaliers open in Pittsburgh on Saturday night before hosting W&M, Florida State, and Old Dominion—each in varying degrees of (re)building. From there, they head to Notre Dame for the first time in school history in what will easily be the toughest matchup of the campaign.

Should Virginia figure out a way to return to Charlottesville for the first of its two bye weeks at 4-1 (or especially if the record sits at 5-0) then the expectations we have all been discussing since ACC Kickoff will feel like a lifetime ago, too.

The Hoos are the favorites to win the Coastal Division—a sentence based in fact that I’ve never offered—and in so doing are picked to make their first appearance in the league’s championship game. Should that come to pass, as critical as the opening stretch may be, it will be the post-bye matchups that cast the die.

After heading to Miami on October 11th, UVa will then play two of its next three on the road. Those four games include three teams with new head coaches and one that is replacing its veteran QB.

As important as the three-game homestand to end the season is—especially with an idle week in between the first and second of those three—it’s the stretch from that Friday night in Miami Gardens through November 2nd that will tell the tale. What Bronco Mendenhall and his staff have built thus far is designed to make the most of precisely this type of scenario. In order for the program to take the next step, success by way of consistency will be a necessity.

With Perkins back and so many key contributors (starters plus experienced players) returning on D, there’s plenty of reason to think that UVa can increase its win total for the third year in a row. It’ll take a more productive running game and a defense that not only learns how to be great without Thornhill and Chris Peace but one that can fill in Tim Harris’ CB spot opposite Bryce Hall, too. With Darrius Bratton lost for the year due to a knee injury, it seems likely that the Wahoos will rely on Nick Grant (among others) to man that post. And it’s fairly obvious that whoever is there, teams are going to take a lot of shots at them.

All told, UVa’s roster is primed for a big season. The core group is experienced and well seasoned. There are younger players who got a great deal of reps in 2018 that now add significant playable depth. It’s not going to be easy to replace the production of Zaccheaus or the reliability of Thornhill but for the first time in a long time the Cavaliers aren’t talent deficient.

In fact, their depth and playmaking ability across the board might be their biggest strength, even more so than cultural buy-in.

Perkins, of course, will be the key. If you have a cliche for “is important to his team,” No. 3 is it. In terms of productivity, he has to be slightly different than he was a year ago because teams will do their best to make other guys beat them. And as Mendenhall himself has said plainly this preseason, the running game and offensive line need to produce at a higher clip.

Do that and Perkins can become even more lethal this season, starting this week against a Panther defense that won’t have its best defensive lineman.

“This week.”

Feels good, doesn’t it?

JOIN CAVSCORNER TODAY!

If you are not already a member of CavsCorner, come join us and see what all of the buzz is about.

Click HERE to subscribe and get all of the latest news and join hundreds of other UVa fans in talking about Cavalier football, basketball, and recruiting. You won't be disappointed!