2024 NCAAF Cheat Sheet: Virginia Cavaliers Stats & Odds

The Virginia Cavaliers seek improvement in 2024 coming off back-to-back three-win seasons under head coach Tony Elliott. Expectations are extremely low, with the Cavaliers projected for only 4.5 victories. However, they’ll face their share of challenges in the new-look Atlantic Coast Conference, which welcomes SMU, California and Stanford.

Virginia kicks off its season on Aug. 31 against FCS program Richmond at home, before visiting Wake Forest the following week to begin ACC play.

What can bettors expect? Read on as we break down the potential 2024 Virginia Cavaliers stats in our college football team preview.

At A Glance

Cavaliers Hope to Take Next Step in Rebuild

The Virginia Cavaliers won only three games last season, equaling their win total from 2022. Because of that, Tony Elliott faces increased pressure entering his third year at the helm.

As Virginia seeks to end its four-year bowl drought, improving the ACC’s last-ranked scoring defense (33.8 PPG allowed) will be paramount. The Cavaliers gave up 30-plus points six times last year, including a season-high 55 to rival Virginia Tech.

Some say progress was made — five losses came by one score, and the Cavaliers beat bowl teams in North Carolina and Duke — but moral victories only go so far in college football.

• The fact is, the Cavaliers begin this season as one of the biggest longshots (+15000) in the new-look ACC, ahead only Wake Forest (+20000) and Stanford (+40000).

Continuity could be key. The Cavaliers return eight starters on defense, and Anthony Colandrea and Tony Muskett will again battle for No. 1 reps at quarterback.

The Cavaliers, who open Aug. 31 against FCS school Richmond at home, must start fast before diving into the thick of ACC play. The non-conference slate also includes a home game against Maryland (Sept. 14) and trips to Coastal Carolina (Sept. 21) and Notre Dame (Nov. 16), which could prove challenging for a team still in a rebuild.

For more insight, here’s some projected 2024 Virginia Cavaliers stats.

“We’re excited for these new enhanced Nike uniforms. They blend a traditional look of Virginia Football history with updated jersey technology for the future. Our stripes are a timeless aspect of the UVA uniform and symbolize the unity it will take to reach new heights”
-Coach E pic.twitter.com/K3i10v4tXA

— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) July 16, 2024

Championship Odds: No Chance. None. Zilch.

Let’s cut to the chase. The chances of Virginia winning the national championship this season range somewhere from slim to none. It’d require the Cavaliers orchestrating one of the greatest turnarounds in college football history.

Remember, the Cavaliers — whose last bowl victory was in 2018 — are coming off four straight losing seasons. Their ACC record over that span is just 11-27. In a best-case scenario, they’ll win the six games needed to get back to a bowl game.

• That wouldn’t get the Cavaliers anywhere close to the CFP, let alone a national championship. Hence, their +100000 odds to win it all.

Even the most optimistic bettors would be wise putting their money elsewhere when assessing the potential 2024 Virginia Cavaliers stats.

Conference Odds: Longshot at Best

• Florida State (+290) and Clemson (+350) are slight favorites to win the ACC, with Miami (+400), Louisville (+650) and NC State (+700) rounding out the top five. Of the three newcomers — SMU, California and Stanford — only SMU (+1600) is seen as a threat to climb the pecking order.

Nowhere in that mix is Virginia, which has a .289 winning percentage against ACC opponents since making the Orange Bowl at the end of the 2019 season.

With their first two ACC games on the college football schedule against Wake Forest (Sept. 7) and Boston College (Oct. 5), the Cavaliers could get off to a decent start. Even so, they’d likely struggle to sustain that success.

Regular Season Wins: Low Bar to Clear

This is a low bar even for the Cavaliers, who are coming off back-to-back three-win seasons to fall to 6-16 under Elliott.

Then again, it speaks to how far this program has fallen. Many may forget that the Cavaliers won an ACC Coastal title and appeared in the conference title game in 2019. Sure, they were blown out by Clemson, 62-17, but it was reasonable to think they were on an upward trajectory.

No longer, of course, is that the case.

Virginia has some winnable opponents on its schedule, but trips to Clemson and Notre Dame look like sure losses. In fact, the Cavaliers will be underdogs in most games. In that case, they will need to pull off an upset or two to surpass expectations and reach five wins.

To Make Playoffs: Better Luck in the Future

• Again, even if everything breaks right, Virginia isn’t a playoff team. In all likelihood, the Cavaliers’ only path to the expanded 12-team field is an ACC title, and the odds of that happening are +15000 per college football lines. Frankly, those should be longer.

Virginia may reach that level again at some point, but it won’t be this season. There’s simply too much to overcome after going just 3-9 in 2023. Count on it.

For college football picks, betting odds and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine

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