Virginia was the surprise team in the ACC last season when the Cavaliers went into the season finale against Virginia Tech needing a victory to win the Coastal Division and play in the conference championship game.

But the Cavaliers lost that game 33-21, and nothing much has gone right with them since.

They blew a late lead and lost to Texas Tech in the Gator Bowl, lost a key offensive lineman when guard Branden Albert declared for the NFL draft, and then saw a half-a-dozen players declared ineligible for academic or, in one case, legal troubles.

And the spring failed to produce a clear-cut answer at quarterback, where three candidates are vying for the job held the last two years by Jameel Sewell, one of the players who ran into academic woes.

The Cavaliers also have lost their top two pass rushers (Chris Long and Jeffrey Fitzgerald), three starting offensive linemen, and two starters in the secondary -- not to mention both kickers.

Considering the fine line the Cavaliers walked in 2007, winning six games by five or fewer points with five of those one- or two-pointers, that's not exactly a ringing endorsement for the 2008 season, which begins with a visit from national contender Southern California.

"We have a very challenging road in front us," coach Al Groh told the Richmond Times-Dispatch in what may be the understatement of the preseason.

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