2018 Virginia Cavaliers Season Win Total Picks and Predictions for NCAA Football

2017 Record: 4-8

2018 Las Vegas Season Win Total: 5.0*

2018 Season Win Total Picks NCAA Football: 'Over'

Bronco Mendenhall was given nearly 18 million reasons to leave BYU and take over the Virginia program. But that doesn't mean that it was the right decision.

Mendenhall was 99-43 in his career at BYU before being lured to Charlottesville. He is just 8-17 in his two years at UVA. And as I look at this year's team, I don't see a lot of reason for optimism. Not only was this an odd fit from the start, but I feel like Mendenhall sold himself short by taking over the Cavaliers job. Seeing the recent coaching turnover in the Pac-12, I think that Mendenhall would've had his pick of the litter if he had stayed in Provo.

But here we are. Virginia made a bowl game last year. But they were humiliated 49-7 by Navy in the Military Bowl. Any postseason appearance this season would have to be considered a major accomplishment.

Mendenhall had good fortune with East Carolina transfer quarterback Kurt Benkert. The coach is hoping to strike gold twice with Arizona State/junior college transfer Bryce Perkins this year. Perkins will likely battle with Texas transfer Matt Merrick for the starting job, but either would be hard pressed to match Benkert's production from last year.

Four-year starter and second-team all-ACC receiver Olamide Zaccheaus gives the UVA offense a playmaker. But this team needs to find a running game after finishing No. 127 in the country in rushing last season.

The Cavaliers welcome back eight defensive starters but do lose their top two tacklers. Departed Micah Kiser and Quin Blanding combined for a ridiculous 282 tackles last year. Virginia was No. 7 in the nation in pass defense last season. But some of that was because they were so easy to run against (No. 101).

The Cavaliers look like the worst team in the ACC. They do have two layups against Richmond and Liberty. But they have to travel to Indiana to face a team that beat them by 17 last year. And their fourth nonconference game against a talented Ohio squad is not a walkthrough.

The Coastal is by far the weaker of the two ACC divisions this year, which is a benefit. But the Cavs would have to get at least three wins in league play - something they have accomplished in three of the past four years - in order to get over 5.0 wins. They do host UNC and Pitt. And they could be good for an upset at Duke or N.C. State.

Again, I don't think this team is any good at all. But so much about college football revolves around the schedule. And UVA has one of the easier schedules of any team in this league, and I think they will get five or six Ws.

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