Normally, a prime-time, nationally televised holiday game wouldn’t qualify for “under-the-radar” status. But Monday night’s meeting between new ACC rivals SMU and Florida State carries a bit more weight than your normal season opener.
And it’s one that Virginia fans should watch–not just because the Cavaliers face both teams in the next six weeks, but because it could help determine their competition for a spot in the ACC championship game in December.
Why this game should be on UVA’s radar
SMU was picked second behind Miami in the preseason poll of ACC media. (Virginia was sixth.) Florida State is desperately trying to preserve coach Mike Norvell’s job and faces a brutal early-season slate that also includes Alabama, Virginia, Louisville, and Miami. A slow start could mean a midseason pink slip for Norvell, similar to the ones LSU’s Brian Kelly and Penn State’s James Franklin received last year.
So expect a vigorous effort from the Seminoles on their home field, with the nation watching. They didn’t exactly overwhelm New Mexico State in their opening 34-17 win, but they have one of the ACC’s most dangerous receivers in Duce Robinson. (Just ask Virginia’s defensive backs, who struggled to cover him in last year’s dramatic double-overtime win.)…