Wahoo Wire

Virginia opens the ACC season Saturday at noon with a contest against the powerful Tar Heels of North Carolina. The battle at Kenan Stadium will mark the 114^th round of “The South’s Oldest Rivalry,” with UNC holding the narrow edge, 56-53-4.

The Heels are big favorites heading into the matchup, thanks to both their own resume and Virginia’s ineptitude so far. North Carolina was ranked as high as #19 in the nation this year until they dropped a 24-7 decision at Georgia Tech last week. Ironically, the 0-3 Cavaliers enter the game ahead of UNC in the ACC standings, since they have yet to play an ACC game yet, while Carolina is 0-1.

Nobody knows what to expect from the Virginia side as the ACC season approaches. The dismal 0-3 start, leaving the ‘Hoos as the only winless team in any of the 6 BCS conferences, has left pessimistic fans thinking Virginia would be lucky to win even one game this year (Duke? Maryland?). Failure to defeat William and Mary at home, run a competent offense against TCU, and hold a 17 point lead at Southern Mississippi give us little reason to believe that Virginia can go into Kenan Stadium and leave with their first victory. ACC football, however, can be unpredictable. The Cavs scored an improbable win against UNC last year, and maybe they’ll turn things around this year Saturday, when the games really begin to matter.