Watching Fresno State’s players storm the field at the end of today’s bowl game, a question came to mind: Would the Cavaliers have celebrated the same way had they won in that fashion? Of course not. They probably would have been relieved, not overjoyed. And that, in a nutshell, was the difference between the two teams at Bronco Stadium. One was excited to be there and played with passion and enthusiasm. The other never wanted to be in Boise in the first place.

Of course, who can blame Virginia’s players for not being excited about facing a second-rate team in a third-rate bowl? At best, we could have hoped they would play with pride, not passion, and efficiency, not enthusiasm. That seemed to be the case in the first quarter. After that, however, their efficiency dropped off and they couldn’t muster enough emotion to hold off the hard-charging Bulldogs. As a result, despite a third straight eight-win season, it’s hard to argue that UVa has a proud football program right now.

Honestly, the outcome of the MPC or MRI or E=MC2 Computers Bowl wasn’t going to change many people’s minds about Virginia’s season. The Cavs easily could have won this game – I’ll save that dissection for later – but would a victory have made you feel that much better about 2004? This felt like a loss as soon as UVa accepted the bid to the ACC’s No. 6 bowl. It felt like a loss when the ‘Hoos started struggling in the second quarter and when Fresno State tied it twice in the fourth. The ending only confirmed the sinking feeling that had been building ever since Blacksburg (maybe ever since Tallahassee).

Virginia entered the season with the image of an up-and-coming national power, a notion that gained steam during a dominating 5-0 start. The subsequent losses to Florida State, Miiami and Virginia Tech changed that perception long before the Cavs arrived in Idaho, and nothing that happened today was going to restore the program’s lost luster. No matter what, the Wahoos were going to have a lot to prove in 2005.

...