In a way, UVa was playing in the Chick-fil-A Bowl with house money, having already cashed in on a season that certainly surpassed the expectations of most. Even playing with house money, however, you want to do well at the table … but this was a night where the cards were not in the Hoos’ favor. Let’s take a look at “10 Things I Learned” against Auburn in the bowl game.

Coach Mike London will need to continue the development of the UVa program.

1. The Curve. If you are a football nut, you sometimes get lost in the X’s and O’s of a football game, and I certainly can be as guilty as anyone when it comes to falling into that trap. When it comes to the Chick-fil-A Bowl, however, while the X’s and O’s certainly played a part in UVa’s loss, I think there was a bigger theme present. To me, this game – really, the end of the season, including the Virginia Tech game – were about the learning and talent curves finally catching up with Virginia in 2011.

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