The Virginia football team is 100 days away from the start of the sixth season of the Bronco Mendenhall era. It’s a critical season in many ways. Mendenhall rejuvenated the program following a lost decade of rare bowl appearances, many poor records, and dwindling fan interest. Now, the rebuilding effort sits in the “sustainability window” where the Cavaliers must prove the program can stack successful seasons together.

That’s an excellent starting point for TheSabre.com’s summer reading series: 50 Thoughts Before Virginia Football Kickoff.

Prior to Mendenhall’s arrival, UVA had posted four consecutive losing seasons with a combined record of 15-33. In fact, the Cavaliers owned eight losing seasons over a 10-year period. Mendenhall’s first season in 2016 added to the string with a 2-10 finish. Those 11 seasons marked the lost decade for Virginia football. 83 losses. Two bowl appearances.

The 2017 season provided the latest gasp for the program. Mendenhall’s second season produced a .500 record and a bowl bid. Mike London’s second season had resulted in a bowl bid too so while fans may have raised an eyebrow at the season, the response was tempered. The 2018 season provided proof of progress. That marked the first back-to-back bowl trips since 2004-2005 and the first bowl win since the Music City Bowl victory in 2005. The Hoos then claimed their first ACC Coastal Division crown in 2019 and went to the Orange Bowl.

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