The Virginia football team put together another competitive road game – more on the grades in a moment – but couldn’t quite close the deal in a 31-24 loss to Louisville. Of course, some of it seemed a little bit out of UVA’s control.

I’m not going to spend any time (maybe a moment) whining about the officiating because that performance speaks for itself. Here is what I will say about the outcome of the game, how we got there, and what I hope will be the result of the travesty in Louisville.

The University of Virginia football team deserved better. Perris Jones deserved better. The fans deserved better. MUCH BETTER. The Cavaliers deserved the opportunity to win the game.

I think it is a common belief among serious and thoughtful college football fans that officiating is dreadful. Not taking action to fix this issue is how we got here. What I hope will be the result of the game in Louisville is the ACC and its leadership, the league’s AD’s and football head coaches, and fans, need to demand officials be graded annually by an independent resource, with ZERO affiliation with the ACC or the NCAA, on the following: integrity (yes integrity – I know it when I see it), judgment, consistency, accuracy (including missed calls), communication, and courage to stand up the hostile crowds, hostile coaches, and out of their lane TV announcers, etc.

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