Groh - playing politics?
Interesting tidbit on Virginia football - eight of the 24 players in Al Groh's 2006 signing class failed to qualify academically for admission to the university.
That's right - eight out of 24, fully one-third of the class.
To say that this seems a bit out of whack would be to understate things quite a bit - particularly given that every player in Groh's 22-player class of 2005 qualified.
Groh's response to questions on the topic at last weekend's ACC Football Kickoff - basically that everything is going according to plan - doesn't jibe, either.
Unless ... Groh was trying to make a point.
Go with me on this for a second. Groh has recruited well in his five-plus seasons in Charlottesville - very well - but hasn't seen the success in February translate to wins in months ending in -ber.
What better way to deflect attention from those failures than to start a war with the admissions office - essentially saying, We can't win if you don't let us go out and get the kids that we need to win.
I don't want to start any conspiracy theories here - so let me make it clear that I'm speculating big time on this one.
I will argue, though, that it makes more sense to me to say that Groh is playing politics with school administrators than it does to say that he suddenly forgot what the admissions standards are at his own alma mater.
- Chris Graham