Answer on Groh’s fate linked to other questions about Cavaliers

GREENSBORO, N.C. From his office at the McCue Center, Al Groh will confront dozens of questions about his Virginia football team in the coming weeks.

Can Vic Hall become a capable starting quarterback despite not playing the position regularly since he was a high school senior in 2004? Will the Cavaliers find the consistency they have long enjoyed at linebacker despite losing three of four starters?

Might the spread formations used by new offensive coordinator Gregg Brandon spark Virginia, which ranked 105th of 119 teams nationally in yards per game last season?

But the one question Groh will not confront -- at least not publicly and certainly not with his players -- is the most significant for the future of Virginia's program: Will Groh keep his job past this season?

"It's not about me," Groh said yesterday at ACC media days. "It's about the team. I don't address it with me, so why would I address it with them?"

Asked if he considers his job security at all, Groh shook his head. Yet it seems difficult for even the most optimistic of Virginia fans to ignore this issue, which, of course, will resolve itself based on how well the Cavaliers answer the questions Groh is willing to consider.

Groh, who turned 65 earlier this month, is entering his ninth season in Charlottesville. He will earn about $2 million from a contract that is set to expire after the 2011 season. After each of the past three seasons, Virginia had the option of adding a year to the end of Groh's deal. The school did it only in 2007.

The Cavaliers went 9-4 that year and played in the Gator Bowl. Groh was named ACC coach of the year. But in 2006 and 2008, they finished 5-7 and missed a bowl. Considering Groh's less-than-sterling ACC record to date, 34-30, how many games will the Cavaliers have to win this season for him to stick around?

That remains uncertain. Clearer, though, are the particulars of Groh's contract. If Virginia fired him, it would essentially owe him the balance of his deal, about $4 million, as a buyout. If Virginia wants to keep him around after 2011, it would need to rework his contract, because the provision for a year to be tacked onto the contract existed only for the past three seasons.

After last season, Groh wanted the additional year and argued with school officials that he needed it for recruiting. Players want to know that the coach who signs them won't soon be gone. But Groh was unwilling to renegotiate the contract and reduce the buyout.

Groh, often reluctant to make big-picture assessments of his tenure, was unsurprisingly hesitant yesterday when asked to do just that, in light of Virginia's recent bowl absences. He listened to the question, then sat in silence for 13 seconds, his lips pursed.

"[We] try to do the best we could every year," he finally said. "We're not perfect. Learn something along the way. We see every season as its own season. And we'll leave the assessment to everybody else."

Despite his evasiveness, Groh understands the nature of the college football coaching business, understands that, as he often says, there are no medals for trying. Yet he is unlikely to single out one season as more important than others, even if at least one of his players recognizes how much this season could impact Groh's future, and all the questions surrounding it.

"We're very aware of that," Hall said. "We work hard to win games, not only for ourselves but for coach. Because he puts in hours. And a lot of people don't understand how many hours he puts in on his job. He's at the McCue Center day in, day out. Monday through Sunday during the season, his car is never gone. For us to go out and help him, it's something we work hard for. It does create a sense of urgency. We understand that."