The current crop of Cavaliers has faced some great athletes and some great teams over the past three or four years, but they haven’t faced anything quite like what’s coming to town this weekend.

At this point, a total of 410 media credentials have been issued, a figure that includes television personnel for the national broadcast and 15 NFL scouts.

Point is, football is a lot more fun when teams are competing against the best and that’s what this Saturday is all about. Southern California, the best college football program in the country this decade, comes to town for a 3:30 p.m. showdown with Al Groh’s Wahoos.

Virginia coach Al Groh announced the winner of a heated three-way battle for a starting spot in the Cavaliers’ season opener Aug. 30 against No. 3 Southern California. The position pegged, however, was not nearly as glamorous as the most anticipated battle up for grabs.

The hush policy will likely continue until a candidate is named publicly or emerges to take the first snap against third-ranked Southern California on August 30.

Burrell, now a junior, earned early playing time last year and made his first — and only — sack against Duke. But he could not crack the starting lineup as his close friend, Jermaine Dias, kept first-team status.

Aaron Clark has been waiting three years for his chance to shine at Virginia. Now, entering his senior year with the Cavaliers, he hopes to get that 2,000-watt opportunity.

Coming out of high school in New Jersey in 2004, Byron Glaspy expected to get a shot at BCS football. He had no way of knowing just how far he’d come.

Don’t expect any long-winded conversations with Virginia starting cornerback Ras-I Dowling. If a question can be answered in 20 words, Ras-I can do it in 10.

More importantly, Koch is all smiles — and holding his breath — as he has remained healthy for the first time during a training camp.

Virginia coach Al Groh said Deke, who will turn 23 in November, was given the honor based on his “seniority” over sophomores Pete Lalich and Marc Verica.

Former Cavaliers fullback Kevin Bradley, 22, was found dead as a result of a single gunshot wound to the head, Lt. David Sportsman, a Fayetteville, N.C., spokesman announced to reporters on Thursday. It is unclear at this point, investigators said, if the wound was self-inflicted.

Despite having held just three practices, each of which was without full pads, Groh apparently was so tuned into the Cavaliers’ camp that he missed the latest development in the world’s most over-hyped sports drama.

The Byron Glaspy story seems to get better with every newly-written chapter.

Now 17 months removed from the season-ending ACL tear, the wide receiver is officially back in the mix and gearing up for his long-awaited return to the starting lineup.