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Ok, the title is totally a lie, and I’m not even referencing London, England. Mike London, the second year head coach of the University of Virginia has done a great job, and I am assuming he’s already beloved in Charlottesville, Virginia, where the Hoos or Cavaliers, whatever their preferred title is, play their football.

After Maryland beat Miami in front of a suddenly impassioned fan base, I was pretty impressed, and wrote an article about Randy Edsall, the new Maryland coach who brought the UConn football program from Div II to the Fiesta Bowl. After that win, they beat Towson, and that’s about it. Actually that’s literally it. Towson and Miami are there only wins on a 2-9 (they’d finish 2-10) season. They even lost to Temple– by 31.

So while I may have been wrong about Randy Edsall in Maryland, one of the other new ACC coaching hires I was high on, Mike London, is on his way to ACC Coach of the Year and hopefully the ACC Championship Game. I should have wrote a post about him, instead of Edsall, and I’d be looking pretty smart right about now. (To be fair it took Mike London two seasons to figure it out in Charlottesville, and I think Randy Edsall has a chance to bounce back in 2012.) After a 4-8 season last year, London’s UVA squad has a good chance to reach nine wins in 2011.

Mike London has turned around a paltry UVA football program that has only won three ACC games in the last two seasons. While they lost on the road to UNC and at home to Southern Miss early in the season, it seems they’ve improved as the year has continued with a shocking win against a GT team that was ranked #12 at the time and most recently a win against a FSU football team that was finally playing good football again. Now they have a chance to beat their in-state nemesis, Virginia Tech, and punch their ticket to Charlotte for the ACC Championship game. They’re underdogs at home, but to even be playing meaningful football games this late in the season, is a huge step for that program. I hope Scott Stadium is packed and loud.

Kudos on a great year Mike London, and UVA fans. Clemson fans and alumni like myself wish you luck against the Hokies on Saturday. Hopefully we’ll see you in Charlotte.

Is there any question that Mike London should win the ACC Coach of the year? It was Dabo Swinney’s, until the Tigers season began looking like a classic Clemson letdown (please beat USC). If not London for ACC COY, then who?

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