When UVa coach Al Groh was approached about adding a 13th game to his schedule, he jumped at the chance for a couple of reasons. One, his other option was to open the season a week later at Florida State. Two, because a dozen or more true freshmen are going to see action early and often and as far as Groh was concerned, the earlier, the better.

Because Virginia was to host the game, Groh was given a list of possible opponents. He could've picked a couple of teams that would have most likely been sure wins. But he picked the best team the list had to offer: coach Sonny Lubick's Rams, who have been picked as preseason favorites to win the Mountain West Conference.

Groh's Cavaliers were recently picked to finish eighth in the ACC by a media poll at the league's preseason kickoff. Sitting around a group of sportswriters in Pinehurst, N.C., Groh said he wasn't a bit surprised at the prediction. It was pretty much what he expected.

Maybe he expected it, but he doesn't have to buy into it.

"Pickers pick and coaches coach," he said Wednesday during Virginia's "Meet the Team Day" at Scott Stadium.

Coming off a 5-7 season marred by some key injuries, expectations are low but the excitement is high by fans who are still celebrating the arrival of one of the nation's top recruiting classes. Groh's team may be an underdog in most games but don't tell him so.

"I think that based on last year's results, everybody in the organization, including the head coach, feels the urgency to step it up," said Groh. "I want everybody in the organization to understand very clearly that there is a sense of urgency to get things done."

One step in that direction would be a win over Colorado State. It's a big deal if the Cavaliers win. Not so big if they don't.

One thing is certain, they had better be ready to play football when the Rams come to town. Lubick has coached his program to eight straight winning seasons, to six bowl games and five conference championships.

Colorado State is embarking on its most challenging schedule in the school's history. After Virginia, the Rams play Colorado, UCLA, Louisville and Fresno State, all bowl teams last season.

"We looked at our team and said, 'How good are we? Let's push the envelope,'" said Lubick. "You can push it a little too far."

While Colorado State has continued to gain national respect by winning on Saturdays, Groh is rebuilding his program toward that end. Most observers expect it to take some time, but Groh is an impatient man when it comes to winning.

"We want to win every one of them," Groh said Wednesday. "There's a very strong sense of urgency to get it going. Colorado State is picked to win its conference. We start the season with two teams picked to win their respective conferences [CSU and Florida State]. That's exactly what we want.

"As an organization, if your aim is ever to do anything other than win the championship, you're missing the target," said Groh. "Well, we're aiming to win the championship. We're playing two teams that are picked to be the champions of their leagues and that's what our team needs to be exposed to right away."

Because so many true freshmen are going to play such a vital role in forming Virginia's team, the coach isn't going to get a true feel for what his club is going to be like, play like, until it gets several full-pad practices under its collective belts.

But there is one thing that Groh wants from this team from Day One.

"My expectations [for the opener] would be at the very least that we will play very physically," said Groh.

Some of the freshmen have already been given Virginia's rather extensive playbook. Some of them gulped when they saw it for the first time.

"Heck, we didn't even have a playbook in high school," said Wali Lundy, one of Virginia's stud running back recruits who is expected to see playing time in the opener.

Groh said while he is depending on several freshmen to play, he's not going to overwhelm them with X's and O's, but rather rely on what these guys already know how to do.

"Michael Johnson knows how to catch punts and return them … Wali Lundy knows how to run kicks back … Ron Morton knows how to catch passes … Tom Hagan knows how to punt the ball … Daryl Blackstock knows how to sack quarterbacks," said Groh. "One of the things we want to try to do with young players initially is to put them in roles where they have developed expertise. We believe that's the best way to break in young players."

Groh knows football. That's why he's not buying the eighth-place pick.

You wouldn't want a coach who would.

Virginia's freshman football players came to town with plenty of hype, lofty expectations and impressive high school credentials. But just in case they also arrived with big heads, the team's veterans wanted to make one thing clear from the outset of the preseason practice period: This is our team, not yours. You have to fit in, not us.

Following UVa's first full-squad meeting Tuesday night at the McCue Center, several of the older players addressed the freshmen when the coaches left the room.

According to many players, the rookies were told in no uncertain terms that they were welcome additions to the team, but that they must respect their elders and buy into the team concept.

"I think the freshmen were pumped up a little bit too much when they got here," senior safety Jerton Evans said. "We had to humble them, and we did."

UVa coach Al Groh said that establishing good chemistry between the talented newcomers and the veterans would be a priority over the next three weeks before the Aug. 22 opener against Colorado State. About a dozen of the true freshmen - and maybe half a dozen redshirt freshmen - are likely to play in that game, Groh said.

All of the players ran together Wednesday. The Cavaliers will practice as a full team for the first time today - the official start of Groh's training camp.

Since the freshmen reported last Friday, they had four practices alone with the coaches before the upperclassmen arrived Tuesday.

Groh's impressions?

"As hyped as this group was, I think the talent level is every bit as good as it was supposed to be," he said during the team's media day Wednesday.

Still, Groh said, "We've tried to emphasize to them that in this league, talent is not enough. … There are certain veteran players on this team they ought to be able to take a look at and say, 'Whoa, if you really want to be a big-time college football player, this is what you've got to do.'"

Groh said there are a number of good role models among the older players, including Evans, receiver Billy McMullen, fullback Kase Luzar and linebackers Angelo Crowell and Raymond Mann.

Of course, the freshmen have to be willing to look up to the vets, and the vets have to be willing mentors. That should not be a problem after Tuesday's players-only meeting, they said.

"It went really well," senior safety Shernard Newby said. "I think freshmen everywhere in the country come in with a little cockiness about them. These guys definitely have talent. But they have to realize we're veterans and they can learn something from us. This is not the time for individuals to show what they can do. This is a team sport. We said, 'We want y'all to be part of this team, but work within the system.'"

Consider the message delivered. The freshmen seem to know their place. "We definitely don't think this is our team," said tailback Wali Lundy, one member of the incoming class. "We want to make an impact on the field and do whatever we can to help, but we know this is the veterans' team. We're here to learn from them. … They showed leadership [at the meeting]. They showed they're intense and they're about winning."

Added Tony Franklin, another freshman tailback: "They humbled us pretty well. They talked to us and told us what they expected of us. It's fine. We're not walking around like we're better than anyone else. We're coming in like regular first-years and trying to fit in."

Note. Most of Virginia's practices over the next nine days will be open to the public.

The Cavaliers practice at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. each day on the fields behind University Hall, with each session expected to last two hours. Fans who want to attend must check in at the reception desk in the football office of the McCue Center to pick up a pass. Admission is free.

All weekday practices from today until next Friday will be open to the public. Saturday's practices might be closed, and there is no practice Sunday.

McMullen, whom UVa coach Al Groh calls the best receiver in the country, beat Hamilton on a fade route and hauled in a pass over his shoulder.

"It was a learning experience," Hamilton said later with a smile and a shrug. "He's the best, and you get better by playing the best."

Thursday marked a significant step in the learning process for all of the Cavalier freshmen. They studied Virginia's playbook and worked out on their own most of the summer. For four days, they practiced by themselves before the upperclassmen reported.

But Thursday morning and afternoon, they were on the practice field with the veterans for the first time, giving them a truer sense of what college football is all about.

"It's high tempo - it's bang-bang-bang all day," said freshman quarterback Anthony Martinez.

"It's faster, a lot more intensity," Hamilton said. "But football is football. It will take a little while for the freshmen to get incorporated, but I think when we get used to everything, we'll be all right."

Groh is counting on significant contributions from his freshmen class, which was widely rated among the top 10 in the country. He said he liked how they meshed with the upperclassmen during their initial practice together.

"I saw a number of [veterans] at certain positions talking to younger players in between plays, giving them tips that would help them on the next play," Groh said. "Overall, I saw positive interaction between older players and rookies."

Some veterans said they were impressed with what they saw of the newcomers.

"They have a lot of talent, man - a lot of talent," said senior linebacker Angelo Crowell. "They just have to study and learn their stuff. Right now they're thinking a lot and that slows you down. But you can see they're athletic."

For starters. The first-team defense wore orange jerseys, giving an early indication of Virginia's starting lineup on that side of the ball.

For now, the starters are nose tackle Andrew Hoffman, defensive ends Chris Canty and Brennan Schmidt, outside linebackers Raymond Mann and Dennis Haley, inside linebackers Angelo Crowell and Merrill Robertson, cornerbacks Art Thomas and Jamaine Winborne, and safeties Jerton Evans and Chris Williams.

Second-team All-ACC safety Shernard Newby was not wearing an orange jersey.

He missed spring practice following shoulder surgery, but Groh said Williams has earned the first-team spot with his play, not because of Newby's absence.

For kicks. The competition at kicker is wide open, Groh said, with three main candidates: sophomore Bryan Smith, redshirt freshman Kurt Smith and true freshman Connor Hughes.

None of the three has kicked in a college game. Bryan Smith missed last spring with a knee injury, so Kurt Smith received all of the kicking reps at that time. Hughes, a recruited walk-on, was twice named to the All-Group AA team while at Lafayette High School in Williamsburg.

Another freshman, Tom Hagan, kicked a 52-yard field goal in high school. But Groh, who has named Hagan his starting punter, said he would prefer Hagan focus on just one position right now.

Extra points. One freshman, offensive lineman Damian Spradlin of Liberty High School, did not pass the team's running test Wednesday. So he spent Thursday running and walking around the practice fields with redshirt freshman receiver Scott Robinson. … Steve Holmes, a starting defenseman on Virginia's lacrosse team, was listed on the football roster but has decided not to play the sport this fall. He was a walk-on receiver last year and did not play in a game. … Today's practices, which start at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. behind University Hall, are open to the public. Fans are asked to pick up a free pass at the McCue Center reception desk.