CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Nobody from Virginia has ever paid much attention to the attendance at the Cavaliers' final spring football scrimmage, least of all the head coaches.

That's why it seemed unusual in late March to hear coach Al Groh say that he thought it was possible to attract a crowd that was four times as large as last year's.

The crowd for last year's game was estimated at 5,000, although no tickets were taken and it was hard to spot spectators in luxury boxes or in shaded seats under the upper deck.

There might have been as many as 8,000 spectators in Scott Stadium, but, for the sake of argument, let's say Groh and Co. can put 20,000 people in the seats at 3:30 p.m. today for UVa's annual spring game.

"I think that would be a great game for around here," Groh said Wednesday in his final teleconference of the spring. "This game has never been tied in with freshman orientation or any of the other events that bring people to [campus] in the spring."

As usual, the game will be preceded at 1:30 by UVa's Fan Fest, but, in past years, a lack of depth has taken away from the game competition and created more of a picnic atmosphere.

Despite the thin numbers, Groh said if the team could get through the final workouts without additional injuries, the Cavs would be at least two-deep at every position.

Groh said that director of football operations Gerry Capone had done an unofficial survey of friends in similar positions, trying to determine what other schools do when their numbers run low in the spring.

"You'd be surprised at the number that aren't able to play a game," Groh said.

UVa has had a group of players who have been held out of spring practice for academic reasons, most notably offensive guard Branden Albert; a group of players who are rehabbing injuries; and two players, defensive end Chris Johnson and cornerback Phillip Brown, who are seeking reinstatement after a year's academic probation.

Moreover, three players were dropped from the roster prior to spring practice, including All-ACC linebacker Ahmad Brooks and safety Tony Franklin.

Still, Groh and his staff were contemplating a draft to pick the teams at mid-week, "although, if you've got four offensive tackles, you're not going to let one team pick three of them," he said.

Without consulting his depth chart, Groh said he would guess there are five positions where the competition would be too close for him to designate a front-runner. One of them is center, where Ian-Yates Cunningham is battling fellow fourth-year junior Jordy Lipsey.

Cunningham, praised by Groh for reshaping his body during the offseason, also has been getting practice time at his former position -- guard -- in case there is any hold-up with Albert or Marshal Ausberry, who was hobbled at points during the 2005 season.

One position that is not up for grabs is quarterback, where Groh made a commitment to two-year backup Christian Olsen before the start of spring practice.

"Chris has really had a pretty positive day every day out there," said Groh, who was unable to give Olsen many repetitions while Marques Hagans was the starter.

"He's had a real good average with a lot more at-bats than what he has had in the past."

Groh said Kevin McCabe has made good progress after two seasons as UVa's No. 3 quarterback, but not enough to create much separation between himself, sophomore Scott Deke and redshirt freshman Jameel Sewell.

"And I expect that's the way it's going to be till January," Groh said.