The University of Florida may have claimed the BCS football championship — the Gators’ second in three years — on Jan. 8, but earlier in the day, John Casteen, president of the University of Virginia, blasted an e-mail to alumni and supporters, informing them of what, in our mind, is a far more prestigious honor.

Each year, The Princeton Review, through an in-depth analysis of academics, tuition costs and availability of financial aid, identifies the 50 public and 50 private colleges and universities it considers the “best values.” This year, the Review named U.Va. the “No. 1 Best Value” in the public category.

This type of recognition is hardly new to the folks who inhabit “The Grounds” down in Charlottesville. Last May, for instance, the Center for College Affordability and Productivity ranked U.Va. top among all national public universities. And, back in December, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine gave the university its No. 3 ranking in its survey of the “100 Best Values in Public Colleges.”

U.Va.’s academic reputation greatly influences these assessments, but recently, we suspect, the school’s financial aid program, AccessUVa, has proved a fine complement, thus propelling the university to the top of the “Best Values” lists.

In any event, such recognition is something in which all Virginians can take great pride. It gives us yet another reason to say “Hey, hey, U.Va.”