Virginia’s path back to Charlotte is set.
The ACC released its 2026 football schedule on Monday afternoon, allowing the Virginia Cavaliers to unveil their complete slate of games as the ’Hoos will look to build on a record-breaking 2025 season.
UVA’s 2026 schedule is made up of six home games at Scott Stadium, four true road matchups, and two neutral site contests (the inaugural College Football Brasil game against NC State in Rio de Janeiro to kick off the season, and a non-conference game against West Virginia at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte in mid-September).
Here is the full slate for the ’Hoos in 2026:
Aug. 29 — vs. NC State (Rio de Janeiro)
Sept. 5 — Open Date
Sept. 12 — vs. Norfolk State
Sept. 19 — vs. West Virginia (Charlotte)
Sept. 26 — vs. Delaware
Oct. 3 — at Florida State
Oct. 10 — vs. Syracuse
Oct. 17 — at SMU
Oct. 24 — vs. Duke
Oct. 31 — at Wake Forest
Nov. 7 — Open Date
Nov. 14 — vs. Cal
Nov. 21 — vs. North Carolina
Nov. 28 — at Virginia Tech
After the season-opening trip to South America, the ’Hoos have a very manageable month of September with matchups against FCS Norfolk State, a West Virginia squad that finished 4-8 this past season, and Delaware out of Conference USA.
Things then ramp up for Virginia with three true road games in October, beginning with a tough trip to Tallahassee to face a Florida State team that will be seeking revenge for UVA’s upset of the then-No. 8 Seminoles this past September.
To close things out in November, the ’Hoos have a pair of home games against Cal and North Carolina — two teams UVA bested in 2025 — before traveling to Blacksburg to face the Hokies and new head coach James Franklin.
The most significant part of Virginia’s schedule, however, just might be the teams that aren’t on it. Miami, the reigning national runners-up, along with Clemson, Georgia Tech, Louisville, and Pittsburgh (collectively five of the ten teams, aside from UVA, that finished .500 or above in ACC play this past season), were all left off Virginia’s schedule.
Additionally, with the ’Hoos already having to travel over 3,600 miles to Brazil, avoiding a West Coast trip is a nice consolation, as Cal will visit Scott Stadium in 2026, and Stanford isn’t on UVA’s schedule.
With Virginia’s path fully laid out, here are the five games that will make or break UVA’s 2026 season:
August 29 vs. NC State (in Rio de Janeiro)
The Wolfpack was one of just three squads to best the ’Hoos in 2025, and a long trip to Brazil is not an ideal way to begin the year. It won’t be easy, but if Virginia can come out of Brazil with a win, they could easily be looking at a 4-0 start ahead of their trip to Florida State at the beginning of October.
October 3 at Florida State
After a month of (hopefully) stacking wins and getting their feet back under them, the ’Hoos will be thrown back into the fire of conference play with a daunting trip to Tallahassee to begin October. Though FSU’s season took a turn for the worse after its loss in Charlottesville, Mike Norvell’s squad has brought in the 26th-ranked transfer class (via 247Sports) and is sure to be a tough test for Virginia, especially on its home turf.
October 17 at SMU
The Mustangs were one win away from joining UVA in Charlotte for the ACC Championship game in December, and they’re bringing in the 21st-most impactful transfer class in the nation (via On3) as they look for a third-straight successful season since joining the conference. Things won’t come easy for the ’Hoos in Dallas.
October 24 vs. Duke
After UVA’s dominant regular-season win over the Blue Devils, Duke handed the ’Hoos a heartbreaking defeat in the ACC Championship to keep UVA out of the College Football Playoff. Despite its legal battle with quarterback Darian Mensah, Duke will have another solid squad on its hands in 2026, while the ’Hoos will have some demons to exorcise on October 24th.
November 28 at Virginia Tech
The Commonwealth Clash is always a make-or-break game for UVA, and 2026 will be no different. The ’Hoos will get their first look at new head coach James Franklin and his shiny new recruiting class as UVA tries to win two-straight over the Hokies for the first time since the late ’90s.
Category: General Sports
