Virginia heads to Texas on Saturday for a rare meeting with No. 24 SMU, and there’s plenty packed into the matchup before a snap is even played.
It will be just the second time these programs have lined up against one another. Their first meeting came in 2024, when the 13th-ranked Mustangs rolled to a 33-7 win at Scott Stadium.
This trip also sends Virginia back to the Lone Star State for the first time since 2012, when the Cavaliers fell 27-7 at TCU. Those aren’t the only Texas stops in program history, either. UVA’s previous games in the state both came in Austin against Texas, with the Longhorns beating the Cavaliers 68-0 in 1977 and 17-16 in 1995.
SMU gives Virginia its first ranked opponent of the 2026 season and its first since the 2025 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, when the Cavaliers met then-No. 25 Missouri.
Another ranked road test is already on the schedule, too: Virginia visits newly-ranked Wake Forest on Oct. 31.
The Demon Deacons entered the AP poll this week at No. 21.
Tony Elliott’s group has had some success in these situations. Two of Virginia’s five road wins over ranked teams since 2000 have come under Elliott, at No.
10 North Carolina in 2023 and at No. 23 Pitt in 2024.
Even so, the overall road record against ranked opponents remains steep: 14-76-1 all-time.
There is recent evidence that the Cavaliers can handle these kinds of games. Virginia has won three of its last five against ranked opponents, including both of its AP Top 25 wins in 2025, against No.
8 FSU and No. 25 Missouri.
Saturday’s kickoff will also look a little different from what UVA has been living with lately. The game is set for noon ET, the first noon start for Virginia since Oct. 25, 2025, at North Carolina.
Since then, the Cavaliers have played their last 12 games at 3:30 p.m. ET or later, and eight of those came after 6 p.m.
ET.
The ACC standings give the game a little more weight, too. Virginia and SMU are among nine league teams with just one conference loss heading into the weekend.
And the broader Saturday slate puts this one in good company: it’s one of nine Week 7 games featuring two Power 4 teams that each have at least four wins.
Virginia’s ball security has quietly been a major part of its early-season profile. Through six games, the Cavaliers have turned it over only twice - one fumble and one interception - which is tied for the fewest in the ACC. They are one of 11 teams in the country with two or fewer turnovers, and their average turnover margin of 1.0 is the best in the conference.
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After both teams stumbled in Week 7, the Week 8 matchup between Duke and Virginia suddenly carries a little more weight in the ACC race. For the Cavaliers, the concern starts with how well Duke can lean on its most reliable offensive piece, because the Blue Devils have built a balanced attack around one player who drives production on the ground and through the air.
Virginias defense has enough issues already, but the run game has been a particularly vulnerable spot and the numbers point to real trouble if that trend continues. Duke comes in with the stronger offensive profile, so this may come down to whether the Cavaliers can hold up at the line of scrimmage long enough to keep the game from tilting toward a familiar script. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Has A Real Chance To Shake Up Duke In Prime Time
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For Virginia, the appeal is obvious: this is the kind of stage where a home crowd can matter and where a confident offense can put pressure on a defense that has had trouble creating takeaways. The Cavaliers have shown an ability to force mistakes, and Dukes recent slide raises the kind of questions that make a late-night ACC matchup feel bigger than a regular-season game. [Read more 🡒]
Tony Elliotts Weekly Show Just Became More Than A Routine Stop
Tony Elliotts weekly radio stop is getting a little more texture this week, with UVA Coachs Corner set for Tuesday, Oct. 20 at Dairy Market in Charlottesville and student-athlete Kam Robinson joining as the guest. The show has long been part of the rhythm around Virginia football, but the setting gives it a more public-facing feel, with Dairy Market continuing as the presenting sponsor and helping keep the conversation rooted in the community.
The bigger shift comes next month, when Coachs Corner moves into a new studio format and begins being video-recorded for the stretch run of football season and on into mens basketball. That change gives the show a broader reach and a more polished presentation, and it also sets up more opportunities for UVA student-athletes to be part of the program, including special appearances planned at Dairy Market down the line. [Read more 🡒]