Virginia football won’t open the 2026 season with a number next to its name in the preseason AP Poll, but the Cavaliers didn’t get shut out entirely.
Virginia landed just one vote when the poll was released Monday afternoon, leaving the ’Hoos unranked despite bringing back much of a roster that went 11-3 last season, reached the ACC Championship Game and beat an SEC opponent in the Gator Bowl. That lone vote tied UVA for 47th overall among the teams that received attention from voters.
The absence is a familiar kind of challenge for a program that climbed as high as No. 12 last season before finishing No. 16 in the final rankings. Virginia heads into 2026 with one of the oldest average rosters in the country, and the message from the preseason ballot is clear enough: the Cavaliers will have to earn their way back in.
The ACC, meanwhile, did not exactly flood the top 25. Only three league teams made the cut, with Miami leading the way at No.
- The reigning national runners-up were joined by SMU at No. 19 and Louisville at No.
Virginia was one of six unranked ACC programs to collect votes. Clemson was the closest to cracking the top 25, landing 112 votes, while Pittsburgh got 7, Virginia Tech 6, Georgia Tech 4 and California 2.
At the top of the poll, Ohio State checked in at No. 1, followed by Oregon, Georgia, Notre Dame and Texas. It marks the fifth straight preseason in which the Buckeyes have opened in the top three.
For Virginia, the spotlight shifts quickly to the field. Beau Pribula is set to lead the offense, and the offensive line is expected to be one of the ACC’s biggest strengths. There’s plenty of optimism around the program, even if the national voters aren’t buying in just yet.
The first chance to change that comes in Week 0, when UVA opens against NC State. The Wolfpack were one of only three teams to beat Virginia in 2025 and entered the ACC preseason poll at No. 7, one spot behind the Cavaliers.
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Virginia Already Has A Chance To Make An ACC Statement
Virginia enters the season with one of the clearer paths in the ACC conversation, and the reason is continuity. While other league contenders are sorting through coaching changes or a longer reboot, the Cavaliers can lean on a roster and structure that already know what the staff wants. That kind of stability matters in a conference where the margin between a top-four finish and the middle of the pack can be thin, especially when the goal is to stay in the title hunt from the opening weeks.
NC States situation adds to the contrast, with Justin Gainey beginning a rebuilding phase that gives Virginia a chance to separate itself early in the league race. The Cavaliers do not need the rest of the conference to wait around for them, but this is the sort of matchup and stretch of the schedule where they can make a real ACC statement if the pieces fit the way they should. [Read more 🡒]
Kam Robinson Could Change Virginias Opener If One Thing Happens
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The next step is getting him back into contact work, which would give Virginia a better sense of how realistic it is for him to suit up when the opener arrives. Corey Costner is also nearing a return, Ezekiel Larry is expected back later in September, and the Cavaliers are still managing absences from Isaiah Reese and Grant Ellinger, leaving the defense and line with a few key moving parts as the countdown to NC State continues. [Read more 🡒]
Tony Elliott Sees One Encouraging Sign As Virginia Nears Week 0
Virginias preseason work continued with its second intrasquad scrimmage as the Cavaliers edge closer to their August 29 opener against NC State. The final tune-up also comes with a familiar early-season backdrop, as Tony Elliott keeps looking for signs that his team is tightening up in the right places before the 3:30 p.m. kickoff at Scott Stadium.
Elliott came away encouraged by what he saw, pointing to the groups progress and the competitive edge showing up in practice. For Virginia, that kind of steady climb matters as much as any individual rep right now, with the focus on turning preseason repetition into something more dependable once the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]