Virginia opens its season Saturday with a heavyweight ACC matchup against NC State, and Scott Stadium is set to feel the full weight of it.
Kickoff is scheduled for 3:35 p.m., with the game airing on ESPN and the Virginia Sports Network. DraftKings has Virginia as a 4-point favorite, with the over/under set at 51.5.
The crowd should be a big part of the scene. Virginia is expecting its first sellout at the 61,500-seat Scott Stadium since 2008, when Southern California came to town. Gates open at 2 p.m.
There’s plenty happening before kickoff, too. The ACC Network’s ACC Huddle will be on the green space at the base of Observatory Hill from 10 a.m. to noon, and students can catch a 1 p.m. concert by NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal, known as “DJ DIesel.” Students must show their game ticket to get into the concert area.
The matchup carries real weight in the ACC race. Virginia and NC State were picked to finish sixth and seventh, respectively, in the preseason media poll, and because this is the only Week Zero game between ACC teams, the winner gets an early edge in the conference standings and the inside track toward December’s ACC championship game.
NC State owns the series, 38-22-4, and has taken the last four meetings. That includes a 35-31 win in Raleigh last September that didn’t count in the conference standings.
This one does. The game was originally supposed to be played in Brazil, but logistical concerns pushed it to Charlottesville.
Virginia’s home history against the Wolfpack has been thin for a while. The Cavaliers last beat NC State at home in 2006, 14-7, and their last home win over the Wolfpack came in 2012 in Raleigh, a 33-6 result.
There’s also a milestone in reach for Virginia. The Cavaliers are 88-39-9 in season openers and 75-18-7 in home openers.
They’re one win away from No. 700 in program history in their 1,400th game, entering at 699-652-48. One odd note: Virginia has never won a game played before Aug.
Availability is already shaping the game plan. Projected starting wide receiver Rico Flores Jr., a transfer from UCLA, will not play because of a hamstring injury, and he is one of 16 Virginia players ruled out.
Preseason all-ACC linebacker Kam Robinson is a game-time decision as he works back from the torn ACL that ended his season last November. He also missed last year’s game against NC State with a collarbone injury.
Defensive back Corey Costner is also a game-time call.
NC State listed seven players out, though none are projected starters.
The rosters themselves tell part of the story. NC State has 51 newcomers, counting transfers and freshmen, while Virginia brought in 31 transfers. The Cavaliers return 10 starters, and the Wolfpack return eight.
There’s familiar ground on both staffs. Virginia offensive coordinator Des Kitchings spent eight seasons on NC State’s staff from 2012-19 and was co-offensive coordinator in his final year there.
NC State’s staff includes two former Virginia assistants: offensive line coach Garrett Tujague and special assistant to the head coach Ruffin McNeal. Virginia quarterback Beau Pribula and NC State cornerback Jaren Sensabaugh were teammates at Missouri last season.
On the field, Virginia’s defense will be tested by NC State quarterback CJ Bailey, who ran for two touchdowns and threw for another score in last year’s meeting. The Cavaliers didn’t record a sack or force a turnover in that game, the only time all season they failed to do either.
NC State’s 35 points were the most Virginia allowed in a regulation game in 2025, with Florida State’s 38 coming in double overtime. If Robinson can return, even in a limited role, that would give Virginia a lift.
Virginia’s offense has its own clear objective: lean on the run and keep Bailey on the sideline. The Cavaliers bring an offensive line with 165 career starts, and they showed what that can look like against NC State last year, rushing for 257 yards on 32 carries for 8.0 per attempt.
Ja'Mari Taylor scored three rushing touchdowns in that game, though he has since graduated. Even without Flores, Virginia will look to a deep backfield to recreate that formula and make the opener its own.
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