Two games into the season, Virginia has already done enough to make people look twice.
The Cavaliers have rolled through NC State and Norfolk State, and that kind of start is hard to shrug off even when the sample size is tiny. It does not prove everything, but it does make one thing feel a lot less like a guess: 2025 was not a one-off. Tony Elliott appears to have found a roster-building formula that fits, and Virginia suddenly looks like a program that expects to stay near the top of the ACC instead of just visiting the neighborhood.
Saturday night in Charlotte will be a useful checkpoint. Virginia enters the game against West Virginia as a 9.5-point favorite, according to DraftKings, a sign that the Cavaliers’ profile is climbing beyond the conference conversation.
What has jumped out first is the age and volume of experience Elliott has stacked onto this roster. Virginia spent two straight offseasons mining the transfer portal for veterans who could plug into the system, and the numbers behind that approach are striking: 31 players with at least five seasons of NCAA experience, plus more combined college snaps than any FBS team entering the season at 48,313. That kind of veteran base has helped Virginia look steady, not rattled, through its first two games.
It has also given the Cavaliers depth almost everywhere. That mattered immediately, because they opened the season without linebacker Kam Robinson, who was held out while recovering from an ACL tear, and still shut down NC State.
The offensive line has been a major part of the story too. Elliott had every reason to feel good about a front that features five grad students, and through two games that confidence has been rewarded.
Virginia quarterbacks have been sacked only twice, while the ground game is producing 247.5 yards per game, good for 19th nationally, and 5.2 yards per carry. Tackles McKale Boley and Monroe Mills, guards Noah Josey and Makilan Thomas and center Drake Metcalf have been central to that work.
The back end of the defense was another portal priority, and Virginia has gotten early returns from three starters brought in from Big Ten programs: safety Brandyn Hillman from Michigan and cornerbacks Omillio Agard from Wisconsin and Jacobie Henderson from Rutgers. So far, they’ve looked like a steal.
The secondary has four interceptions, three of them by Hillman, and has allowed just 7.9 yards per completion. No opponent has thrown a touchdown pass against the Cavaliers, and only one completion has gone for more than 21 yards.
That level of control is going to be tested later by teams like Florida State, Syracuse, SMU and Virginia Tech, but right now the unit looks built to hold up against almost anybody.
Beau Pribula has been just as important to Virginia’s early surge. He came over from Missouri with a reputation as a dangerous dual-threat quarterback, and the first two games have backed that up.
The only real blemish came on a tipped pass that turned into an interception against Norfolk State. Otherwise, Pribula has been sharp, completing 21 of 25 passes for 317 yards and five touchdowns.
He also ran for 110 yards in the opener.
There are still questions ahead. Opponents will keep mixing in blitzes and disguised coverages, and Virginia’s receiving group is still coming together, especially with Rico Flores Jr. yet to play.
Pribula also started fast at Missouri last year before getting hurt and fading later in the fall. But with a veteran line and a run game taking pressure off him, he may not need to carry the whole offense every week.
Robinson’s return added another layer to the picture. He watched the opener from the sideline, then made five tackles on 20 snaps against Norfolk State.
Virginia did not need him to handle an overmatched FCS opponent, but his presence still mattered. It was a boost for the defense and, just as much, a boost for the mood around the program.
The caution is obvious, though. Robinson has dealt with injuries before in his four seasons in Charlottesville, and recovery from a major knee injury rarely moves in a straight line. The staff is handling him carefully, and the bigger question is how his knee responds once the hits start piling up and whether he gets all the way back to the explosiveness that made him a preseason All-ACC pick.
Even with that uncertainty, Virginia is clearly better when he’s out there.
That’s where the larger picture gets interesting. The Cavaliers were left out of the preseason national rankings and picked to finish sixth in the ACC after falling short in last year’s ACC championship game. That skepticism still has a chance to look justified, but Virginia seems to have enough pieces - and enough help from the schedule - to get back to Charlotte and chase the CFP bid that slipped away a year ago, either by winning the ACC or, less likely, as a wild card.
The path is manageable, at least on paper. Virginia is favored in nine of its final 10 regular-season games, with the lone exception coming at SMU. The finale at what appears to be a much-improved Virginia Tech could end up telling the most about where this team is headed when the postseason picture finally comes into focus.
In Other News...
Virginia Faces An Early Test That Could Define This Fast Start
Virginias fast start gets a real measuring-stick game Saturday night when the No. 25 Cavaliers meet West Virginia in the Dukes Mayo Classic at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. It is a revived rivalry that has not been played since 2002, and it comes with both teams unbeaten at 2-0, Virginia rolling through its first two games by a combined 93-11 while the Mountaineers have also handled their opening stretch with ease.
The matchup brings together two programs leaning on physical run games and defenses, which should make for a useful early read on where each team really stands. Tony Elliott and Rich Rodriguez also share a prior connection, adding another layer to a game that already feels bigger than a September neutral-site showcase, even if the full answer on how Virginia handles this kind of test is still waiting to be written. [Read more 🡒]
Virginias 2027 ACC Slate Just Added A Brutal New Wrinkle
Virginias 2027 football conference slate now comes with a little more cross-country mileage attached, thanks to the ACCs latest scheduling release. The Cavaliers are set for nine league games that season, with home dates against Louisville, SMU, Pitt and Virginia Tech and road trips to Boston College, Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina and Stanford, giving the schedule a blend of familiar regional stops and a notably long trek west.
The addition of Stanford is the wrinkle that stands out most, especially with the leagues new model pushing most teams to nine ACC games and at least one Power Four non-conference opponent. Virginia already has Arkansas State and William & Mary on the non-conference list, and the full 2027 schedule, including exact dates for those league matchups, still has to be announced later. [Read more 🡒]
Why Virginia Suddenly Looks Like A Real ACC Contender
Virginias fast start has been about more than just piling up points in September. Through its first two games, the Cavaliers have looked organized on both sides of the ball, with a defense that has been especially tough to crack and an offense that has stayed efficient behind a sturdy line. The combination has given the program an early profile that looks far more complete than the usual first-week optimism.
The defensive side has been the clearest reason for the buzz, with steady pressure up front and tight coverage behind it helping fuel one of the nations best scoring defenses so far. On offense, the quarterback has been sharp, the line has opened space, and the production has come from multiple spots, which is usually the sign of a team built to hold up once ACC play gets harder. The bigger test now is whether that balance can travel beyond the early schedule and still look this convincing. [Read more 🡒]