With the 2024 Virginia football season less than two weeks out, it is time to take a peek at their slate of opponents. The Cavaliers only kept half of their opponents from their 2023 campaign, meaning there will be a lot of new teams coming to town. Plus, the ever-changing nature of college football means there will always be new excitement with each matchup.
Since the ACC added Southern Methodist, Stanford and California earlier this year, the conference had to change around its scheduling format. The league had committed to a three-five-five scheduling model that would have teams play three conference opponents annually, and then rotate the other ten in a biannual manner. However, the post-expansion schedule only protects 16 rivalry matchups throughout the conference, and the rest of conference play is a rotation that ensures teams play a minimum of two times during a seven year span. Virginia will play North Carolina and Virginia Tech every year.
This year’s schedule is packed with good matchups that should draw fans to Scott Stadium, and to their TVs when the Cavaliers play on the road. Virginia starts off with a home match against Richmond Aug. 31 before opening conference play Sept. 7 on the road against Wake Forest. The Cavaliers then host Maryland Sept. 14 before going on the road Sept. 21 to play Coastal Carolina.
After a week off, Virginia’s homecoming game will be against Boston College Oct. 5, followed by another home game against Louisville Oct. 12. The Cavaliers will then travel to play Clemson Oct. 19 before coming back home to play North Carolina on family weekend Oct. 26. After another bye week Virginia goes on a road trip where they play Pittsburgh Nov. 9 and Notre Dame Nov. 16. The Cavaliers return home for senior day against Southern Methodist Nov. 23, and then they will finish the regular season at Virginia Tech Nov. 30.
Key Matchups:
September 14 vs. Maryland
Early on in the season, the Terrapins will come to Charlottesville eager to beat Virginia in back to back years after winning 42-14 in College Park last year. While Maryland had a great season last year, going 8-5 and winning the Music City Bowl, they lost a lot of talent in the offseason. The key thing to watch in this match will be the Cavaliers’ loaded receiver lineup against the Terrapins’ defensive backs. While Maryland will no doubt be favored to win the game, expect Terrapin fans to make the short trip to Charlottesville, and for Virginia to make the game very competitive as they look for an upset.
October 19 at Clemson
The Tigers come into the season as the Cavaliers’ highest ranked opponent, as they sit at No. 14 in the preseason AP poll, which will no doubt provide some motivation for Virginia to win. The two sides have not faced off since 2020 when Clemson won 41-23 at home. It will also be the first time that Virginia’s Coach Tony Elliott returns to Clemson since he left his position as their offensive coordinator to come to Charlottesville. The Tigers have an abundance of NFL-level talent and will be favored to win the contest at home. However, Elliott has proven his squads can win big games on the road — much to the chagrin of North Carolina fans — so this game will surely be worth tuning into.
October 26 vs. North Carolina
After defeating a top-ten ranked Tar Heels squad on the road last year, the Cavaliers will be in for a treat when they get to host them in 2024 on family weekend. Meanwhile, North Carolina will no doubt be looking for revenge on the team that ruined their chances at an ACC Championship run. The South’s Oldest Rivalry always produces great moments, like running back Mike Hollins’ three touchdowns last year or quarterback Drake Maye’s near-400 yard performance in 2022. Seven of the last ten games between the two programs have been decided by ten points or fewer, with each team winning five games. That is elite rivalry competition at its finest, and if there is one home game fans should mark on the schedule, this has to be it.
November 30 at Virginia Tech
This list would be completely invalidated if the Hokies were not listed as a notable game. Virginia will travel to Blacksburg desperate to turn the tide on football’s Commonwealth Clash. The Cavaliers have won just twice since 2000, and many recent matchups have not been close. Despite this, both the Virginia and Virginia Tech fan bases always make the trip, and the atmosphere in these games is electric. This is the game of the year, every year. With the Hokies being slated to win eight or nine games and compete for the ACC Championship game behind quarterback Kyron Drones’ top notch play, the Cavaliers will have the opportunity to spoil the fun and ruin their season right at the end. Plus, with Virginia potentially needing the win to become bowl-eligible, the stakes will be raised even higher.
The 2024 season has the potential to be the year where the Cavaliers get back to playing consistently respectable football. Talent has been developed, Elliott has been here long enough to be comfortable and the fans are antsy for wins. There are no more excuses — with two easier games to start the year, the team should be able to build momentum early before facing challenges from the teams listed above. And once conference play is in full swing, this team has the weapons to win games.
That being said, fans should be realistic when it comes to setting expectations of this 2024 squad. Analysts at Sports Illustrated predicted Virginia to finish 16th out of 17 in the ACC and go 3-9 again. While this is certainly pessimistic, reaching six wins and making a bowl game would be a massive success for the Cavaliers this year.
A bowl game is achievable if the team finds the consistency that was missing from them in 2023, where they went from losing to bottom of the barrel teams to beating top ten squads and back in a matter of one week. Hopefully, success will come from the team maturing and Elliott refining his coaching style. All in all, though, this season will be a fun one to watch at Scott Stadium.
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