CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – A year ago Virginia football capitalized on a favorable schedule to set a program record for victories and earn a spot in the ACC championship game.

As the Cavaliers get set to follow that up in 2026, the ACC scheduling gods have once again smiled upon Tony Elliott’s program with what appears to be a manageable slate.

UVA faces just one of the five teams picked to finish ahead of it in the league’s annual preseason poll – SMU on Oct. 17 in Dallas. 

The Cavaliers avoid matchups with preseason favorite Miami, Louisville, Clemson and Georgia Tech. Six of their games come against teams tapped to finish in the bottom half of the 17-team conference. 

Four of their first six games are at home including the Week 0 opener against North Carolina State, which went from Brazil to the Cavaliers own backyard. Virginia opens the season hosting the Wolfpack on Aug. 29 at Scott Stadium. 

That opener could prove to be one of the most pivotal games of the season.

The Wolfpack are picked seventh in the conference, one spot behind Virginia.

UVA has opened with an ACC opponent four times since 2000. In the three years it’s won the opening game, it went on to become bowl eligible. 

In the year it didn’t, it finished 5-7.

A small sample size, for sure, but the indication is clear: Winning a season opener that’s a conference game can position a program for a successful season. 

Of course, any evaluation of the Cavaliers’ 2026 comes with a major caveat.

The fool’s errand that is predicting how good teams will be during the preseason has never been more difficult. With rosters turning over, so much of prognostication is about reputation.

Want proof? Look no further than last season’s preseason ACC poll.

Clemson was picked to win the league and instead went 4-4 and finished tied for seventh. 

Virginia was pegged to place 14th and instead, won the ACC’s regular-season crown, going 7-1 in conference play.

Missing the mark isn’t the exclusive domain of ACC sportswriters. 

A year ago, the preseason AP Top 25 had Texas at No. 1, Penn State at No. 2 and Clemson at No. 4.

Texas lost three times, including at unranked Florida, and ended up in the Citrus Bowl. Penn State endured a six-game losing streak, the second longest in program. The Nittany Lions fired coach James Franklin after starting 3-3. Franklin is now coaching at Virginia Tech.They posted a winning record at 7-6 thanks to a Pinstripe Bowl victory over Clemson, which opened the year 3-5.

So, maybe Virginia’s schedule will prove to be harder than its August appearance. 

The Cavaliers are just 1-9 all-time against Florida State in Tallahassee, where the teams meet on Oct. 3.

UVA faces Duke on Oct. 23 at Scott Stadium in a rematch of the ACC championship game, won by the Blue Devils.

Wake Forest has won six of its last seven matchups with the Cavaliers, including handing them their lone ACC loss last season, 16-9, in Charlottesville.

Even UVA’s supposedly soft landing could ultimately prove more dicey than projected.  The three final games are at home against Cal and North Carolina and then at rival Virginia Tech, in its first year under Franklin.

One or more of those teams could take a big step forward in 2026.

All that to say, Virginia’s schedule may look manageable, but looks can be deceiving.