CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – The University of Virginia is anticipating drawing its largest crowd of the season, and maybe in years, at Scott Stadium on Friday night when the Cavaliers football team hosts No. 8 Florida State, a source told Cville Right Now.

UVA drew an encouraging turnout of 46,143 to its season-opening win over Coastal Carolina. But since then, attendance at 61,500-seat Scott Stadium has dipped. After a road loss to North Carolina State, the Cavaliers returned home to play in front of just 38,512 fans for their win over FCS William & Mary and 36,223 for their rout of Stanford in their ACC opener.

But those two games, despite Stanford being a night game, were not the marquee draws that the undefeated Seminoles are.

“Man, truthfully, every week I’m dreaming and hoping for a full stadium. Capacity stadium, packed, loud, man, aggressive, putting pressure on opposing teams,” UVA coach Tony Elliott said this week. “I’m hopeful this week that we’ll have (that), so every time I run out the tunnel, man, I’m expecting to see, you know, a full stadium. And I understand we got to do our part and we’re working towards it, but I anticipate there’ll be a good crowd. But at the end of the day, we can’t focus on that. We got to focus on the product that we put on the field. And I think the guys have done a really good job of just having a workman-like mentality and showing up and going to work regardless of how many people are in the stands.”

This will be the first time Virginia (3-1) has hosted a Top 10 opponent since No. 7 Notre Dame played there in 2021. The Seminoles are the highest ranked ACC foe to visit Scott Stadium since No. 5 Louisville in 2016.

The matchup also rekindles memories of the teams’ famous 1995 meeting in Charlottesville, when UVA upset Bobby Bowden’s second-ranked FSU 33-28, when the Cavaliers defense stuffed the Seminoles at the goal line on the final snap. Friday, the team will wear 1995-inspired throwback uniforms.

But for this year’s squad, Friday night – under the lights – is less about history and more about proving themselves.

“This is a great opportunity to go ahead and tell the fanbase, ‘Hey, we’re real,’” tight end Sage Ennis said this week.

UVA officials encourage fans to arrive early because of the size of the expected crowd.