Donning its newly unveiled 1995 throwback uniforms and celebrating the 30th anniversary of its iconic upset over then-No. 2 Florida State, Virginia will head into Scott Stadium on Friday night to face the Seminoles in one of the biggest games in recent program history.
The ’Hoos (3-1, 0-1 ACC) have looked downright dominant in their three home matchups against overmatched opponents (Coastal Carolina,
William & Mary, and Stanford), but they let one get away on the road against a middling NC State squad. A date with the eighth-ranked Seminoles (3-0, 0-0 ACC) will be UVA’s first time seeing how they stack up against a truly elite opponent.
“This is why you come to a place like Virginia,” Tony Elliott said in his Tuesday afternoon press conference. “This is why you play in the ACC. This is why you play college football — to have an opportunity to compete against the best.”
A year after a disastrous 2-10 campaign, Mike Norvell’s Florida State squad is back to its familiar status atop the ACC and in College Football Playoff contention. The Seminoles turned heads in a week-one upset over then-No. 8 Alabama and have since obliterated a pair of mid-majors in East Texas A&M and Kent State.
So, what would a win over the Seminoles mean for Tony Elliott and the Cavaliers?
For starters, a repeat of 1995 would be Virginia’s first home upset of a top-ten team since 2005 (against FSU again). It would also be the program’s most important win since the ’Hoos topped Virginia Tech in 2019 to clinch the ACC Coastal Division title and a spot in the ACC Championship game.
Yes, the ’Hoos beat then-No. 10 North Carolina on the road in 2023 (the program’s first-ever road victory against a top-10 opponent). But UVA was just 1-5 going into Chapel Hill, and the upset was largely just a feel-good moment in an otherwise disappointing season.
If Virginia were to pull the upset this Friday, it would be much more than just a feel-good win. Coupled with an incredibly favorable schedule down the stretch that has Virginia a projected favorite in six of its final seven games, a win over FSU would make the ’Hoos a real contender in the conference for the first time under Tony Elliott. A nine or even ten-win season — something UVA hasn’t accomplished since 1989 — would suddenly be on the table.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Relying on a dominant ground game, the Florida State offense leads the nation in points per game (58.0) and is second in total yards per game (628.7). Granted, they haven’t been challenged since taking down the Crimson Tide, but Norvell went to work in the transfer portal over the offseason and clearly has a dominant squad on his hands in Tallahassee.
“I told the guys this week, I asked them, ‘How many of [you] want to play pro ball?’ And everybody raised their hand,” Elliott said. “I said, ‘Well, this is the closest thing you’re going to get to it at this level when you’re playing a team like Florida State.’ It’s pro ball, and it’s a game of inches, and you’ve got to win in tight spaces.”
With coverage on ESPN, the ’Hoos will have the eyes of the sports world on them as they try to topple a giant. Though cable channels don’t matter much these days — you can find top-ten matchups right next to Division-III volleyball in the ESPN app — Virginia hasn’t won a game broadcast on the primary ESPN channel since October 20, 2022, against Georgia Tech.
At kickoff on Friday at 7 p.m., the ’Hoos and Seminoles will be the only FBS teams in action. With a win, Virginia could make a name for itself in the national landscape and would more than likely spring into the AP Top 25 for the first time since December 2019.
Though the ’Hoos are listed as roughly a touchdown underdog, Virginia boasts its best offense in recent memory (ranking top 15 nationally in both points per game (45.5) and total yards per game (564.5)), a defense that got two of its best playmakers, Kam Robinson and Antonio Clary, back from injury last week, and a belief that they have what it takes to match up with opponents like FSU.
“They’re up for the challenge, and the guys are excited,” Elliott said. “This is an opportunity for us to see where we’re at, how much progress we’ve really made when you’re going against a team like Florida State.”
On the injury front, center Brady Wilson, who’s day-to-day with a calf injury, is the only major question mark heading into Friday. Wilson was listed as the starter on Tuesday’s depth chart, but if he’s unable to go, guard Drake Metcalf would slide over to center. Punter Daniel Sparks is also day-to-day with the hip flexor injury that kept him out of Saturday’s win over Stanford.
The ’Hoos, who, for what it’s worth, enter Friday night with a 6.1% chance to reach the College Football Playoff according to ESPN’s Football Power Index, will take the field on what’s shaping up to be an overcast, 75-degree Friday evening in Charlottesville. Scott Stadium should — hopefully — be rocking for the biggest home game Wahoo fans have seen in quite some time.
“I’m dreaming and hoping for a full capacity stadium,” Elliot said Tuesday. “Packed, loud, aggressive, putting pressure on the opposing team.”
