Virginia Cavaliers vs. NC State Wolfpack
HOW TO WATCH THE ‘HOOS:
Location: Charlottesville, VA
Date: August 29, 2026
Time: 3:30 PM ET
Channel: ESPN
Spread: UVA -4
Pregame content
Previewing UVA football’s Week Zero clash with NC State
Virginia football’s offensive line is filled with grown men
Virginia football receives just one vote in the preseason AP Poll
Game Thread
The Virginia Cavaliers open the 2026 season at home in front of a sold-out crowd against the NC State Wolfpack. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. That means you can watch the game on ESPN across any TV provider or stream it through the ESPN App, or on ESPN.com.
Stay tuned to Streaking the Lawn before, during, and after the game for immediate analysis and coverage of the final
result.
We’ll also be active on Twitter throughout the game and all season long so follow along on there for our staff’s live reactions.
Streaking the Lawn – @STL_UVA
Zach Carey – @Zach_Carey_
Dan Siegel – @DanSiegel_
Corbin Lathrop – @CorbinLathrop
Trey Kelleher – @TreyKelleher3
Gavin Booker – @GavinBookerPxP
Garrett Keogh – @Garrett_Keogh01
Game Notes
Lastly, here are game notes courtesy of UVA Media Relations.
- Saturday’s season opener against NC State marks the beginning of the 137th season of football at Virginia and the 96th year of football at Scott Stadium.
- Dating back to 2017, UVA has won eight of its last nine season openers and owns an 88-39-9 (.680) record in season-opening games.
- The Cavaliers are 75-18-7 (.785) all-time in season openers at home and have won their last seven season openers at Scott Stadium.
- Virginia is seeking its first win at Scott Stadium over NC State since 2006, a 14-7 victory thanks to a pair rushing touchdowns by Jason Snelling. His 17-yarder with 1:31 remaining sealed the win.
- UVA is seeking its 700th win in program history. Its all-time record currently stands at 699-652-48. Only 37 other FBS programs have reached the 700-win plateau.
- Saturday will also be the 1,400th game played in Virginia football history.
- The Week 0 matchup will only be the second time UVA has opened the season against NC State and the first time since 1977.
- Dating back to 1999, Virginia has won four-straight season openers against ACC foes. The Cavaliers last opened the season against an ACC school in 2020, defeating Duke 38-20 at Scott Stadium.
- Saturday’s Week 0 contest marks the fourth-earliest start to a season in program history. A win would be UVA’s earliest (by calendar year). The last time UVA opened the season on or before the 29th of August was against Colorado State on Aug. 22, 2002.
