In North Carolina's final road game of the season, the Tar Heels will travel to Charlottesville for a date with Virginia on Nov. 21.
The Cavaliers are coming off a breakout season in head coach Tony Elliott's fourth season at the helm, going 11-3 on the year and 7-1 in ACC play. Virginia — at its highest — was No. 12 in the AP Top 25 Poll in 2025.
UVA's 11-win mark last year was its highest in program history, advancing to the ACC Championship game where it fell to Duke in overtime. The Cavaliers bested Missouri in the Gator Bowl to cap their historic season.
The only other double-digit win season for UVA was in 1989, when the George Welsh-led Cavaliers went 10-3. In the last seven years, UVA has only finished above .500 twice.
All-time, UNC is 67-59-4 against the Cavaliers and 28-27 away from home. The Tar Heels' last game against UVA in Charlottesville was in 2024, where they destroyed the Cavaliers, 41-14.
Last season, UNC fell to UVA in overtime, 17-16, at Kenan Stadium after a two-point conversion fell just inches short of the goal line.
In his lone season at Virginia last year — but sixth in college — quarterback Chandler Morris led the Cavaliers to uncharted territory, paving the way with 3,000 pass yards and 21 total touchdowns.
After the season, Morris sued the NCAA in the Charlottesville Circuit Court to try to get one more season of eligibility. His request for a preliminary injunction for a seventh collegiate season was denied, leaving Elliott and UVA to look for their next quarterback.
This offseason, the Cavaliers added 30 transfers from the portal, including their likely starting quarterback, Beau Pribula. Pribula started his college career at Penn State under James Franklin before transferring to Missouri, where he played last year.
For the Tigers, Pribula, in his first full season as a starting quarterback, threw for 1,941 yards, 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also added 297 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.
At Penn State, Pribula was used sparingly as an option quarterback when starter Drew Allar was pulled from the game in certain situations. North Carolina will have to be disciplined and limit Pribula's ability to utilize his legs to move the chains and punch in scores.
UVA also added Pittsburgh transfer quarterback Eli Holstein, who's expected to serve as Pribula's backup.
This offseason, the Cavaliers lost 2025 leading rusher J'Mari Taylor, who exhausted his eligibility and signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and leading receiver Trell Harris, who transferred to Oklahoma.
UVA brought in Tennessee transfer running back Peyton Lewis, who recorded 290 rush yards on 70 carries for the Vols last season, to help replace Taylor. The Cavaliers also added Middle Tennessee rusher Jekail Middlebrook.
Out wide, UVA replenished its wide receiver room in the form of Kent State transfer Da'Shawn Martin and UCLA transfer Rico Flores Jr., both of whom are expected to start.
Defensively, the Cavaliers will likely only start a few transfers, with a majority of their starters retained from last season's roster.
One of UVA's big-ticket transfers was former Baylor edge rusher Matthew Fobbs-White, who will likely be an X-factor for Elliott's defense.
The Cavaliers also acquired cornerback Jacobie Henderson from Rutgers and safety Brandyn Hillman from Michigan.
With UVA's 2025 breakout season, it's unclear whether it'll replicate the success it had in 2025. But, with the roster Elliott built, specifically through the portal, the Cavaliers will make for a tough, late-season conference game on the road for UNC.