NC State vs Virginia: Weather Forecast for Season Opening ACC Clash

NS State will be looking to pull out a huge victory on the road to start the 2026 campaign

Nov 4, 2023; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; A Virginia Cavaliers fans looks on from the stands during the Cavaliers' game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the first half at Scott Stadium. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The college football season officially gets underway Saturday and a huge game for NC State happens right out of the gate.

The Wolfpack were supposed to travel to Brazil to take on conference foe Virginia, but instead, that game was moved back to the United States and will take place on Virginia's campus at Scott Stadium.

That gives Virginia a home-field advantage, but there may be some less-than-ideal weather that makes its way into the Charlottesville area during the contest.

Rain Storms Possible During NC State vs Virginia

The Wolfpack and Cavaliers are set to kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET from Scott Stadium in a game that can be seen live on ESPN.

The forecast calls for temperatures to be around 80 degrees during the game, but thunderstorms in spots are called for during the afternoon.

Every rep is personal. #1Pack1Goal pic.twitter.com/7w8TuKZhyq

— NC State Football (@PackFootball) August 28, 2026

The showers are spread and it doesn't seem like overall that the game will feature rain for long chunks, but it is possible that rain does fall during the game. With Virginia playing on a natural grass field, if it ends up being a significant amount of rain in a short amount of time, that could play into the contest.

NC State fans don't have to be reminded of some of the ridiculous weather games they've watched the Wolfpack play in over the last decade or so. The good news is Saturday doesn't appear to be shaping up to be anything like that.

If things get extremely wet or muddy, which doesn't seem likely, it would probably favor Virginia, who appears to have an advantage on the offensive line going in.

NC State at Virginia - Additional Game Notes

NC State and Virginia is quietly an extremely long running rivalry, dating all the way back to 1904. NC State holds a 38-22-1 advantage all-time in the series, but the two programs have met just six times since 2007. This will be the seventh.

Dave Doeren has had Virginia's number to date. This will mark his fifth game against the Cavaliers since he was named head coach at NC State, and the Wolfpack has managed a victory in each of the first four contests.

Saturday marks the first non-Covid season that NC State has opened the year with an ACC game. In 2005, NC State lost to No. 8 Virginia Tech 20-16 to start the year. In 2020, it started with a 45-42 shootout victory over Wake Forest before going on to 8-3 regular season and appearance in the Gator Bowl.