Assessing Virginia Among Other College Football Playoff Hopefuls

With Virginia's latest victory over North Carolina, where do they stand in the College Football Playoff heading into their week ten matchup?

Oct 25, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Virginia Cavaliers safety Antonio Clary (0) celebrates after intercepting a pass near the end of the fourth quarter at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Heading into week ten, the Virginia Cavaliers own a 7-1 record after their latest victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels. With their next contest approaching this weekend, when they face the California Golden Bears (5-3), the Cavaliers remain a favorite to win, but how long can they continue waiting until the last minute to pull off a win?

Where Does Virginia Stand in the Playoff?

Oct 25, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Virginia Cavaliers quarterback Chandler Morris (4) passes the ball in the fourth quarter at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

With only one month left in the regular season, true contenders for the playoffs are becoming clearer. UVA has had a stellar season, but many of its wins were incredibly close, often going into overtime thrillers. While it has managed to play out in their favor thus far, their work isn't over just yet.

Heather Dinich of ESPN had Virginia in the ACC spotlight once again, and stated:

"There is a 30% chance the ACC championship game now features Virginia and Georgia Tech, according to ESPN Analytics. The Cavaliers have won three overtime games in the past four, including two on the road against Louisville and UNC, and a double-overtime home win against Florida State that no longer looks as impressive as it did that Friday night. Still, UVA has put itself in position to compete for a playoff spot. It has a tricky cross-country trip Saturday to Cal, but won't face a ranked opponent the rest of the season. If Virginia wins the ACC, it's a lock for the playoff. If it finishes as a two-loss runner-up, the Sept. 6 loss at NC State and lack of statement wins to compensate for it will be an issue for some committee members. The Cavaliers' best win would be at Louisville, which should be a CFP Top 25 team, but it didn't help that Pitt just hammered NC State 53-34."

As Dinich explained, if the playoffs were to happen today, Georgia Tech (8-0) and Miami (6-1) would be in, and Virginia would be on the cusp. The Cavaliers' next opponent, California, is listed as one of the programs that would be out.

With the Virginia-California matchup taking place out west, UVA will encounter some additional challenges that they haven't experienced yet this year. Between traveling with gear, adjusting practice schedules, and managing travel time, the Cavaliers are putting an immense amount of effort into making this game happen.

"I don't want to do it every week, right? I don't want to do it too much, but we can kinda muscle up," UVA head coach Tony Elliott said during his latest press conference. "Also, our practice schedule is going to change. So there's a lot of conversation with the senior leadership on how we want to approach practice on Wednesday and Thursday because of the travel time. And so just a ton of logistics. So really, really grateful and appreciative of all the folks that don't get recognized for the tremendous amount of work that's gone into trying to make this as normal of a trip."

Kickoff is scheduled for Nov. 1 at 3:45 p.m. EST at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif.