Clean Sweep: College Gameday Picks the Hoos to Beat Virginia Tech, Advance to ACC Championship

Will UVA punch their ticket to the ACC Championship today with a win over Virginia Tech?

Nov 15, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Virginia Cavaliers quarter back Chandler Morris (4) looks for an opening against Duke Blue Devils defensive tackle Aaron Hall (99) during the first quarter at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

Saturday marks the 106th meeting between Virginia and Virginia Tech. The rivalry, first contested in 1895 with a 38-0 Cavaliers win in Charlottesville, has served as the regular-season finale in 30 of the last 35 years. Established in 1996, the Commonwealth Cup is awarded annually to the winner of the football matchup, and Virginia is seeking its first Cup victory since 2019 – a season in which the Cavaliers also captured the ACC Coastal Division and earned the program’s inaugural Orange Bowl berth.

With a 6-1 record in ACC play, a win over the Hokies would guarantee UVA of at least a share of first place in the ACC standings and a berth in the ACC Championship game (Dec. 6) in Charlotte, N.C. The Cavaliers have won six games in league play only seven times in program history. The program record for ACC wins in a season is seven, established by the 1995 team. With a 9-2 overall record, Virginia has reached the nine-win plateau for only the ninth time in the program’s 136-year history and first
since 2019. The only other occasion Virginia had nine wins entering the Commonwealth Clash was in 2007.

In the annual all-sports competition between the two schools, the Smithfield Commonwealth Clash, Virginia leads, 4.5-0.5. UVA and VT tied in men’s soccer in Blacksburg back on Sept. 5. UVA has won the Clash each of the last three years and seven of the last 10 years. The 1989 co-ACC champion squad is the only UVA team to win 10 games in a season. The 1995 co-ACC champion team is the only Cavalier contingent to win seven ACC games in a season.

Today, the College Gameday crew picked today's big game and it was a clean sweep for Virginia.

Kirk Herbstreit- UVA

Nick Saban- UVA

Desmond Howard- UVA

Pat McAfee- UVA

Aidan Hutchinson- UVA

Can UVA clinch a spot in the Championship game?

Virginia’s balanced offense has amassed 2,067 yards rushing and 2,751 yards passing. For only the fifth time in school history (1990, 1995, 2011, 2018, 2025), UVA has accumulated at least 2,000 yards rushing and 2,500 yards passing in the same season. In its last five outings, Virginia’s defense has held opponents to 278.4 yards of total offense per game. In that same span, UVA opponents have not scored more than 21 points in a game.

Against Duke (Nov. 15), the Cavaliers’ defense shut out their opponent in the first half for the sixth time this season, allowing UVA to race out to a 31-3 advantage. Cavalier opponents are averaging only 63.0 rushing yards per game over the last three games, including an eight-yard output by Cal (Nov. 1), the fewest by a UVA opponent since 2020. The Cavaliers boast one of the top third-down defenses in the country, allowing 43 conversions in 151 attempts (28%). Virginia Tech has been in the upper half of the ACC in third-down conversions with a success rate of 43% through its first 10 games.