Staff Predictions for No. 24 Virginia's Road Test vs. Louisville

We provide predictions for UVA's first conference test on the road against the undefeated Cardinals

Sep 26, 2025; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers running back J'Mari Taylor (3) celebrates after the Cavaliers' win against against the Florida State Seminoles in two overtimes at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Virginia heads into Louisville to take on an undefeated Cardinals team coming off a fiery win on the road in Pittsburgh. The Hoo's are riding so much momentum from an incredible upset against Florida State to earn a No. 24 ranking from the Associated Press. This game should be another test for UVA's offense against the Cardinals' great defense. Meantime, UVA's defense will be asked to slow down a hot Miller Moss and Cards' offense looking to take down a ranked opponent on their home turf.

Let's take a look at our staff predictions for the Cavaliers' first ACC game on the road this season.

Jackson Caudell (Publisher): Louisville 34 - UVA 27

"UVA's offense slows down on the road. The Cardinals get explosive plays to pull away late."

Maria Aldrich (Writer): Louisville 31 - UVA 24

"Louisville has another slow start but makes a comeback during the second half to secure the win."

Jake Aiello (Writer): Louisville 28 - UVA 35

"Virginia's offense definitely has grit. If they can establish the run early against the Cardinals' defense, they can open up the playbook for Chandler Morris to use his versatility. I think the UVA defense still allows a healthy amount of points, once again but they slip out with the win."

Staff Split Over Winner, Total and Spread

3:30 PM on ESPN 2 📺 https://t.co/o2sfbWGNLZ

— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) September 30, 2025

The staff is split 2:1 on this week's predictions. We all can agree that this will be an absolute scoring fest in Louisville as these two offenses have showed they can create huge offensive plays, especially in recent weeks. I think the rift comes down to which team will perform better in crunch time, later in the game. Louisville just manufactured an incredible comeback effort last week against Pitt but the Hoo's also delivered in a nail-biting overtime finish against a better opponent in FSU.

The staff is also split on whether this game will hit the 62.5-point total currently being offered on Fanduel Sportsbook for Saturday. That is an extremely high mark for a college football total, but offense is at a premium this year for the Hoo's, and Louisville is looking like it is clicking heading into the ACC matchup. Virginia's offense sits at number two in the ACC, averaging over 539 yards per game compared to Louisville's 409, but the Cardinals have played one less game than the Hoo's coming into Week Six. Quarterback Miller Moss is coming into his own with the Cardinals' offense, while senior wide receivers Chris Bell and Caullin Lacy are benefiting from Moss' improvement in performance.

In terms of the 6.5-point spread on Fanduel, it is once again 2:1 in favor of Virginia not covering. With the spread obviously being one score, this is incredibly close to call. As I mentioned before, this spread - and the game in general - could come down to crucial drives later in the game. Just as UVA swung momentum with late scores against Florida State, this matchup could be a couple of explosive plays away from drastically changing at any moment.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.