Virginia Opens As A Slight Underdog in Week Two Matchup vs NC State

Will Virginia be able to go on the road and defeat NC State?

Aug 30, 2025; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers wide receiver Jahmal Edrine (7) celebrates with Virginia Cavaliers wide receiver Eli Wood (82) after scoring a touchdown against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers during the second quarter at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

After beating Coastal Carolina in week one, Virginia is heading on the road for one of the most interesting games of week two. While the two teams that are playing are in the ACC, it is not an ACC conference game. Virginia and NC State are going to meet as non-conference foes and both teams are looking for another win to continue their momentum after a week one victory.

Wolfpack are small favorites

Aug 28, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack quarterback CJ Bailey (11) with the ball during the first half of the game against East Carolina Pirates at Carter-Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

NC State has won three straight over the Cavaliers and they are favored to do so again on Saturday. According to Fanduel Sportsbook, NC State has opened as a 2.5 point favorite over Virginia on Saturday and the over/under is set at 53.5.

Historically, the Wolfpack have had a lot of success against UVA. The Cavaliers trail in the all-time series 22-37 and have not beaten NC State since 2012, a game that was also in Raleigh.

Reason for optimism

Aug 30, 2025; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers wide receiver Cam Ross (6) scores a touchdown against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers during the second quarter at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

In his Cavalier debut, Cam Ross accounted for 224 all-purpose yards (124 receiving, 100 KOR), which included a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. His kickoff return TD matched that of the longest in school history and is the first kickoff return for a touchdown by a Cavalier since Joe Reed did so against Duke in 2019. The 100-yard return is one of five in program history, with the last by Reed against William & Mary in 2019.

Ross collected his fourth 100-yard receiving performance of his career. His four career 100-yard receiving performances lead all players on UVA’s 2025 roster.

Head coach Tony Elliott could not have been happier with the performance that Ross had and he said he saw it early in camp:

"You know, a couple, a couple days into practice, you saw that that one, he's a, he's a football player, like he's got really, really good football instincts. He's got a great skill set as a receiver. And you felt like, based on what you saw in film from JMU last year, and then the validation of the short area quickness, that he would he would be able to make some plays for you. So just super excited for him. He's a guy that just came in and worked and maybe some of the other guys might have been more talked about in terms of their transition coming in the door, but he's just, he's just a workman. He reminds me a lot of Malik, and I said that before. They're different, and he's got a long way to go, obviously, because Malik did some, some, some exceptional things here, but he's kind of cut from the same cloth. You just see his ability as a football player and also as a return guy, it doesn't say much, very quiet. He just shows up every single day and goes to work."

Elliott also said that Ross is going to lineup everywhere in this offense:

"We initially started him outside at Z and then moved him into the slot, and he's shown the ability to be able to do both, and his natural home is probably in the slot. But he gives us some flexibility. And with the trail coming back off of injury, we needed the ability to stretch the field. So it's really good to get the trail back, which I think those two are going to play off of each other, very, very, very well. And then Jamal gives you that big body to get some of the intermediate, short conversions that you need to keep drives going, so that you can be explosive down the field. And got a chance to play some of the other guys. I saw Tyler, Eric, and Dre Green in there. Got to get Cam Courtney going. He'll bounce back from the muck farm. I know he's a competitor. I know he will. And then we got to play the freshman the first year, receivers a little bit. So it's really good to get all those guys going, but we're going to need every one of them. It's only game one, and it's a long season. That position, there are always some bumps and bruises that come along with it, and we need to continue to grow depth at that position."

If Virginia is going to defeat NC State, Ross is likely going to need another big game. This is a huge game for the program on Saturday.

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.