Virginia Opens As Colossal Favorite Over Norfolk State In Week Two Matchup

Virginia had a bye week after their week zero win against NC State and will resume their season on Friday night against Norfolk State

Aug 29, 2026; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers running back Xavier Brown (0) celebrates a touchdown during the second quarter against North Carolina State Wolfpack at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg Atkins-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Virginia Cavaliers were one of the stories of the opening weekend of college football, but they had a week off this week and will resume play on Friday against Michael Vick and Norfolk State.

Norfolk State is 1-1 to start the year and on Saturday night against Old Dominion, they lost 31-10. Vick, the former Virginia Tech quarterback, is in his second season with the Spartans and looking to improve up on his debut season and make Norfolk State a competitive program at the FCS level.

But taking on this UVA team is going to be a different type of challenge for Norfolk State and it won't be an easy one.

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Aug 29, 2026; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers quarterback Beau Pribula (7) pre-snap during the first quarter against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg Atkins-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Virginia is opening as a 43.5-point favorite against Norfolk State, and the over/under has opened at 54.5.

Will UVA have any rust after not playing in week one? I don't think so, but I do think it will be interesting to see how the Cavaliers approach this game.

While the rushing attack is always going to be the focal point for Tony Elliott's team, I would not expect UVA to come out and run Beau Pribula as much as they did against NC State. The Cavaliers will need his rushing ability for far bigger contests down the line, and him taking more hits and body blows in a game like this is not something that would benefit Virginia in the long run.

Something else to watch that might get overlooked is Virginia's attention to detail and focus in this game. I don't think it is going to be a problem, but after all of the praise that was heaped on the Cavaliers after their demolition of NC State and they are playing an overmatched opponent, will UVA look sharp and focused ahead of their neutral site matchup against West Virginia in week three?

The passing game is also something to monitor. This might be the perfect week for Des Kitchings to open things up and let Pribula sling the ball around a little bit more and work out some things in the passing game. He was very efficient in their win over NC State, but he only threw the ball 11 times.

Virginia is the far better team in this game and a breezy win should be expected against the Spartans.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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