What’s At Stake For Virginia vs Wake Forest This Weekend

Virginia faces another test this weekend when it hosts Wake Forest. Wake Forest is coming off a tough 42-7 loss to Florida State on the road. However, they nearly knocked off Georgia Tech earlier in the season.

Virginia had their highest ranking in the College Football Rankings in program history, debuting at No. 14 in the poll. Head coach Tony Elliot talked about the ranking and the team’s focus.

“We have an opportunity to do something about it. So we won't take that approach, but really not going to talk about it much more with the guys. And hopefully, but I know I told him I tried, and all along I've been trying to tell him what I know from my experience, and I've tried to tell them that more people are going to come out of the woodworks. You're going to get a lot more messages after every game. A lot more people are going to want to be a part of what's going on, and unfortunately, that becomes a distraction,” said Elliot.

“So if you want to stay focused, you're going to have to, you know, so that'll be the message. And we've also kind of simplified our focus down the stretch and really don't talk about the big picture at all, really just focus on trying to go 1-0 each day so that we can go 1-0 on Saturday."

What’s At Stake?

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

By looking at the initial poll, the ACC is not going to get the benefit of the doubt despite having three one-loss teams. The committee is not giving any leeway so it will be important that Virginia continues to control its own destiny. The Cavaliers can move to 6-0 in conference play with only two games left in the regular season. They have a chance to have Scott Stadium rocking with two of their final three games at home.

The Cavaliers can continue to increase their chances of making the ACC championship with a win. Currently, Virginia has a 66.6% chance to make the title game in Charlotte, according to ESPN Analytics. Another win and those odds will continue to increase for the Cavaliers.

The defense has continued to play at a high level, led by Kam Robinson, Ja’Son Prevard, and a really good defensive line. Chandler Morris has continued to be consistent this year and has been a bright spot for the offense. J’Mari Taylor had one of his better games of the season, rushing for 105 yards and two touchdowns in the win over California last week. Taylor also averaged five yards per carry.

"Well, he (J’mari Taylor) does a lot to take care of his body off the field. And he's eating right, sleeping, hydrating, doing all those things. I think he's got a natural ability as a runner to get skinny, to go down and not take significant shots consistently. And he's a warrior. He practices the right way. I think he can accelerate to the contact, which allows him to be the aggressor in the concept of being the hammer and not the nail. And I think that helps him stay healthy because he's able to inflict the brunt of the force on the opponent. And then he's able to protect his body and get small so that he doesn't take too many hard shots,” said Elliot.
With a matchup on the horizon against the Demon Deacons, Coach Elliot gave his initial thoughts on the matchup against Wake Forest.

"Yeah, so what I do hear a little bit more is kind of I wouldn't say unrealistic expectations, but maybe people looking at a score and assuming that 42 to 7 is not indicative of this football team that's coming in here. And you're starting to see them formulate an identity under the new staff. They play really hard. They play a physical brand of football. They have some very dynamic weapons on offense that can score at any time. That game was 13-0 in the third quarter.

It was a close game. I think they sacked the quarterback several times. It was challenging for him to run the football until the second half. And then they had some opportunities to score. And so this is a football team that's pretty good. So don't let the record or scores of previous games fool you. And I was telling the staff that for me, before they went to not having division, it always came down to going through Wake Forest in the month of November, right, to get to Charlotte, right?

Virginia gets another chance to get a win and is one step closer to the ACC championship game and also the College Football Playoff.

More Virginia Football News:

•Three Takeaways From Virginia’s Placement in the First Round of the CFP Rankings

•Virginia Football Makes History In First College Football Playoff Rankings Release

•Where Would Virginia Play If The College Football Playoff Started Today?

•What do the Advanced Analytics Say About Virginia's Matchup vs Wake Forest?