Virginia adds Notre Dame, all 2027 football opponents confirmed

The Cavaliers have a brutal schedule ahead

Nov 16, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love (4) jumps over defenders against the Virginia Cavaliers in the fourth quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The Cavaliers have their 2027 slate settled. Wednesday, Virginia announced that its final slot for 2027 non-conference opponents will be used to play Notre Dame at Scott Stadium.

The Fighting Irish are a full member of the ACC in nearly every sport, but football is a major exception. Notre Dame sought to continue to be a football independent, and it settled an agreement with the ACC. The Fighting Irish play five games each season against ACC opponents. The ACC currently has most teams playing a nine-game conference schedule.

Because Notre Dame only plays a few ACC teams each year, the two programs have only faced each other five times (1989, 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2024). The Fighting Irish won each matchup. This next matchup will be Notre Dame's first visit to Scott Stadium since 2021.

This year, the Fighting Irish are currently ranked No. 3 nationally. They have a marquee win over Wisconsin plus blowout victories over Rice and Purdue (plus a three-possession win over Michigan State).

Notre Dame currently has an extremely light schedule outside of duels against No. 4 Miami, No. 10 BYU and No. 21 SMU. If it wins two out of those three games, it will almost certainly earn a bid to the College Football Playoff.

At the minimum, hosting the Fighting Irish provides an opportunity for Virginia to prove itself against a national titan. But beyond that, the Cavaliers could very well author a CFP resume of their own if they can take down Notre Dame and a few of the scary opponents on their 2027 schedule. Here is what Virginia's path looks like next season:

Virginia's full slate of 2027 football opponents

Home: Arkansas State (Aug. 28), Louisville, Notre Dame, Pitt, SMU, Virginia Tech and William & Mary (date confirmed for Oct. 16)

Away: Boston College, Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina and Stanford

Compared to the Cavaliers' schedule in 2025 and 2026, this future gauntlet is vastly more difficult. There could be six or even seven ranked teams on that 2027 slate, whereas Virginia is only scheduled to face one ranked opponent this year.

There are a few reprieves against Boston College, Stanford, William & Mary and Arkansas State, but every other team on that schedule could be highly competitive. The silver lining for the Cavaliers is that all of the heavyweight battles are at home with the exception of a trip down to Miami.