Virginia Cavaliers Receive Noteworthy Preseason Ranking For The 2026 Season

The Virginia Cavaliers' spring football is now underway, which means rankings and projections are now being released for their 2026 campaign. The Hoos faced a substantial amount of loss during the offseason, but head coach Tony Elliott went right to work to replenish his roster.

Last year, the Cavaliers were able to finish their campaign on a high note, despite their heartbreak in the ACC Championship Game. With another season on the horizon, the Hoos have the chance to redeem themselves and finally clinch the conference title.

Although the regular season is still a long way out, the preseason rankings are providing some insight into how the year could look for each college football program. Among those rankings are the SP+ projections, which landed Virginia in an interesting spot this spring.

Where Did UVA Land?

Missouri Tigers Beau Pribula running with a football — Missouri Tigers quarterback Beau Pribula | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

ESPN's Bill Connelly has been working through his long-awaited SP+ projections, and in his latest release, Virginia is found at an interesting spot. According to Connelly, the Cavaliers land at No. 40, cracking the Top 50 out of the 138 teams, with an SP+ of 6.6. Additionally, they're projected to be No. 63 on offense and No. 27 on defense, while special teams ranks No. 58.

As Virginia's opponents, here's how they stack up in the SP+ projection:

1. NC State (No. 48)
2. West Virginia (No. 66)
3. Delaware (No. 114)
4. Florida State (No. 35)
5. Syracuse (No. 69)
6. SMU (No. 28)
7. Duke (No. 44)
8. Wake Forest (No. 58)
9. California (No. 56)
10. North Carolina (54)
11. Virginia Tech (No. 32)

Connelly creates his well-respected preseason SP+ projections using four components: returning production, recent history, recent recruiting and coaching change effects. As he notes, SP+ is simply a tempo-and opponent-adjusted measure of a college football program's efficiencies considering offense, defense, and special teams.

For these preseason rankings, the top five placeholders are Ohio State (31.8), Oregon (28.3), Notre Dame (25.8), Georgia (25.5) and Indiana (24.5)—the latest College Football Playoff champions.

Looking ahead to the upcoming 2026-27 campaign, the Cavaliers are looking to build off their 11-3 overall record and boost their 7-1 record in conference play. This past season was a spectacular run for the Hoos, and they have another opportunity to propel themselves even further this year. Of course, there will be several hurdles along the way, and they will need to upset the ACC's top programs. Will this be the year they clinch a title, or will they fall to their daunting opponents?