Virginia Plays 'Country Roads' During Opener — This Could Age Poorly in a Few Weeks

Virginia has a history of trolling West Virginia. Remember 1985 and 2002?

Aug 29, 2026; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers celebrate with fans following the game against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg Atkins-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This weekend, the Virginia Cavaliers routed North Carolina State 34-8 in their season opener, looking like a team who could develop into a legitimate threat in the ACC.

During the second half, they decided to blast John Denver's "Country Roads, Take Me Home" through the speakers, and the Cavaliers faithful sang along.

FYI- UVA fans are playing and singing Country Roads. pic.twitter.com/1N4hGr0fsR

— Aaron Maloney (@maloney_aaron) August 29, 2026

First of all, the song is about West Virginia, not Western Virginia...

Dec 7, 2022; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers students celebrate and sing "Country Roads" after defeating the Navy Midshipmen at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

I don't know if I have the energy for this one anymore. This is one of the most ridiculous debates, if you can even call it that. John Denver played the song at Mountaineer Field in 1980, and the songwriter, Bill Danoff, confirmed that the song is indeed about West Virginia. I mean, the song does say, "To the place I belong, West Virginia," doesn't it? Not Virginia? Or Western Virginia? It's the same thing with folks from Maryland, who believe the song is about them. Uh, no.

Oh, and I don't know about you, but "Miner's lady, stranger to blue water" doesn't scream Virginia or Maryland to me. But I digress.

Playing the song BEFORE you play West Virginia is certainly a choice, though. That will certainly give the Mountaineers some added juice for that matchup, but even more problematic for Virginia is that if they lose, they will never live down the decision to play John Denver's tune before truly earning the right to troll WVU.

Do you remember 1985 and 2002?

Nov 4, 2023; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Members of the Virginia Cavaliers marching band preform on the field prior to the Cavaliers' game against Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

If this is indeed a troll job, it wouldn't be the first time Virginia has done it. Twice, their pep band made fun of West Virginia, and ultimately, the jokes led to its demise in 2003, leading to the creation of the Cavalier Marching Band in 2004.

Back in 1985, the pep band had a performance that was a parody of "Family Feud," which included derogatory references to indoor plumbing and birth control in West Virginia. Obviously, that didn't go over well with folks, and that was just part one.

Fast forward to the 2002 Continental Tire Bowl, and UVA's band was back at it again. This time, they did a parody of "The Bachelor" with one of the two girls playing as someone from West Virginia, dressed in overalls and pigtails — the whole hillbilly look.

West Virginia officials did not find the ordeal funny whatsoever, as West Virginia Governor Bob Wise demanded an apology from the University of Virginia, which they delivered.