2026 FSU Schedule Preview: Virginia Cavaliers

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Though FSU still holds a strong advantage in the head-to-head record, four of the five losses it has suffered to the Virginia Cavaliers have happened in heartbreaking fashion. Cries of “Dunn was in!” still echo across the minds of Seminole faithful, over 30 years later. A missed game-winning field goal attempt by Dustin Hopkins in 2011. Cam Akers being stopped from the 4 yard line in 2019, reminiscent of the 1995 ending. And of course, Duce Robinson failing to cleanly haul in a touchdown pass in double-overtime last year.

Come October, the Seminoles will look to avenge the 2025 loss and get to .500 against Virginia in the Mike Norvell era when they host the Hoos in Tallahassee.

Florida State vs. Virginia Cavaliers

• Date: Saturday, Oct. 3, TBD
• Location: Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida
• Previous matchup: September 26, 2025. The 8th-ranked Seminoles entered the game against the unranked Cavaliers as one of the hottest and most-discussed teams in college football, having pulled off a significant upset of Alabama and outscoring their next two opponents 143-13 to surge up the national rankings. All of that momentum would come crashing down hours later as Florida State lost a double-overtime heartbreaker after Duce Robinson bobbled a sure touchdown catch, overshadowing an otherwise strong performance from the legacy transfer.
• All-time series: Florida State leads the all-time series 14-5, though the Cavaliers have won two in a row and three of the past four contests.

Virginia Cavaliers: 2026 Team Preview

2025 record: Tony Elliott led the Cavaliers to an 11-3 season, a program record for wins in a season, with an ACC Championship game appearance and a Gator Bowl victory over Missouri.

Two things to know:

• Tony Elliott is one hell of a coach and culture-builder. The former Clemson offensive coordinator parlayed his success for the Tigers into his first head coaching role in Charlottesville and has navigated the program through unimaginable tragedy into conference and national prominence. I’d imagine he’ll be Clemson’s first call whenever they move on from Dabo Swinney but for now, he’s built something special at UVA. The Seminoles gave up 46 points to the Cavaliers last time and I don’t have high hopes in FSU’s coaching staff out-scheming Elliott this time around either.
• UVA returns an offensive line with significant veteran leadership and may end up being the most cohesive and experienced that FSU faces all season. All five starters and several top depth options are graduate students and the likely starters average over 317 pounds. They are an intelligent bunch with very good communication, and three of them (McKale Boley, Drake Metcalf, and Noah Josey) earned preseason all-ACC team honors. Metcalf was moved to center after finding a lot of success at the position last season against, you guessed it, Florida State.

Three key players

• Linebacker Kam Robinson: UVA’s heart on defense and a preseason First Team All-ACC, Robinson returns for his senior season with high expectations and conference/national award buzz. He returned from injury last season just in time to notch 10 tackles and a sack against FSU and played a huge role in the end of game momentum swing. The worst part? He turned down Florida State’s overtures to flip because the Seminoles slow-played him earlier in the recruiting process. Had Randy Shannon and Adam Fuller not done that, he very likely would’ve been in garnet and gold as part of #Tribe23.
• Quarterback Beau Pribula: UVA will once again rely on a journeyman transfer at quarterback, where former Penn State and Mizzou starter Beau Pribula will take the reins. Pribula led Mizzou to eight wins last season but had nearly the same amount of interceptions as touchdowns. He fits more of a game-manager profile at UVA and will very likely begin the season as the starter. He’ll benefit from a veteran offensive line and solid skill players around him but can make mental errors when under pressure.
• Safety Brandyn Hillman: Hillman arrives in Charlottesville from Ann Arbor, where he won a national championship in 2024 and was fourth in tackles as a starter in 2025 for the Michigan Wolverines. He slots in as a starter right away. UVA relies heavily on their safeties and Hillman will likely work with the afore-mentioned Robinson to co-quarterback the defense. He’ll likely have a future in the NFL.

Florida State vs. Virginia Cavaliers: Game preview, predictions

• Best Case

Florida State has only lost to Virginia one time in Doak Campbell Stadium, and it will need a strong crowd behind it. This will be game five for the Seminoles, coming off the heels of (hopefully) a solid tune-up victory against Central Arkansas, while Virginia enters the contest following a home game against Delaware. Florida State is able to mitigate UVA’s strong OL by confusing Pribula with different looks, baiting him into a few turnovers. Ashton Daniels takes care of the ball, efficiently converts on third downs, and shows good chemistry with Duce Robinson. The running game allows the Seminoles to keep things balanced on offense, the defense gets several timely stops, and Florida State’s special teams have a strong day, leading to a revenge victory over the Hoos and building momentum headed into arguably the toughest three-game stretch in FSU’s schedule.

• Realistic Case

Another shootout, with both offenses trading scores and both defenses having to constantly adjust. UVA will look to establish the run early behind a strong line while FSU will utilize Daniels’ legs to break some big plays. Daniels and Pribula both have long-documented issues with turning the ball over, so this one will likely come down to which squad can limit turnovers and control time of possession. Assuming both teams are reasonably healthy, the game could go either way with a single-digit victory margin. Which defense can step up and get a stop in crunch time?

• Worst Case

Having already lost to SMU and Alabama and struggling to put away Central Arkansas, the Seminoles come out listless in front of a half-full Doak. Tony Elliott calls a near-perfect game and the Cavaliers benefit from ball control on offense and several forced turnovers by Daniels. FSU tries to mount a late comeback but Virginia wins comfortably by several touchdowns. The ‘Noles then head into a brutal Louisville-Miami-Clemson stretch with no momentum, a hemorrhaging recruiting class, and a still-employed-but-obviously-lame-duck coach.

2026 FSU football schedule

• Saturday, Aug. 29: New Mexico State Aggies (Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee) | 7:00 p.m. (The CW)
• Monday, Sep. 7: SMU Mustangs (Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee) | 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
• BYE
• Saturday, Sep. 19: Alabama Crimson Tide (Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Ala.) | 3:30 p.m. (ABC)
• Saturday, Sep. 26: Central Arkansas Bears (Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee)
• Saturday, Oct. 3: Virginia Cavaliers (Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee)
• Friday, Oct. 9: Louisville Cardinals (Cardinal Stadium, Louisville, Ky.) | 7:00 p.m. (ESPN)
• Saturday, Oct. 17: Miami Hurricanes (Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla.)
• BYE
• Saturday, Oct. 31: Clemson Tigers (Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee)
• Saturday, Nov. 7: Boston College Eagles (Alumni Stadium, Chestnut Hill, Mass.)
• Friday, Nov. 13: Pitt Panthers (Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pa.) | 7:00 p.m. (ESPN)
• Saturday, Nov. 21: NC State Wolfpack (Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee)
• Friday, Nov. 27: Florida Gators (Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee) | 3:30 p.m. (ABC)

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