Virginia and Virginia Tech are officially reuniting with some seriously familiar faces next football season, shaking up what felt like a long-lost tradition in the ACC. The conference just dropped the league opponents for 2027, and fans are buzzing because it brings back some absolutely classic matchups that have been missing from the slate for a minute.
The Rivalry Returns, Finally!
This is huge for Cavaliers fans, because UVA is finally squaring off against Miami for the first time since way back in 2023. And for the Hokies? They are getting their first crack at North Carolina since 2022. If you remember your ACC history, these four programs were division staples, locked in the Coastal Division from 2005 all the way to 2022 (except for that wild 2020 pandemic year). They used to play each other annually, a tradition that got sidelined when the ACC ditched divisions for 2023 and beyond. Seeing these old foes back on the schedule is exactly what college football is all about.
Breaking Down the 2027 Slate
So, what does the full picture look like for our teams? Virginia’s home schedule for 2027 includes Louisville, Pitt, SMU, and, naturally, that epic Virginia Tech rivalry game. On the road, the Cavaliers will hit up Boston College, Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina, and Stanford. Talk about some serious travel!
Virginia Tech’s home slate is stacked with Clemson, Miami, NC State, Syracuse, and Wake Forest coming to town. For their away games, the Hokies are heading to Georgia Tech, Louisville, North Carolina, and Virginia. Outside the ACC, Virginia Tech has nonconference games lined up against The Citadel, Liberty, and Notre Dame. As for UVA, they’ve got Arkansas State and William & Mary for nonconference matchups, but they still need to nail down that required Power Four opponent from outside the ACC. The smart money says it is Notre Dame, given Georgia Tech’s packed nonconference schedule. One of their four nonconference games has to go, and since UVA needs a Power Four, that swap just makes sense.
This 2027 season marks the second year the ACC runs a nine-game conference schedule and its fourth since that expansion to 17 teams with SMU, Cal, and Stanford joining the party. The principles from the 2024 model are still locked in: protected rivalries like VT-UVA, UVA-North Carolina, and Miami-VT are safe. Plus, Eastern time zone programs won’t travel to California in back-to-back seasons, and every team plays at least twice every seven seasons. The new nine-game model also demands at least one nonconference game against a Power Four peer or independent Notre Dame. To make the math work, one ACC team each year plays eight league games , that is Clemson in 2027 , and they have to play two Power Fours or Notre Dame. ACC athletic directors gave the green light to this 2027 schedule just last week after months of talks.
The official schedule dates are still to come, likely dropping in late January after this current season wraps up. With old rivalries sparking back to life, 2027 is looking like it is going to be an absolute blast. You know fans cannot wait to mark those calendars!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply