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The Duke Blue Devils will travel up to Charlottesville to take on the Virginia Cavaliers in a rematch of the 2025 ACC Football Championship for a Week 8 showdown.
The programs met twice a year ago with split results; however, Duke came out on top when it mattered most, defeating the Hoos 27-20 in overtime. Now, UVA will look to exact some revenge in front of its home fans in 2026. Here’s what you can expect from the defending ACC runners-up this season.
Expect the sting of losing out on a conference championship ring and surefire CFP spot to linger throughout the season for a Virginia program that has only come away with two ACC titles in 72 seasons in the conference.
Last season was proof of concept that now fifth-year head coach Tony Elliot has what it takes to get this team to double-digit wins, which is a scary proposition for the rest of the league. Elliot’s team truly looked the part in 2025 after years of bad luck to begin his tenure in Charlottesville.
This offense has the potential to be deadly in 2026. OC Des Kitchings put forth an incredible product last year with everything clicking to the tune of 31 points per game and 418 yards per game, and this unit shows no signs of stopping.
Despite losing longtime starting quarterback Chandler Morris, the Hoos managed to woo Missouri’s Beau Pribula and Pitt’s Eli Holstein to town from the transfer portal. While Elliot named Pribula the team’s starter back in July, expect both proven gunslingers to be viable options throughout the season.
As for their weapons on the outside, UVA lost its top three wideouts from last season, but managed to reload at the position through the portal, adding Rico Flores Jr. (UCLA), Da’Shawn Martin (Kent State) and Jacquan Gibson (UMass). All three are veteran playmakers who should make an immediate impact.
The big boys in the trenches will come back with a ton of experience. Virginia brings back a lot of returning production with left tackle McKale Boley, left guard Noah Josey and interior lineman Drake Metcalf returning from last year's squad.
At right tackle, the Cavaliers will bring in Monroe Mills, a 6’7, 322-pound tackle who was on track to be a major factor in 2025, but missed the entire season due to injury. Now, he’s healthy and poised to be huge for UVA in 2026.
In the backfield, Virginia invested in Middle Tennessee’s Jekail Middlebrook, who ran for over 700 yards last year after the program lost its top two rushers from last season. The Hoos also brought in Tennessee’s Peyton Lewis and UAB’s Solomon Beebe in hopes of keeping the ground game going.
On the defensive side of the ball, veteran DC John Rudzinski put together a squad that allowed just over 300 yards per game and 20 points per game a season ago. To help improve this unit, UVA loaded up with transfers despite losing only a few pieces in the offseason.
The main issue with Rudzinski’s defense last year was its lack of pressure in the backfield. This should be aided by the addition of Baylor edge defender Matthew Fobbs-White, who can take the pressure off primary pass rusher Fisher Camac on the other side.
The interior is solid too. The combo of Jason Hammond and Anthony Britton is frightening for opposing offensive lines. Both of those dudes have serious size and rare talent.
At linebacker, the Cavaliers are solid once again. Maddox Marcellus is a battle-tested vet who can anchor on the outside. In the middle, Kam Robinson is back after a 64-tackle campaign in 2025 through just eight games played.
The primary question mark for this side is the secondary. Ethan Minter is good enough at the safety position, and Donavon Platt was a solid playmaker at corner last year.
Through the portal, the team added Michigan safety Brandyn Hillman and will expect big things from him right away in 2026. Elsewhere in the back, Jacobie Henderson (Rutgers), Jaylen Jones (Georgia) and Christian Ellis (Virginia Tech) will all need to step up right away at DB.
As for the Blue Devils’ Week 8 duel with the Hoos, they will certainly have their work cut out for them. The revenge factor alone could spell trouble for Duke, but that obviously remains to be seen.
The rematch is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on Oct. 23 and will stream on ESPN.
This article originally appeared on Duke Wire: Revenge on the table as Duke visits Virginia in Week 8
Continue reading...
The programs met twice a year ago with split results; however, Duke came out on top when it mattered most, defeating the Hoos 27-20 in overtime. Now, UVA will look to exact some revenge in front of its home fans in 2026. Here’s what you can expect from the defending ACC runners-up this season.
Expect the sting of losing out on a conference championship ring and surefire CFP spot to linger throughout the season for a Virginia program that has only come away with two ACC titles in 72 seasons in the conference.
Last season was proof of concept that now fifth-year head coach Tony Elliot has what it takes to get this team to double-digit wins, which is a scary proposition for the rest of the league. Elliot’s team truly looked the part in 2025 after years of bad luck to begin his tenure in Charlottesville.
This offense has the potential to be deadly in 2026. OC Des Kitchings put forth an incredible product last year with everything clicking to the tune of 31 points per game and 418 yards per game, and this unit shows no signs of stopping.
Despite losing longtime starting quarterback Chandler Morris, the Hoos managed to woo Missouri’s Beau Pribula and Pitt’s Eli Holstein to town from the transfer portal. While Elliot named Pribula the team’s starter back in July, expect both proven gunslingers to be viable options throughout the season.
As for their weapons on the outside, UVA lost its top three wideouts from last season, but managed to reload at the position through the portal, adding Rico Flores Jr. (UCLA), Da’Shawn Martin (Kent State) and Jacquan Gibson (UMass). All three are veteran playmakers who should make an immediate impact.
The big boys in the trenches will come back with a ton of experience. Virginia brings back a lot of returning production with left tackle McKale Boley, left guard Noah Josey and interior lineman Drake Metcalf returning from last year's squad.
At right tackle, the Cavaliers will bring in Monroe Mills, a 6’7, 322-pound tackle who was on track to be a major factor in 2025, but missed the entire season due to injury. Now, he’s healthy and poised to be huge for UVA in 2026.
In the backfield, Virginia invested in Middle Tennessee’s Jekail Middlebrook, who ran for over 700 yards last year after the program lost its top two rushers from last season. The Hoos also brought in Tennessee’s Peyton Lewis and UAB’s Solomon Beebe in hopes of keeping the ground game going.
On the defensive side of the ball, veteran DC John Rudzinski put together a squad that allowed just over 300 yards per game and 20 points per game a season ago. To help improve this unit, UVA loaded up with transfers despite losing only a few pieces in the offseason.
The main issue with Rudzinski’s defense last year was its lack of pressure in the backfield. This should be aided by the addition of Baylor edge defender Matthew Fobbs-White, who can take the pressure off primary pass rusher Fisher Camac on the other side.
The interior is solid too. The combo of Jason Hammond and Anthony Britton is frightening for opposing offensive lines. Both of those dudes have serious size and rare talent.
At linebacker, the Cavaliers are solid once again. Maddox Marcellus is a battle-tested vet who can anchor on the outside. In the middle, Kam Robinson is back after a 64-tackle campaign in 2025 through just eight games played.
The primary question mark for this side is the secondary. Ethan Minter is good enough at the safety position, and Donavon Platt was a solid playmaker at corner last year.
Through the portal, the team added Michigan safety Brandyn Hillman and will expect big things from him right away in 2026. Elsewhere in the back, Jacobie Henderson (Rutgers), Jaylen Jones (Georgia) and Christian Ellis (Virginia Tech) will all need to step up right away at DB.
As for the Blue Devils’ Week 8 duel with the Hoos, they will certainly have their work cut out for them. The revenge factor alone could spell trouble for Duke, but that obviously remains to be seen.
The rematch is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on Oct. 23 and will stream on ESPN.
This article originally appeared on Duke Wire: Revenge on the table as Duke visits Virginia in Week 8
Continue reading...
