CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The final week of the regular season in college football is commonly known as ‘rivalry week,’ and without fail inherently produces postseason implications around the country. On Saturday (Nov. 30), Virginia (5-6, 3-4 ACC) travels to in-state rival Virginia Tech (5-6, 3-4) for the 105th meeting of the series, which dates back to 1895. Kickoff from Lane Stadium is set for 8 p.m. on ACC Network and the Virginia Sports Radio Network. 

The showdown between the Cavaliers and Hokies, a Smithfield Commonwealth Clash, is the only Power Four matchup this weekend in which the winner is guaranteed bowl eligibility, and the defeated is not. But more importantly for UVA head coach Tony Elliott, the team that hoists the Commonwealth Cup will showcase its superiority and assert bragging rights in the Commonwealth of Virginia. 

“It’s one that’s a season of itself,” Elliott said Tuesday during his weekly press conference. “It lasts for 365 days. It means a lot to a lot of people.

“It’s two in-state schools. It’s houses divided. It’s bragging rights. It’s a true dislike, right, that’s not just on game day.”

GAME DETAILS 
Date: Saturday, Nov. 30 
Time: 8 p.m. 
Location: Lane Stadium (65,632) 
Television: ACC Network • Wes Durham, (play-by-play), Tom Luginbill (analyst), Dana Boyle (sideline) 
Radio: Virginia Sports Radio Network, Virginia Sports Mobile App, TuneIn App, SiriusXM Channel 371 

INSIDE SATURDAY’S MATCHUP 

• Saturday is the 105th meeting between Virginia and Virginia Tech. The two teams have played the final regular season game against one another in 29 of the last 34 years. 

• The rivalry was first played in 1895, a 38-0 UVA victory in Charlottesville. Virginia Tech leads the all-time series, 61-38-5. 

• A win for the Cavaliers would make them bowl eligible for the first time under head coach Tony Elliott and the first time since 2021. 

• Virginia is looking to close out a perfect fall season against Virginia Tech. UVA leads the Smithfield Commonwealth Clash standings, 5.0–0.0, in the annual all-sports competition. UVA won the Clash for the 2023-24 academic year. 

• The Cavaliers visit Blacksburg for the first time since the 2020 season. The four-year gap between games at Virginia Tech is the longest since 1970. 

• UVA is looking to snap an 11-game road losing skid at Virginia Tech. The Cavaliers’ last win at Lane Stadium was in 1998, a 36-32 comeback that saw UVA score the game-winning touchdown with 2:01 remaining on a 47-yard pass from Aaron Brooks to Ahmad Hawkins, who currently serves as UVA’s radio analyst. 

• The Hoos are looking to capture the Commonwealth Cup for the first time since 2019, when UVA claimed its first ACC Coastal Division championship and a trip to its first Orange Bowl. 

• Virginia is 0-3 (2006, 2008, 2014) in contests against the Hokies that also determine a trip to a bowl game for the UVA. 

• Saturday will be Virginia’s fourth night game of the season. The Cavaliers sport a 3-1 record in 2024 at night and have won four of their last six night games beginning with a road night win over then-No. 10 North Carolina last year. 

TOP STORYLINES 

• Virginia and Virginia Tech are two of 16 FBS teams with five wins going into the final week of the regular season. The only other matchup of potential bowl eligible teams on the slate is Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan (1:30 p.m. ET). Virginia and Virginia Tech played one another for bowl eligibility one other time, a 24-20 Hokies victory in Blacksburg in 2014. 

• The Cavaliers’ last three opponents boasted a combined record of 25-3 entering games against Virginia. UVA’s opponent season winning percentage of .649 is the 12th highest of any FBS team and third-highest in the ACC. North Carolina and Virginia Tech are the only two Cavalier opponents with records below .500 entering their respective games. 

• Virginia is 3-2 on the road this season, which includes a road win at then-No. 23 Pitt (Nov. 9). The Cavaliers have not won four road games in a single season since 2011. Virginia is seeking its third ACC road win of the year, a feat that last accomplished in 2011. 

• After Saturday’s loss to then-No.13 SMU, the Cavaliers dipped below the .500 mark for the first time this season. UVA held a lead in each of its first nine games and has been even or on the plus side of the turnover margin in seven of the 11 games in 2024. The Cavaliers are 2-2 when winning the turnover battle this season. 

NUMBERS TO KNOW 

1.55 – Average number of field goals per game for kicker Will Bettridge, second-most in the ACC. He is currently tied for 13th on UVA’s career scoring list. 

31 – Wide receiver Malachi Fields needs 31 yards to pass Hasise Dubois (2016-19) for eighth on UVA’s career receiving yards list. He needs two receptions to crack UVA’s all-time top-10. 

55 – The Cavaliers have been flagged for 55 penalties this season, the second-fewest of any team in the ACC. 

60 – Number of solo tackles credited to senior safety Jonas Sanker, most in the ACC and seventh most in FBS.

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