CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The 130th installment of the “South’s Oldest Rivalry” pits No. 16 Virginia (6-1, 3-0 ACC) against North Carolina (2-4, 0-2) on Saturday (Oct. 25) at Kenan Stadium. Kickoff is set for noon, with live coverage on ACC Network and the Virginia Sports Radio Network. 

The Cavaliers enter Saturday’s contest as one of three remaining unbeaten teams in ACC play and winners of five straight. The Tar Heels, meanwhile, have dropped three in a row and are seeking their first victory over a Power 4 opponent this season. 

GAME DETAILS →
Date: Saturday, Oct. 25 
Time: Noon 
Television: ACC Network (Wes Durham, Steve Addazio, Dana Boyle) 
Radio: Virginia Sports Radio Network, Virginia Sports Mobile App, TuneIn App, SiriusXM Channel 160 or 193

INSIDE SATURDAY’S MATCHUP 

• Saturday will be the 130th meeting between North Carolina and Virginia, also known as the “South’s Oldest Rivalry”. The series is tied with Auburn and Georgia as the second-most played rivalry in FBS. The first meeting between the two teams was on Oct. 22, 1892, a 30-18 Virginia victory in Charlottesville. 
• The two teams have played every year since 1919 after taking a two-year hiatus for World War I.  
• North Carolina leads the all-time series 66-59-4 and has won three of the last four meetings. 
• Virginia and North Carolina were tied for fourth on the 2026 U.S. News & World Report Top Public Schools list. 
• Virginia is ranked in the series for the first time since 2005 and is 7-4-1 against UNC when ranked in the AP Top 25. 
• In the most recent visit at Kenan Stadium in 2023, Virginia picked up its first-ever road win over a top-10 opponent, defeating then-No. 10 North Carolina, 31-27. 
• UVA is 15-33-3 all-time in Chapel Hill. Dating back to 2017, Virginia has won three of its last four games in Chapel Hill. The Cavaliers clinched bowl-eligibility in 2019 with a 38-31 victory at Kenan Stadium. The Cavaliers went on to play in the Orange Bowl that season. 
• UVA’s 59 wins against North Carolina are its most against any opponent all-time. 
• Virginia is the highest-scoring offense (40.0 ppg) in the ACC and ninth in the country. The Tar Heels are averaging 18.7 points per game, which is 17th in ACC. 
• The Cavaliers are riding a five-game win streak, the second longest active streak in the ACC and the program’s longest since 2007. 
• Virginia (3-0), Georgia Tech (4-0) and SMU (3-0) are the only remaining unbeaten ACC teams in league play. The Cavaliers are one of 26 FBS teams with one or no losses in 2025. North Carolina (0-2) has dropped four straight ACC games dating back to last season and is seeking its first conference win since Nov. 16, 2024, against Wake Forest. 

TOP STORYLINES

• With an overall record of 6-1 (and 3-0 in ACC play), Virginia is off to its best overall start since 2007. The Cavaliers are bowl-eligible for the first time since 2021. This year marks the seventh in program history that UVA became bowl-eligible in seven games or less (1989, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2004, 2007, 2025).  
• The Cavaliers enter Saturday’s contest ranked No. 16 in the AP Poll, their highest ranking since the final week of the 2007 season. Virginia has not won a game while ranked 16th or better since 2004, when it defeated Maryland 16-0 as the No. 12 team in the country 
• A safety by Kam Robinson with 2:41 remaining in the fourth quarter proved to be the difference in last week’s 22-20 come-from-behind win over Washington State. It was the first FBS game since 2022 (Iowa vs. South Dakota State) was that a safety was the deciding score. For the first time this season, the Cavaliers trailed [17-7] at the half, but overcame a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to seal their fifth straight win. 
• In Tony Elliott’s first three years at the helm, Virginia was 6-9 in one-score games. Through seven games in 2025, Virginia has won three of its four games decided by a touchdown or less, including back-to-back overtime games against Florida State (2OT) and Louisville. UVA is one of three teams nationally (UConn, Texas State) to play in consecutive overtime contest this season. 
• The Cavaliers begin a stretch in which they will play three of their last five games of the regular season on the road. Virginia finished 3-3 on away from Scott Stadium last year, its most road wins in a season since 2011. The Cavaliers began the 2025 season playing four of their first five games at home and sport a perfect 5-0 record at Scott Stadium. UVA is one of six teams (Indiana, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Minnesota, Missouri) with five home wins this season. 

NUMBERS TO KNOW