Ranking Virginia's 2022 Football Games From Least to Most Difficult

UVA's 2022 football schedule ranked according to difficulty level

With the 2022 college football season less than 50 days away, it's time to start previewing the upcoming Virginia football campaign. Today, we'll rank the 12 games on Virginia's football schedule according to their difficulty level. 

None of the games on UVA's slate are unwinnable. According to ESPN's FPI rankings released in May, Virginia's strength of schedule is ranked 74th in the country. UVA has the easiest schedule in the Atlantic Coast Conference and the second-easiest schedule in all of Power Five football. So, Tony Elliott has an opportunity to rack up some wins in his first season leading the Cavaliers. 

Of course, no game is ever a guaranteed win. So let's take a look at Virginia's 2022 football schedule and rank the games from least difficult to most difficult:

Richmond (September 3rd)

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Tony Elliott's debut as Virginia's head coach should be the most manageable game on the schedule. UVA has dominated Richmond to the tune of a 29-3-2 advantage in the all-time series dating back to 1893. The Spiders did hand the Cavaliers a loss back in 2016, but you'd have to go back to 1946 to find the next most recent time Richmond defeated Virginia. No opponent should be overlooked and anything can happen, but the Hoos should be able to take care of business against Richmond in the season opener. 

Old Dominion (September 17th)

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Back in Virginia's epic 2019 season, the Cavaliers were nearly stunned by Old Dominion as the Monarchs jumped out to a 17-0 lead. But Bryce Perkins and the Cavaliers bounced back and scored 28-straight points to end the game and avoid what would have been an embarrassing loss to an ODU squad that finished 1-11 that season. The Cavaliers are certainly hoping it will take less drama to beat the Monarchs when these two teams play in their second-ever meeting on September 17th. 

at Illinois (September 10th)

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The Cavaliers' first road test of the season takes them to Champaign in week two to conclude the second part of a home-and-home series against Illinois. The Fighting Illini are entering their second year of a rebuild under head coach Bret Bielema. Their first season under Bielema ended with a 5-7 record and was highlighted by a nine-overtime win at Penn State, but was lowlighted by a 42-14 smackdown at Virginia. UVA's trip to Illinois should be one of the more winnable road contests on the 2022 schedule. 

at Duke (October 1st)

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Like Virginia, Duke is also entering year one under new head coach Mike Elko. After finishing 3-9 in 2021, including an 0-8 mark in ACC play, Duke's game against UVA will be the team's first opportunity of the season to pick up an ACC victory for the first time since 2020. The Blue Devils are looking to climb out of the gutter of the ACC, but the Cavaliers won't be doing them any favors when they travel to Durham on the first day of October. UVA has won 16 of the 22 meetings against Duke this century and the Hoos have beaten the Blue Devils seven times in a row. 

at Syracuse (September 23rd)

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For 42 years, the Carrier Dome, now called the JMA Wireless Dome, has served as the iconic home for Syracuse's football, basketball, and lacrosse teams. The Cavaliers will travel to play in that historic venue for the first time ever on September 23rd. UVA and Syracuse have played just five times in history and only once since the Orange joined the ACC, a 44-38 overtime win for Virginia in 2015 in Charlottesville. The seat is getting warm for head coach Dino Babers, who, after leading the Orange to a 10-3 season in 2018, has not coached the Orange to a winning season since then. Babers hopes that the addition of former UVA assistants Robert Anae (offensive coordinator) and Jason Beck (quarterbacks coach) to his staff will help him get an edge over Virginia. On the other hand, the idea of Brennan Armstrong slinging the ball to his receivers in a temperature-controlled dome makes us think the Cavaliers have a good shot in this one. 

at Georgia Tech (October 20th)

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In three years as the head coach at Georgia Tech, Geoff Collins has yet to win more than three games in a season. That includes two losses to the Cavaliers, but both games were decided by one possession. UVA and Georgia Tech always seem to play close and entertaining games, with all but one their meetings since 2015 being decided by single digits. And on a Thursday night in Atlanta, that could be the case again despite the Cavaliers having the advantage on paper. 

Louisville (October 8th)

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A missed field goal at the buzzer helped the Cavaliers escape Louisville with a narrow 34-33 victory last season. With that dramatic win, Virginia has now won two in a row against the Cardinals and three of the last four. After putting together an 8-5 record in his first season at Louisville in 2019, Scott Satterfield has been unable to get the Cards back above .500 in either of the two seasons since. Malik Cunningham versus Brennan Armstrong ought to be a great quarterback battle once again, but the Cavaliers should have the edge over the Cardinals in Charlottesville. 

North Carolina (November 5th)

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Despite Brennan Armstrong throwing for a program-record 554 passing yards, North Carolina managed to snap a four-game losing streak to Virginia with a 59-39 win in Chapel Hill last season. UNC's star quarterback Sam Howell has departed for the NFL, as has running back Ty Chandler, who rushed for 198 yards and two touchdowns against the Cavaliers last season. The Tar Heels still have quite a bit of talent on both sides of the ball, including wide receiver Josh Downs, who had 203 yards and two touchdown catches against Virginia in 2021. Hopefully, the Virginia defense will allow something significantly less than the 699 yards of total offense it yielded to UNC last season. It could be another shootout, but Armstrong and the UVA passing unit should have the edge over the Tar Heels this time around when the Hoos and Heels meet in the first week of November. 

Coastal Carolina (November 19th)

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By far the most difficult non-conference game of Virginia's 2022 schedule, Coastal Carolina comes to Charlottesville in the second to last game of the regular season. The Chanticleers, led by 2020 AP Coach of the Year Jamey Chadwell, have turned in a 22-3 record in the last two seasons out of the Sun Belt Conference. It remains to be seen if Coastal can sustain this momentum, but a visit to Virginia in late November, which represents Coastal's sole game against a Power Five opponent this season, will certainly be a benchmark for the status of the Coastal Carolina football program. With that in mind, the Cavaliers should expect to get the best shot from the Chanticleers as they try to further establish themselves as a program on the rise. 

Pittsburgh (November 12th)

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Pittsburgh is a difficult team to predict for the upcoming season. With Heisman finalist quarterback Kenny Pickett off to the NFL and Biletnikoff Award-winning wide receiver Jordan Addison gone across the country to USC via the transfer portal, there is expected to be a substantial drop-off for the 2021 ACC Champions. However, the Panthers return a strong defense which could power them to make another run at the Coastal title in its final year of existence before the conference does away with divisions in 2023. If all goes well for both teams in the first two and a half months of the season, Virginia and Pittsburgh could be playing for the division title when they meet at Scott Stadium on November 12th. 

Miami (October 29th)

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The Hurricanes have one of the highest ceilings in the conference. New head coach Mario Cristobal went to work in the transfer portal, securing 11 new additions to a Miami roster that was already laden with talented players who were former top recruits coming out of high school. Will Miami return to its glory days under Cristobal and will that transformation happen in year one? Virginia will get a close look when the Canes visit Charlottesville just before Halloween. Returning quarterback Tyler Van Dyke and the Hurricanes will be eager for payback against the Cavaliers after last year's game ended in chaotic fashion with Andy Borregales' 33-yard field goal attempt hitting the left upright as time expired to give Virginia a 30-28 victory, UVA's first win at Hard Rock Stadium since 2011. Expect another battle between the Cavaliers and the Hurricanes with two first-year head coaches going head-to-head. 

at Virginia Tech (November 26th)

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There are much better opponents on Virginia's schedule than Virginia Tech. In fact, Miami, Pittsburgh, North Carolina, and Coastal Carolina will probably have better seasons than the Hokies. However, the Commonwealth Clash will continue to occupy the title of "most difficult game to win" for Virginia until the Hoos begin to push back against Virginia's Tech dominance in the rivalry. The Hokies have won 17 of the last 18 matchups, including the last two games in which Virginia lost to clearly-inferior Virginia Tech teams. UVA has not beaten Virginia Tech in Blacksburg since 1998. Until Virginia makes the battle for the Commonwealth Cup competitive again, this game will be the most difficult one to win on UVA's schedule. 

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Kickoff times and broadcast information for five games on Virginia's 2022 football schedule have been announced: 

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