Virginia Football Non-Conference Opponents Set for Next Three Seasons

See who the Cavaliers will be facing in non-conference play in the 2022, 2023, and 2024 college football seasons

Matt Newton | May 21, 2022

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With the big announcement this week that Virginia and Tennessee will face each other in Nashville to begin the 2023 college football season, UVA's non-conference schedule is now set for the next three seasons:

2022

September 3rd: vs. Richmond
September 10th: at Illinois
September 17th: vs. Old Dominion
November 19th: vs. Coastal Carolina

2023

September 2nd: vs. Tennessee (Nashville)
September 9th: vs. James Madison
September 16th: at Maryland
TBA: vs. William & Mary

2024

August 31st: vs. Richmond
September 14th: vs. Maryland
September 21st: at Coastal Carolina
November 16th: at Notre Dame

Takeaways

Tony Elliott will have ample opportunity to rack up some wins in his first season in Charlottesville. According to ESPN's FPI rankings released earlier this week, 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 (credit to Danny Neckel on Twitter for digging up that stat).

According to ESPN's Football Power Index, Virginia has the 74th ranked schedule this season. That is the easiest in the ACC and second easiest among Power 5 conference teams. Even 8 Group of Five teams have harder schedules.
— Danny Neckel (@DNeckel19) May 17, 2022

That relatively easy schedule begins with Virginia's slate of four non-conference opponents this fall. UVA's game against Coastal Carolina in late November will likely be the most difficult of the bunch to win. The Chanticleers, led by 2020 Associated Press Coach of the Year Jamey Chadwell, have turned in a 22-3 record in the last two seasons out of the Sun Belt Conference.

Virginia will also visit Illinois as the second part of a home-and-home series. A road game at a Big Ten opponent is no walk in the park, but the Fighting Illini are not exactly the class of the Big Ten either, going 5-7 in 2021 including a blowout 42-14 loss at Virginia. Illinois has not had a winning season since 2011. The Cavaliers will also host in-state opponents Old Dominion and Richmond this season.

With the exception of the Coastal Carolina game in November, UVA's 2022 non-conference slate is not very exciting and certainly not the most difficult. That will change starting in 2023. Given the big games Tony Elliott was accustomed to coaching in during his time at Clemson, it comes as no surprise that he has made an immediate effort to put a big name on Virginia's non-conference schedule. UVA will take on Tennessee at Nissan Stadium in Nashville to kickoff the 2023 college football season. Playing an SEC opponent in what will essentially be a road game to start the season says a lot about Tony Elliott's confidence in where his Virginia football program will be in year 2. This will be the first time the Cavaliers face an SEC opponent in the regular season since 2003.

In March, Virginia announced the scheduling of a game against James Madison, a long-awaited meeting between the Commonwealth foes who have not faced each other since 1983. The Cavaliers and Dukes will battle at Scott Stadium on September 9th, 2023. UVA is also set to play at Maryland in 2023, renewing the old ACC rivalry with the Terrapins as the first part of a home-and-home series that was originally agreed upon between the two programs way back in January 2017, just after Bronco Mendenhall finished his first season at UVA. Virginia will also host William & Mary in 2023.

In 2024, the Cavaliers host Richmond for their in-state non-conference game. Virginia is set to host Maryland to complete the home-and-home series as the Terrapins come to Scott Stadium for the first time since 2012.

UVA will visit Conway, South Carolina on September 21st to play Coastal Carolina at Brooks Stadium. That is the second of a three-game series between Virginia and Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers will return to Charlottesville to face the Cavaliers in 2025.

A trip to South Bend to face Notre Dame in November rounds out what should be another entertaining and potentially challenging non-conference schedule in 2024 for Virginia football.

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Takeaways

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