If you asked anyone who’s set to dominate the ACC this season, the usual answers would come in quickly: Clemson and Miami. And sometimes, the Mustangs. Dabo Swinney’s Tigers are always in the mix, and Mario Cristobal has been stockpiling talent like it’s a college football arms race. The playoff projections, the rankings, the narratives, the odds—everything is around these two or three powerhouses. But let us humor you a bit. There’s one more program that you might find in the championship game. And it’s not Virginia Tech, but someone similar.

We are actually talking about the Virginia Cavaliers. Now hold on. Before you roll your eyes and scroll past, hear us out. We were just as surprised when we first heard it. But CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli made a genuinely compelling case for Virginia as this year’s ultimate ACC chaos agent. On the latest Cover 3 Podcast, Fornelli dropped the eyebrow-raising prediction.

When asked about an ACC dark horse, he said, “There’s a team that nobody sees coming that I found; it is the Virginia Cavaliers. Bear with me.” And what followed might be the boldest sleeper pitch of the year. Fornelli pointed to Virginia’s unusually favorable schedule. “We’ll start with the schedule. You know who’s not on it? Clemson, a lot of the top dogs, Miami, there’s no Notre Dame, they do get Florida State, but it’s at home. They’ve got to play Louisville on the road. I would argue Louisville is their toughest road game. If you want to argue it’s North Carolina, Duke, or NC State, I’ll let you argue it. I won’t fight too hard against it, but either way, comparatively, it’s a pretty easy conference schedule.”

In a league where who you avoid can be as critical as who you face, this could be UVA’s golden ticket. But it’s not just the schedule that gives Virginia hope. The Cavaliers have quietly reshaped their roster through the transfer portal, creating a team that’s equal parts seasoned and overlooked. Fornelli continued, “And the other part of this is like Virginia completely overhauled its roster in the portal; they had a huge transfer portal class, and there are some good players in there, like there were some former four-stars in high school, and there’s been some productive guys.”

Co-host Chip Patterson seemed skeptical at first, but even he acknowledged the logic. “2019 Virginia, under Bronco, did make the ACC championship game, and if I remember correctly, that was a six and two with the right wins and the right draw kind of schedule. I will say that Virginia was. You make a compelling case.”

It makes perfect sense. The ACC is the one conference where schedule variance can tilt everything. In the SEC or Big Ten, the grind is universal. The Big 12 leans easier. But the ACC? It’s a grab bag of fortune or frustration, and this season, Virginia might be holding the lucky draw. So, while Clemson and Miami get all the eyeballs, the Cavaliers might be quietly preparing to pounce. They’re not the flashy pick, but with wins against the right teams and some luck. Virginia could be the team that flips the script and crashes the party when no one’s watching.

Virginia’s Path to the ACC: Schedule and Transfers

The Cavaliers will play a conference slate that most teams would envy. Seven of their 12 games come at home against Coastal Carolina, Stanford, Florida State, Washington State, Wake Forest, and their season finale against rival Virginia Tech, and their only true road ACC tests are at Louisville, North Carolina, and Duke. Notably, they avoid clashes with the big dogs, meaning few of the season’s toughest games are not on their schedule. So, this will be fun.

But a forgiving schedule is only half the story. Head coach Tony Elliott went all-in on the transfer portal this offseason, bringing in nearly 30 new players to reshape the roster. Among the biggest additions is veteran quarterback Chandler Morris. Chandler arrives with a resume that includes 3,774 passing yards and 31 TDs from the 2024 season, offering production and loads of experience. The defense was also fortified with experienced talent like safety Da’Marcus Crosby. This influx of veterans gives the Cavaliers a much-needed shot of experience, especially in key positions

Combine a manageable schedule with a roster flush from the portal, and UVA could ride winning streaks into November. They kick off ACC play at home against Stanford and largely avoid dangerous road trips. Seven contests in Charlottesville give them a gigantic edge in building early confidence and establishing rhythm. With this mix of talent and luck of scheduling, Virginia might just be on the verge of an ACC season unlike any in recent memory.