Virginia ranked in week two AP Poll

Over the first two weeks of play, very few teams authored a more impressive win than Virginia. There is a case to be made that only Ole Miss’ win over No. 24 Louisville and No. 11 LSU’s win over Clemson were superior to the Cavaliers’ trouncing of the Wolfpack.

Virginia ended the 2025 season as a ranked team, but was slotted all the way down at No. 47 (in terms of total votes) to start the 2026 campaign. The Cavaliers made a quantum leap, as the lowest-ranked team from the preseason poll to be ranked in the week two rendition.

Where is the rest of the ACC?

Miami leads the conference, checking in at No. 7. SMU is the second-highest ACC team at No. 17, Louisville is third at No. 24 and Virginia is fourth at No. 25. 

The Cardinals, who started the season 0-1, were rewarded for nearly upsetting No. 9 Ole Miss on a neutral site. Louisville received 74 more votes than the Cavaliers, who are 1-0 in ACC play.

The only other ACC teams to receive votes this week are Pittsburgh (11), Virginia Tech (6). Both teams authored blowout victories, although those came against vastly inferior opponents.

A note on the Coaches Poll

The Coaches Poll was slightly different. Miami was No. 7, SMU was No. 17 and Virginia was tied for No. 25 with Florida. Other ACC teams were in the “receiving votes section” — Louisville (125 votes), Pitt (14), Virginia Tech (11), Duke (4) and Clemson (3).

Some may argue that this alignment better reflects the ACC compared to the AP Poll, especially when considering how each team performed to start the season. More movement should be expected after each team plays a few more games and the ACC landscape evolves.

As of Tuesday, Virginia only has one ranked opponent left on its schedule (No. 17 SMU), and just one other team receiving any votes (Virginia Tech). The Cavaliers do not face Miami or Louisville during the regular season.

Virginia's next game is Friday against Norfolk State, against whom the Cavaliers are favored by over 40 points.