Virginia has reached the intersection of opportunity and disappointment. A win at No. 24 SMU can put the Cavaliers firmly in the conference's second tier. A loss would sink them to 4-3 and seal a one-way ticket to ACC purgatory.
Here is the viewing (or listening) information for Saturday's matchup, complete with a brief appetizer for the contest:
How to watch or listen
TV: The CW, Kickoff at 12 p.m. EST
• Play-By-Play: Thom Brennaman
• Analyst: Jason Cabinda
• Sideline Reporter: Wes Bryant
RADIO: Virginia Sports Radio Network
• Play-By-Play: John Freeman
• Analyst: Ahmad Hawkins
• Sideline Reporter: Jay James
• Affiliates: VirginiaSports.com/Radio
• Satellite: SiriusXM 179 or 234 — SXM App: 958
• App: Virginia Sports mobile app
LIVE STATS: UVA.StatBroadcast.com
A look at the matchup
SMU has been one of the ACC's teams since it joined the conference ahead of the 2024 season. The Mustangs have never lost a home game as a member of the ACC. They are aiming to continue that pristine streak, especially because a second conference loss could be fatal this year.
The ACC has deepened. Significantly. Virginia and SMU have already lost one conference game each. Another trait those teams share is that they have looked a lot more mortal than they had hoped.
Multiple times this season, the Cavaliers offense has completely disappeared for quarters on end. That is concerning, especially given that the Mustangs have routinely scored 30-plus points (except for a surprisingly close game against Boston College). SMU also has the benefit of coming off a bye week, whereas Virginia played an ugly game against Syracuse in which multiple players suffered injuries.
On paper, these are the two best offensive lines in the ACC. However, the Mustangs have undoubtedly outplayed the Cavaliers on that front. Virginia is allowing more than three sacks per game (although many of those sacks are not the fault of the offensive line).
The keys for Virginia are to find some sustainable offense, and also force a few SMU turnovers. Interceptions and a few poor fumbles have been the biggest detriment to a very talented Mustangs offense. The Cavaliers must capitalize on this fact.
Field position may be extremely important, as Virginia's offense has often been sluggish. The Cavaliers are at a major disadvantage on that side of the ball — starting receivers Rico Flores Jr. and Kam Courtney will not play due to injury.
Injuries have also raveged Virginia's defensive backfield. Starting cornerback Omillio Agard is out for the rest of the season, while SPUR Corey Costner will also miss Saturday's game.
It might take a small miracle for the Cavaliers to win this game. They have been known to make miracles happen before.
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