ACC Football News & Notes: Duke and Virginia Face Off in Championship Showdown

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CHARLOTTE, NC — Bank of America Stadium is set to host the 2025 ACC Championship Game on Saturday night, pitting the Duke Blue Devils (7-5, 6-2) against the No. 17 Virginia Cavaliers (10-2, 7-1). This marks only the second time in program history that either team has reached the conference title game.

For Duke, this is their chance to capture their first-ever ACC Championship of the modern era, though the program boasts seven historical titles (1953, 1954, 1955, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1989). The Blue Devils are playing in the championship game for the first time since 2013. Under second-year head coach Manny Diaz, Duke has featured a high-powered offense that topped 30 points eight times and reached 45 points on five occasions. Transfer quarterback Darian Mensah ranks among the nation’s top-10 in passing yards, passing yards per game, passing touchdowns, and completions per game. Defensively, the Blue Devils rely on a veteran corps led by players like Chandler Rivers, Tre Freeman, Vincent Anthony Jr., Wesley Williams, Luke Mergolt, and Caleb Weaver.

The Virginia Cavaliers, coached by this year’s ACC Coach of the Year Tony Elliott, enter with a commanding 42-34 all-time series lead over Duke, having won the last meeting 34-17 in November 2025. The Cavaliers have previously won the league title in 1989 (co-champions with Duke) and 1995. This is only the program’s second 10-win season in history, matching their program record with seven league wins. Virginia has proven capable both at home and on the road, earning four wins over Power-four teams, five of which were won by 14 or more points, and excelling in tight games with three overtime victories.

The winner of Saturday’s game could secure a massive prize: a potential spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff field. Virginia is currently ranked No. 17 in the latest poll, while Duke remains unranked. The ACC has been a consistent playoff participant, with at least one team making the field in nine of the twelve years of the format.

ACC Bowl News

In other league news, the California Golden Bears (7-5, 4-4) have been selected to play in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (8-4, 5-3) from the Mountain West Conference. This will be the 27th bowl appearance for the Golden Bears and their first time playing a bowl game in Hawaii. Cal holds a 3-2 edge in the all-time series. The game is a homecoming for two key figures: Cal starting QB Jarvon-Keawe Sagapolutele, the state’s all-time passing yards leader, and interim head coach Nick Rolovich, who previously led the Rainbow Warriors from 2016-19 and took Hawaii to three bowl games.

The ACC boasts an impressive 11 bowl-eligible teams, tied for the second-most among all FBS conferences. The matchups for the remaining games will be announced this Sunday, December 8.