The 2026 college football season gets underway on Saturday, August 29, with one of the more intriguing games on the slate, as the Virginia Cavaliers host the NC State Wolfpack. Virginia enters as 3.5-point favorites on the spread, returning a 1.49x payout with a win in Charlottesville, per PrizePicks Team Picks.
For the third time in the past four seasons, NC State and Virginia will do battle on the gridiron in a regular-season clash. The Wolfpack came away with a narrow win in a September 6 meeting a season ago.
Below, we’ll break down our NC State vs. Virginia prediction and picks for Saturday’s CFB game in Week 0, including the spread for PrizePicks.
Make your NC State vs. Virginia picks on PrizePicks now!
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NC State vs. Virginia Prediction, Spread, Over/Under for Week 0
The Cavaliers suffered three losing seasons under head coach Tony Elliott before finally enjoying a successful 11-3 season in 2025.
Virginia finished atop the ACC during the regular season and clinched its first ACC Championship Game appearance since 2019. Ultimately, Virginia fell 27-20 in overtime to Duke in the title game.
Backed by 30.8 points per game, Virginia was one of the ACC's most electric offenses a season ago. QB Chandler Morris paced the Cavaliers’ impressive offensive attack, which averaged 417.9 total yards per game (fourth in the ACC).
Fast forward to 2026, and Virginia has the potential to be one of the ACC’s top teams yet again. QB Beau Pribula, who transferred from Missouri, now leads the Cavaliers. His dual-threat ability could offer another dimension to the Virginia offense in 2026.
In 2025, NC State won at least eight games for the fifth time in its last six seasons. The Wolfpack had an up-and-down campaign but finished strong with three wins over the final four games. NC State finished tied for seventh in the ACC and defeated Memphis in the Gasparilla Bowl.
With QB CJ Bailey back in the fold, the Wolfpack could be a dark horse to make a run at the ACC Championship Game. After all, NC State has a relatively easy schedule, with Virginia being one of the most difficult games of its slate.
If they want that to become a reality, the Wolfpack will likely need to improve on the defensive side of the ball after giving up 27.2 points per game a season ago.
NC State vs. Virginia Spread, Over/Under for Week 0 – Saturday, August 29
Virginia enters Saturday’s game as 3.5-point favorites against the Wolfpack, returning a 1.49x payout if they win outright, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
Here are the full payouts for NC State vs. Virginia on PrizePicks Team Picks.
Make your NC State vs. Virginia prediction on the spread or over/under on PrizePicks Team Picks to earn real money—available in 36 states!
Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.
NC State vs. Virginia Prediction on Spread for Week 0 – 8/29/26
Here are the key stats and trends behind our NC State vs. Virginia prediction on the spread for Saturday, August 29.
- NC State won the 2025 meeting at home, 35-31. The Cavaliers actually outgained the Wolfpack in yards, 514-416, but they still came out on the losing end.
- QB CJ Bailey returns for his junior season and may be one of the top signal-callers in the ACC after throwing for 3,105 yards and 25 TDs in 2025.
- On the other hand, it will mark the Virginia debut of QB Beau Pribula, who transferred to the program from Missouri. Pribula has registered a 7-3 record as a starting QB between his time at Missouri and Penn State.
- The Cavaliers ranked fourth in the ACC in passing yards per game (417.9) last season, with QB Chandler Morris at the helm.
- The Wolfpack surrendered a 0.18 EPA/pass play, which ranked 103rd in the nation last season.
- Virginia produced a 9-5 record against the spread during the 2025 season, losing by no less than 7 points in any of its defeats.
- Meanwhile, NC State went just 7-6 against the spread, with three of its four losses coming by 19+ points.
Lock in your NC State vs. Virginia prediction on PrizePicks before Saturday’s CFB game.
NC State vs. Virginia Picks, Player Stats for PrizePicks – 8/29/26
Here are the top NC State vs. Virginia picks to target on PrizePicks for Saturday, August 29. Today’s CFB picks for PrizePicks include QB Beau Pribula and RB Jayden Scott.
Virginia QB Beau Pribula vs. NC State: 221.5 Pass Yards
- Pribula completed a career-high 67.4% of his passes for 1,941 yards with 11 TDs and 9 INTs in his lone season at Missouri.
- The veteran signal-caller passed for at least 22 yards in five of his 10 games last season and topped the 250-yard mark in three of those contests.
- NC State allowed the fourth-most passing yards per game (273.2) in 2025.
- Pribula threw for at least 231 yards in two of his final four games of the 2025 season.
Add Beau Pribula to your PrizePicks Lineup now.
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NC State RB Jayden Scott vs. Virginia: 69.5 Rush Yards
- Scott finished second on the Wolfpack with 106 carries for 595 yards (5.6 yards per carry) and 4 TDs last season.
- The junior RB played behind Hollywood Smothers in 2025, who has since transferred to Texas. In games that he received double-digit carries, Scott racked up 53 carries for 393 yards (7.4 yards per carry) and 3 TDs.
- Scott got the start against Memphis in the Gasparilla Bowl and tallied 19 carries for 108 yards in a 31-7 win.
- His best performance came against Georgia Tech, where Scott ripped off a career-high 196 rushing yards and a TD on 24 rushing attempts.
Add Jayden Scott to your PrizePicks Lineup now.
Make NC State vs. Virginia Picks on PrizePicks
The 2026 college football season officially kicks off with Week 0, and the ACC clash between NC State and Virginia will be one of the more polarizing contests. Will QB Beau Pribula finally lead Virginia to a win against its ACC rivals? Or will NC State continue its recent reign of dominance?
Don't wait until kickoff—make your NC State vs. Virginia pick on PrizePicks Team Picks. There is a wide variety of player stat projections on the CFB board, so you can make predictions on yards, field goals, and more! Just pick your players, predict More or Less on their stats, and cash in on your predictions if you're right.
With Team Picks, you can make predictions on game winners, spreads, and over/unders, now available in 36 states.
Keep it here with the Playbook for continued CFB picks, predictions, futures, and more as we jump into the 2026 season.
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