Vanderbilt Football Schedules Future Series With ACC Opponent – Sports Illustrated

In this story:
Vanderbilt football has a new power conference opponent scheduled for its future schedule.
Per a media release, Vanderbilt has scheduled a home-and-home series with the Virginia Cavaliers. The Commodores will host Virginia in 2028 and will play in Charlottesville in 2031.
Vanderbilt and Virginia have not met on the gridiron since 1975. The two schools have played against each other 21 times with Vanderbilt leading the series 12-7-2. Vanderbilt has won 11 of the last 14 meetings over a stretch from 1953 to 1975.
Virginia is the latest future power conference opponent that the Commodores have scheduled. Vanderbilt also has a home-and-home scheduled with NC State this year at home and going to Raleigh in 2028. In 2027 and 2032, Vanderbilt is scheduled to go to Stanford before hosting the Cardinal in 2033. In 2029, Vanderbilt hosts Purdue.
With the home-and-home against Virginia starting in 2028, it seems as though Vanderbilt’s nonconference schedule for the 2028 season is set for now barring any cancellations. Vanderbilt will begin the 2028 season with a home game against Tennessee State Sept. 2 and also play at NC State Sept. 16 that year. A date has not been set for Vanderbilt’s game against Virginia in 2028.
That is too far in the future for Vanderbilt to think about. The Commodores have an important 2026 season ahead of itself as they try to continue the momentum they have built over the past two seasons. Vanderbilt is coming off its first 10-win season in program history with an appearance in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
A new era for Vanderbilt football begins this fall without quarterback Diego Pavia and tight end Eli Stowers on the field. The Commodores will have a new quarterback running the offense, but there is no indication from head coach Clark Lea that a decision on the quarterback battle will be made anytime soon.
Vanderbilt’s nonconference schedule this year features three home games against Austin Peay, Delaware and NC State on Sept. 5, Sept. 12 and Sept. 19, respectively before beginning a nine-game SEC schedule. The new conference schedule format features nine games with three annual opponents while cycling through the other 12 schools home and away over a four-year period. The format also requires SEC teams to schedule at least one out-of-conference opponent from a power conference (or Notre Dame).
Vanderbilt kicks off the 2026 season against Austin Peay Sept. 5 at 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network+.
Follow us on Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Threads and Blue Sky for the latest news.
Loading recommendations… Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations
Graham Baakko is a writer for Vanderbilt Commodores On SI, primarily covering football, basketball and baseball. Graham is a recent graduate from the University of Alabama, where he wrote for The Crimson White, WVUA-FM, WVUA 23 as he covered a variety of Crimson Tide sports. He also covered South Carolina athletics as a sportswriting intern for GamecockCentral.
© 2026 ABG-SI LLC – SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC. – All Rights Reserved. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates, licensees and related brands. All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.

source