A Power Four conference champion was determined Saturday night — even though the winner of the game may not earn a College Football Playoff berth.
The 2025 ACC football season wrapped up on Saturday, Dec. 6 with Duke outlasting No. 16 Virginia (No. 17 CFP) 27-20 in overtime at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina to win the ACC Championship game for the first time in program history.
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The win improves the Blue Devils to 8-5, though it’s unlikely they’ll be able to leapfrog No. 19 James Madison (No. 25 CFP) in the playoff selection committee rankings. Duke was unranked in last week’s committee rankings. Because of that, the ACC could be shut out of the playoff, with No. 13 Miami (No. 12 CFP), as a potential at-large participant, standing as its best hope to make the field.
The Cavaliers had been one of the best stories in college football this season and will finish the regular season with a 10-3 record after going just 11-23 in their previous three seasons under coach Tony Elliott. It’s Virginia’s first 10-win season since 1989.
Duke was in the ACC Championship game despite finishing just 7-5 in the regular season. A 6-2 record in conference play, however, sent it to Charlotte after a convoluted series of tiebreakers notably left out Miami.
Duke led 20-10 with four minutes remaining, but Virginia mounted a furious comeback to tie the game on an 18-yard Chandler Morris touchdown pass to Eli Wood with 22 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. In overtime, the Blue Devils got a touchdown pass from Darian Mensah on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line and intercepted Morris on the first play of the Cavaliers’ ensuing possession to end the game.
USA TODAY brought you live updates, scores and highlights from the game. Here are the highlights:
Virginia vs Duke score
This section will be updated throughout the game.
Virginia vs Duke updates
FINAL: Duke 27, Virginia 20
Virginia INT ends game, gives Duke ACC championship
After a roughing-the-passer penalty pushed Virginia back to the 40-yard line to start its drive. The Cavaliers went with some trickery on their first play, with Chandler Morris ending up with the ball and firing the ball to Eli Wood. Duke linebacker Luke Mergott, however, steps in to intercept the pass and end the game. It’s Mergott’s first career interception.
Duke has won the ACC championship.
Duke gets TD on first drive of OT
Duke has little trouble moving it up the field, getting a first-and-goal at the Virginia 1-yard line before the Cavaliers hold firm, stopping the Blue Devils on three straight plays. Manny Diaz opts to go for it on fourth-and-goal from the 1, with Darian Mensah rolling out and finding Jeremiah Hasley in the end zone.
Duke is now four for four on the day on fourth down.
End of fourth quarter: Duke 20, Virginia 20
After a short kickoff return, Duke opts to take a knee and send the game to overtime. Virginia wins the toss and decides to play defense first.
Of note, the Cavaliers have won three overtime games this season, so they’ve got plenty of experience with this situation, albeit not with these kinds of stakes.
Virginia ties game on Chandler Morris TD pass
Virginia’s furious comeback has us on the brink of overtime. The Cavaliers go 96 yards in 10 plays and just 1:22, with a Chandler Morris 18-yard touchdown pass to Eli Wood serving as the exclamation point. The extra point is good and we’re tied, 20-20, with 22 seconds left. Wood stepped out of bounds, but it was determined that he was forced out by the Duke defensive back and he re-established himself on the field before hauling in the catch.
Duke does have two timeouts left, though it’s fair to wonder whether the Blue Devils want to be too aggressive and not risk a turnover.
Virginia forces Duke punt, will have chance to tie
It all comes down to one drive.
Virginia’s defense stands tall, stuffing Duke on back-to-back plays from the Blue Devils’ 48-yard line. The second of those stops, a Nate Sheppard 2-yard run on third-and-8 ended with Sheppard going out of bounds, stopping the clock with 1:51 remaining and allowing the Cavaliers to hold on to their two timeouts.
Virginia takes over at its own 4-yard line after a 46-yard punt and will have 1:44 to try to mount a game-tying drive, along with two timeouts.
Virginia FG makes it a one-score game
It’s not quite over yet in Charlotte. Thanks in large part to a 25-yard pass from Chandler Morris to Cam Ross, Virginia goes 50 yards in eight plays, with Will Bettridge finishing it off with a 42-yard field goal.
Duke’s lead is down to seven, 20-13, with 3:54 left. After the kickoff, the Blue Devils take over at their own 25-yard line. The Cavaliers still have all three of their timeouts, as well as the two-minute timeout.
Duke FG extends lead over Virginia to 10
Duke capitalizes on the short field, getting a 23-yard Todd Pelino field goal to push its lead over Virginia to 10, 20-10, with 5:02 left.
The Blue Devils very nearly got seven points instead of three, with Darian Mensah connecting with Cooper Barkate for a 30-yard pickup to the Cavaliers’ 3-yard line. They’re not able to get any closer to the end zone, though, and ultimately settle for a field goal. But with a two-possession lead with five minutes left, Duke’s chances of a conference title just got that much better.
Chandler Morris INT gives Duke ball in Virginia territory
Duke makes good on pinning Virginia deep. On a third-and-9 from his team’s own 2-yard line, Chandler Morris tosses it deep, but there isn’t a receiver in the area and Blue Devils safety Caleb Weaver makes a diving catch to pick it off at the Cavaliers’ 33-yard line. Looked to be a potential miscommunication between Morris and his receiver.
With 7:21 remaining, Duke has the chance to burn some clock and, more importantly, stretch its lead to two possessions.
Duke punts, pins Virginia deep
The Blue Devils aren’t able to get past the Virginia 47-yard line, with a Darian Mensah pass on third-and-6 getting batted down before it could get to Cooper Barkate. A 47-yard punt from Kade Reynoldson is downed at the Virginia 1, where the Cavaliers will take over with 8:46 remaining.
Duke stops Virginia on fourth down, takes over
A huge play from a Duke defense that’s been uncharacteristically strong most of the night, with Chandler Morris sailing a pass high to Trell Harris in the end zone as Harris was covered by a pair of Duke defensive backs on fourth-and-5 from the Blue Devils’ 24-yard line.
Duke will take over at its own 24-yard line with 14:24 left in the game.
Third quarter: Duke 17, Virginia 10
Virginia will start the fourth quarter with a third-and-9 at the Duke 28-yard line.
Duke pushes lead back to seven with FG
Duke stretches its lead back to seven with a field goal of its own, with Todd Pelino knocking through a 27-yard field goal after a six-play, 63-yard drive. Much of that yardage came on a 38-yard pass from Darian Mensah to Cooper Barkate that got the Blue Devils down to the Virginia 15-yard line after a face mask penalty was tacked on to the reception.
Duke had been set to go for a fourth-and-2 from the Virginia 7, but a false start penalty knocked the Blue Devils back five yards. Manny Diaz opts for the sure three points, giving his team a 17-10 lead with 3:53 left in the third quarter.
Virginia cuts into Duke lead with FG
The Cavaliers get all the way down to the Blue Devils’ 2-yard line on their opening drive of the second half, but Duke’s defense stands tall from there, dropping Virginia for a 5-yard loss and then forcing Chandler Morris into an incompletion.
Still, the Cavaliers cap off a 17-play drive with a 24-yard field goal from Will Bettridge to get within four, 14-10, with 7:19 remaining in the third quarter.
Halftime: Duke 14, Virginia 7
Duke holds a 14-7 lead over Virginia at halftime. The Blue Devils have a 170-115 advantage in total yards, with the Cavaliers running only 23 plays and Duke leading the time of possession battle 20:29-9:31.
Virginia is set to receive the opening kickoff of the second half.
Duke punts
Duke goes three-and-out and punts away to Virginia, which will take over at its 30-yard line with 1:43 left.
Virginia punts
For the first time tonight, we have a punt. A Chandler Morris pass on third-and-9 from the Virginia 48-yard line falls incomplete and the Cavaliers opt to punt. The ball bounces into the end zone for a touchback, giving Duke the ball at its own 20 with 2:55 remaining in the first half.
Nate Sheppard TD run puts Duke back ahead of Virginia
Duke has another lengthy touchdown drive, this one going 75 plays in 13 plays in 8:02. It’s punctuated by a 16-yard Nate Sheppard touchdown run to give the Blue Devils a 14-7 lead with 6:14 left in the first half.
Duke yet again comes up with big plays with it needed them, converting on two fourth downs on the drive, one of which came on a fake punt from its own 33-yard line. It’s the Blue Devils’ third-consecutive game with a special teams fake for a first down.
Chandler Morris TD pass ties Virginia with Duke
Darian Mensah’s interception proves to be costly, turning what could have been a 14-point lead into a tie ballgame.
On a first-and-10 from the Duke 11-yard line, Chandler Morris dumps it off to running back J’Mari Taylor, who cuts and plows through the Blue Devils’ defense for a touchdown, tying the game after the extra point with 14:16 left in the first half.
End of first quarter: Duke 7, Virginia 0
Virginia has a second-and-1 at the Duke 14-yard line once the second quarter begins.
Darian Mensah INT gives Virginia ball back
Shortly after Duke benefits from a momentum swing, the Blue Devils give the ball right back. On a second-and-14 from the Duke 24-yard line, two plays after Virginia’s missed field goal, Darian Mensah throws an interception right to Cavaliers safety Corey Costner, who returns it to the Duke 23-yard line with 47 seconds left in the quarter.
Virginia misses FG
The Cavaliers have a nice response to Duke’s opening touchdown drive, getting as far as the Blue Devils’ 20-yard line. From there, though, they’re dropped for a 2-yard loss on a rushing attempt, Chandler Morris is brought down for a sack on third down and Will Bettridge misses a 45-yard field goal wide left.
Duke will take over at its own 28 with about two minutes left in the first quarter.
Duke scores TD on first drive
After days of jokes about how it made the conference championship game, Duke showed on its first drive that it just might belong on this stage. The Blue Devils go 75 yards in 15 plays and 9:38, capped off by a 12-yard touchdown pass from Darian Mensah to Jeremiah Hasley.
It’s the longest opening drive by plays and time of possession in ACC Championship game history.
There were several instances on the possession that it seemed like Duke might not get any points, let alone seven. The Blue Devils faced four third-downs, converting three of them, and went for it on a fourth-and-2 from the Virginia 41-yard line.
Pregame
How did Duke get into the ACC championship game?
Despite going 7-5 in the regular season, which included losses to Tulane and UConn, Duke finds itself 60 minutes away from a conference title. How, exactly, did the Blue Devils get there?
Even with its subpar overall mark, coach Manny Diaz’s team went 6-2 in conference play, putting it in a five-way tie for second place in the conference standings behind Virginia. Duke ended up getting the edge over the four other teams because of the ACC’s sixth tiebreaker: conference opponent record. Duke’s ACC opponents had a combined win percentage of .500, while Miami and Georgia Tech came in behind them at .438.
Virginia football injury updates
Here’s a look at the injury situation for Virginia heading into its ACC championship matchup against Duke, according to the ACC’s latest athlete availability report:
Out
CB #1 Dre Walker
WR #2 Andre Greene Jr.
LB #5 Kam Robinson
DB #7 Ja’Maric Morris
CB #9 Jam Jackson
TE #9 Dakota Twitty
QB #19 Grady Brosterhous
RB #20 Xavier Brown
RB #28 Noah Vaughn
S #38 Armstrong Jones
OL #54 Makilan Thomas
DL #56 Tyler Simmons
OL #56 Tyshawn Wyatt
OL #71 Monroe Mills
WR #80 Trevor Ladd
Game-time decision
WR #6 Cam Ross
WR #8 Jayden Thomas
OL #52 McKale Boley
Ross is the Hoos’ third-leading wide receiver this season, with 459 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Duke football injury updates
Here’s a look at the players who will be out for Duke in Saturday’s ACC championship game against Virginia, according to the ACC’s latest athlete availability report:
S #1 Terry Moore
CB #5 Kimari Robinson
DE #14 Bryce Davis
LB #24 Bradley Gompers
LB #31 Elliott Schaper
LB #36 Nick Morris Jr.
OL #52 Micah Sahakian
OL #73 Evan Scott
OL #78 Nathan Kutufaris
ACC championship game odds
Virginia is favored by -3.5 over Duke in the ACC championship game, according to the latest odds from BetMGM.
Who is calling the ACC championship game?
The ACC championship game between Virginia and Duke will be airing on ABC, with Sean McDonough (play-by-play) and Greg McElroy (analyst) on the call while Molly McGrath and Taylor McGregor report from the sideline.
What time does Virginia vs Duke start?
Date: Saturday, Dec. 6
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Where: Bank of American Stadium (Charlotte, N.C.)
Virginia vs Duke will kick off at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, Dec. 6 from Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.
What TV channel is Virginia vs Duke on today?
TV channel: ABC
Livestream: Fubo (free trial)
The ACC championship game between Virginia and Duke will be broadcast on ABC. Streaming options for the game include Fubo, which carries ABC and offers a free trial to new subscribers.
Virginia vs Duke predictions
Craig Meyer, USA TODAY Sports: Duke 27, Virginia 24
The Blue Devils were handled by the Cavaliers in their regular-season matchup, but Virginia, for all of its success, has been inconsistent this season. With a better effort from quarterback Mensah this time around, Duke earns a tight win and potentially shuts the ACC out of the playoff.
Virginia football schedule 2025
Here’s a look at Virginia’s schedule in 2025, including past scores.
Saturday, Aug. 30: Virginia 48, Coastal Carolina 7
Saturday, Sept. 6: NC State 35, Virginia 31
Saturday, Sept. 13: Virginia 55, Williams & Mary 16
Saturday, Sept. 20: Virginia 48, Stanford 20 *
Friday, Sept. 26: Virginia 46, Florida State 38 (2OT) *
Saturday, Oct. 4: Virginia 30, Louisville 27 (OT) *
Saturday, Oct. 11: BYE
Saturday, Oct. 18: Virginia 22, Washington State 20
Saturday, Oct. 25: Virginia 17, North Carolina 16 (OT) *
Saturday, Nov. 1: Virginia 31, Cal 21 *
Saturday, Nov. 8: Wake Forest 16, Virginia 9 *
Saturday, Nov. 15: Virginia 34, Duke 17 *
Saturday, Nov. 22: BYE
Saturday, Nov. 29: Virginia 27, Virginia Tech 7 *
Saturday, Dec. 6: Virginia vs Duke | ESPN, 8 p.m. ET **
* – denotes ACC game
** – denotes ACC championship game
Duke football schedule 2025
Here’s a look at Duke’s schedule in 2025, including past scores.
Thursday, Aug. 28: Duke 45, Elon 17
Saturday, Sept. 6: Illinois 45, Duke 19
Saturday, Sept. 13: Tulane 34, Duke 27
Saturday, Sept. 20: Duke 45, NC State 33 *
Saturday, Sept. 27: Duke 38, Syracuse 3 *
Saturday, Oct. 4: Duke 45, Cal 21 *
Saturday, Oct. 11: BYE
Saturday, Oct. 18: Georgia Tech 27, Duke 18 *
Saturday, Oct. 25: BYE
Saturday, Nov. 1: Duke 46, Clemson 45 *
Saturday, Nov. 8: UConn 37, Duke 34
Saturday, Nov. 15: Virginia 34, Duke 17 *
Saturday, Nov. 22: Duke 32, North Carolina 25 *
Saturday, Nov. 29: Duke 49, Wake Forest 32 *
Saturday, Dec. 6: Virginia vs Duke | ESPN, 8 p.m. ET **
* – denotes ACC game
** – denotes ACC championship game
