Florida State vs. Virginia
Florida State and Virginia have 21 meetings on file, the first in 1992; officially, Florida State leads 15–5; as played, 16–5 in the games on file. Over the last 10 meetings it’s Florida State 6–4. The winner takes home the Jefferson–Eppes Trophy. Florida State holds it. The NCAA vacated Florida State’s win (2006); it doesn’t count officially. This page counts every game as it was played. Share
2029 at Virginia; 2030 at Florida State. As the programs’ Wikipedia articles list them (CC BY-SA).
- Official series
- Florida State leads 15–5
- Florida State wins on file
- 16
- Virginia wins on file
- 5
- Ties
- 0
- Earliest on file
- 1992
- Longest streak
- 9 Florida State
- Current streak
- 1 Florida State
- Last 10 meetings
- Florida State 6–4
- Most recent
- 2026
The series at a glance
| ’0 | ’1 | ’2 | ’3 | ’4 | ’5 | ’6 | ’7 | ’8 | ’9 | W–L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7–1 | ||||||||||
| 2000s | 6–1 | ||||||||||
| 2010s | 2–2 | ||||||||||
| 2020s | 1–1 |
- Both ranked
- 6 meetings: Florida State 5, Virginia 1; 1 both in the top 10
- Average margin
- 19.1 points; 7 decided by one score (8 or fewer)
- At Florida State
- 10–1 Florida State’s record at home
- At Virginia
- 4–6 Virginia’s record at home
- Shutouts
- 1
Every meeting on file, as played. Ranks are the AP poll’s going in.
Jefferson–Eppes Trophy
- Played for since
- —
- Held by
- Florida State
Who holds it comes from the games on file: the winner of the latest regular-season meeting (bowl rematches aren’t played for it); a tie leaves it with the holder (the usual rule; the article doesn’t say). From Wikipedia’s list of rivalry games and the rivalry’s article (CC BY-SA). More on the Jefferson–Eppes Trophy.
Games that tell the story
- Florida State’s biggest win2001: Florida State 43, Virginia 7by 36 points
- Virginia’s biggest win2025: Virginia 46, Florida State 38by 8 points
- Upset2011: Virginia 14, Florida State 13Virginia had a 22% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
- Ranked showdown2004: Florida State 36, Virginia 3No. 6 Virginia at No. 7 Florida State
- Ranked showdown1993: Florida State 40, Virginia 14No. 15 Virginia at No. 1 Florida State
- Ranked showdown1996: Florida State 31, Virginia 24No. 14 Virginia at No. 3 Florida State
- Ranked showdown1998: Florida State 45, Virginia 14No. 12 Virginia at No. 6 Florida State
Coach against coach
| Years | Florida State | Series | Virginia |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992–2000 | Bobby Bowden | 8–1 | George Welsh |
| 2001–2006 | Bobby Bowden | 5–1 | Al Groh |
| 2010–2014 | Jimbo Fisher | 2–1 | Mike London |
Head-coach pairings with three or more meetings on file, the series read from Florida State’s side (Bowden 8–1 against Welsh). A season split between coaches goes to the one credited with the game.
Both programs through the years
Our Elo rating at the end of each season, a measure of how strong a team was, not a forecast; 1500 is an average FBS team.
On television
| 2025 | ESPN | 4.4 million viewers |
| 2026 | ESPN2 | 0.7 million viewers |
Viewers: Nielsen, as compiled by nschultz7’s ratings tracker.
Every game
Every game is listed as played on the field; a win the NCAA later vacated is marked “vacated”; the official series above counts them the NCAA’s way.