The 1972 Virginia Cavaliers football team represented the University of Virginia during the 1972 NCAA University Division football season. The Cavaliers were led by second-year head coach Don Lawrence and played their home games at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia. They competed as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, finishing tied for last.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 9	at South Carolina*	Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC	W 24–16	43,695	[3]
September 16	Virginia Tech*	Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA (rivalry)	W 24–20	31,300	[4]
September 23	West Virginia*	Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA	L 10–48	27,000	[5]
September 30	at Duke	Wallace Wade Stadium Durham, NC	L 13–37	20,806	[6]
October 7	at Vanderbilt*	Dudley Field Nashville, TN	L 7–10	17,903	[7]
October 14	VMI*	Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA	W 45–14	19,000	[8]
October 21	at Clemson	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	L 21–37	32,093	[9][10]
October 28	Maryland	Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA (rivalry)	L 23–24	21,500	[11]
November 4	NC State	Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA	L 14–35	17,500	[12]
November 11	at No. 18 North Carolina	Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, NC (South's Oldest Rivalry)	L 3–23	36,500	[13]
November 18	at Wake Forest	Groves Stadium Winston-Salem, NC	W 15–12	18,000	[14]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

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