Virginia Tech vs Georgia Tech: Who Will Win Tonight's Crucial ACC Clash?

Somehow, Virginia Tech has found it's way into the Top 10 of the current BCS standings, even though the No. 10 Hokies have yet to beat a ranked team this season, have played down to their competition on a regular basis (including a horrific performance against Duke in their last game), and have lost their only true test of the season in embarrassing fashion to Clemson at home.

Needles to say, Frank Beamer’s squad certainly has something to prove tonight when it heads down to Atlanta for a crucial ACC Coastal division clash with No. 21 Georgia Tech.

Right now, the Hokies hold a ½ game advantage in the Coastal division race, but the Yellow Jackets are still right in the race, and even though they don’t truly control their own destiny, if they can win tonight, it would really boost their chances of making it to the conference championship game.

Both of these teams will come into this one fresh after having a bye week, but you can make the case that Georgia Tech has more momentum, given that the Yellow Jackets just upset a Clemson team that was ranked No. 5 in the country, while Virginia Tech came close to losing to a mediocre Duke team.

On paper, these two teams are pretty evenly matched on both sides of the ball.

Georgia Tech ranks 1st in the ACC in total offense and 4th in total defense, while Virginia Tech ranks 3rd in the conference in total offense and 2nd in total defense.

The real key to this game could be how Virginia Tech’s defensive front seven handles Paul Johnson’s potent option attack.

The Yellow Jackets rank second in the country with 328 yards per game, and they average a whopping 5.9 yards per carry.

Even without LB Bruce Taylor, the Hokies still have a stout defensive front seven, led by talented youngsters like J.R. Collins and James Gayle, which is only giving up 86 yards on the ground per game.

Virginia Tech has a pretty potent offense of its own, with the talented backfield of QB Logan Thomas and RB David Wilson, but there have been times when Thomas, who is only a sophomore in his first year as a starter, has been spotty this season.

It’s hard to really give either team an edge here, considering what we’ve seen so far from both squads, and Vegas seems to agree, installing Tech as just a one-point favorite.

The last three times these teams have met, the game was decided by a touchdown or less.

The Hokies have won five out of the last seven matchups in this series, but it’s just tough to put a lot of faith in a team that’s been so inconsistent this season.

It’s always scary to give Frank Beamer and Bud Foster an extra week to prepare for an opponent, but the question is, do they have enough horses this year to keep pace in the race?

This one’s a tough one to call, but I’m going to give the benefit of the doubt to the home team and fly with Tevin Washington and the Yellow Jackets.

Prediction: Georgia Tech 30, Virginia Tech 23