Virginia Tech vs. Clemson: 10 Keys to ACC Conference Championship

Finally the time is here for ACC fans to see the championship game between the Clemson Tigers and the Virginia Tech Hokies.

The Hokies come into the game ranked fifth in the BCS Standings with only one loss on their record, but that loss is to Clemson.

Clemson comes into the game with a 9-3 record; at one point in the year the Tigers were dominating every opponent but have fell into some recent troubles that resulted in a few end-of-the-season losses.

The two teams top their respective ACC divisions and are set to face each other December 3. Clemson is looking to shake off a couple of terrible losses while Virginia Tech is looking for vengeance for their early-season loss to the Tigers.

Here are some keys to watch for during the game.

First Meeting

The outcome of the first meeting between these two teams this season was one-sided, favoring Clemson.

The Tigers went into Lane Stadium and ripped apart the Hokies by a score of 23-3 with Tajh Boyd at the helm.

The then-ranked No. 13 Tigers were looking for a game to prove themselves and did so with a solid victory, but the Hokies could not produce on either side of the ball.

The defense was stout with Andre Branch piling up three sacks and 11 tackles.

Luckily for the Hokies, the game was early in the season and they have gotten stronger since.

Last Few Weeks

The last few weeks of the season have seen these two ACC teams going in two totally different directions.

The Hokies have won every game since their loss to Clemson and have beaten some decent teams along the way. 

Virginia Tech is coming off a blowout victory against the Virginia Cavaliers in a game in which they looked unstoppable on both sides of the ball.

Clemson, however, is a totally different story.

The Tigers were once riding high with an 8-0 record and had downed three ranked opponents including Virginia Tech, but now have fallen off the grandest stage to find themselves losers of three of their past four games.

They were defeated by Georgia Tech, NC State and South Carolina on their way to the championship game, which surely leaves a sour taste in their mouths.

Passing Offense

Clemson wins this category hands down.

Surprisingly, Tajh Boyd has taken this offense further than the original expectations of the team before the season started.

Coming in at 17th in the nation in passing yards, Clemson's Boyd has thrown for 3,338 yards so far this year.

Boyd also threw 28 touchdowns in his impressive campaign this season. 

Virginia Tech is ranked 67th in the nation in passing with Logan Thomas as their man under center. Thomas is more of a running quarterback; he has only 2,525 yards through the air. 

Thomas does have 18 touchdown throws this season but has thrown seven interceptions as well.

David Wilson

David Wilson is one of the stars that line the Virginia Tech offense.

He has accumulated 1,595 rushing yards on the season with an impressive 6.3 yards-per-carry average.

In the first meeting between the two teams this season, Wilson still managed to rack up 123 yards even though Virginia Tech was shut down throughout the game.

He only has nine touchdowns on the season, three in one game, but is consistently eating up yardage for the Hokies.

If he can continue to produce against the stingy Clemson defense, Va Tech will have a good chance of staying in the game.

Andre Ellington

Andre Ellington is the featured running back in the Clemson offense.

On the season, Ellington has rushed for almost 1,000 yards and has seen the end zone nine times.

He also has 114 receiving yards as a decent dual-threat back.

Versus the Hokies earlier this year, Ellington was shut down the whole game, though he did manage to  score a touchdown for the Tigers.

He was limited to 2.5 yards per carry, his second-worst performance of the season and only totaled 40 yards.

Ellington and the Clemson run game will have to produce to keep in contention for this game. 

Logan Thomas

The sophomore quarterback for the Hokies may be the biggest difference in this game.

After throwing for a terrible 125 yards against Clemson, Thomas put on his big boy shoes and has been one of the nation's top players.

The week following that loss, Thomas led the Hokies to a last-second victory over the Miami Hurricanes and hasn't looked back.

In their seven-game win streak, Thomas has thrown for 14 touchdowns and ran for another nine. 

He has set a record under coach Beamer with 10 rushing touchdowns as a quarterback.

Clemson's Youth

The nation thought that Clemson's youth would eventually catch up to them, and finally it did.

Clemson, being losers in three out of their last four,  saw their youth prevail when they were looking toward an undefeated record before falling over and over again in the last stages of the season.

Clemson has played 29 freshmen this season, which is the most of any FBS team in the country.

Their confidence is going down, and with little composure being so young, they will have to get back to their early-season play to beat the Hokies.

Spread

The spread of the game is 7.5 points with Clemson as the underdog.

Spread is not that important since it proves to be wrong a lot of times, but it still is worth a look.

It makes sense that the spread is in favor of the Hokies because they have been dominant over the past weeks while Clemson seems to continue to falter week in and week out.

However, Clemson is the only one that can say they defeated the other team.

Head-to-head, Clemson has the crown, but the recent trend is in favor of the Hokies.

Hokies' Past Trends

Virginia Tech has history on their side in this matchup.

It may be a good thing that the Hokies lost to Clemson during the regular season because Virginia Tech has only twice had a rematch versus a team they lost to during the regular season and guess what the result was?

They won both times.

The Hokies do not like to lose, and behind Coach Beamer it looks like they have dissected the playbook of the Tigers and know exactly what to call during this game to put themselves in the win column.

Heart

The most important part of this game is who has the most heart.

It may seem obvious—and it is—but this game might come down to which team really has the urge to win and which team will do what it takes to make it happen.

The season is long and tough, and both teams have been tested rigorously throughout.

Both Clemson and Virginia Tech have to be worn down from the season and with the ACC Championship finally in their sights, it comes down to who wants it the most.

If the game is tight until the end, I guarantee that the winning team will be the team that put it all on the line for the victory.