ACC Championship Game: 5 Reasons Why Virginia Tech Blows out Clemson

Two teams headed in completely opposite directions will meet in the seventh ACC Championship Game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

11-1 Virginia Tech has won seven straight games and are coming off a 38-0 rout of Virginia in a game that decided the Coastal Division Title. 9-3 Clemson won its first eight games, but was blown out by N.C. State and South Carolina the past two weeks.

While the Tigers dominated the Hokies two months ago in a 23-3 win in Blacksburg, the rematch will not be so kind to Dabo Swinney's team. Here are five reasons why Virginia Tech will claim its fifth ACC title in eight seasons in resounding fashion on Saturday night.

Logan Thomas as a Dual Threat

The low point of Thomas' first season as the starting quarterback came in the loss to Clemson. The Hokies only managed 125 yards in the air on a chilly night at Lane Stadium, but it was the turning point in the sophomore's season.

He followed up his poor performance against the Tigers with a 23-of-25 afternoon against Miami and the game-winning touchdown run on fourth down with under a minute to play. The Hokies haven't been severely tested since, and Thomas' size has made him a Tim Tebow-like threat in short yardage situations.

Tajh Boyd's Slump

Boyd has hit a wall over the past month after a five-touchdown performance against North Carolina, with seven interceptions and only four touchdowns since the win over the Tar Heels. His second-half swoon culminated with a miserable 11-of-29 performance last Saturday night at South Carolina.

The Hokies’ 15 interceptions are second in the ACC. Boyd has to revert to this September and October form to give the Tigers a chance.

Clemson's Run Defense

While the Tigers' secondary has been able to overcome the loss of DeAndre McDaniel and Marcus Gilchrist after last season, the defensive front has struggled. That does not bode well against the nation's fourth-leading rusher.

David Wilson has run for almost 1600 yards in what could be his final season in Blacksburg. Even in defeat in October to Clemson, he ran for over six yards per carry. Expect the junior to top his 123 yards from the first meeting on Saturday night.

Experience

Virginia Tech is no stranger to conference championship games, having played in four during the past six seasons. They're also a far more veteran squad than the Tigers, most of whom did not play in Clemson's only ACC Championship Game appearance in 2009.

Frank Beamer has coached in four ACC title games and seven major bowl games. Dabo Swinney lost the 2009 ACC Championship Game to Georgia Tech, and his most significant bowl game was the Gator Bowl after the 2008 season.

Clemson Away from Home

Since its win in Blacksburg, Clemson has been downright awful outside of Death Valley. They needed a furious rally just to squeak past a 2-10 Maryland team and lost their next three road games by double digits.

They were fueled by their home crowd in big early-season wins over Auburn and Florida State, but without 80,000 people decked out in orange, it hasn't been very pleasant for the Tigers. There will be plenty of orange in Bank of America Stadium on Saturday night, but half of it will be cheering for the Hokies.