Camping World Stadium – Orlando, FL
Kickoff: Saturday, 8:00 p.m. ET
Line: Clemson -10.5, Total: 58.0

#19 Virginia Tech will be looking to shake up the College Football Playoff with a win over #3 Clemson in the ACC Championship on Saturday.

Nobody seems to be talking about Virginia Tech this week, but the Hokies will be out to play the role of spoiler on Saturday. They’ll be playing for a chance to be named the ACC champs, but they also know that they can ruin Clemson’s season with a win in this game. Clemson is currently ranked third in the College Football Playoff rankings, but the Tigers would almost certainly drop out of the top four with a loss on Saturday. With that being said, Clemson has been extremely impressive recently. The Tigers have won their past two games by a total of 71 points, and they’ll look to run up the score against the Hokies on Saturday. That shouldn’t be a problem for them if they play to their fullest abilities. Clemson has beaten much stronger teams throughout the year, as the Tigers have wins over four teams currently ranked in the College Football Playoff top-25 (Auburn, Louisville, Florida State, Pittsburgh). One trend that stands out in this game is the fact that Virginia Tech is 32-17-1 ATS against teams that allow an average of 17 or fewer points per game since 1992. Clemson has, however, won-and-covered in three straight games against this Hokies team.

Virginia Tech has had an impressive first season under head coach Justin Fuente, and the team will look to add to its resume with an ACC championship. QB Jerod Evans (3,045 yards, 26 TD, 5 INT) is going to need to be on his game if the Hokies are going to upset Clemson. Evans has been great this season, as he has thrown just five picks all year. He rarely makes mistakes and he is also an explosive player. When he is not beating teams with his arm, he can also do it with his legs. Evans has rushed for at least 60 yards in six games this season, and he has also rushed for eight touchdowns on the year. He’ll need to be ready to run against Clemson, as there will surely be some broken plays he can take advantage of. When he is putting the ball in the air, he’ll mostly be looking to WR Isaiah Ford (69 rec, 949 yards, 7 TD) and TE Bucky Hodges (42 rec, 598 yards, 7 TD). Ford is the guy he looks to all over the field. He’s an explosive receiver and could go for over 100 yards in this game. Hodges, meanwhile, is one of the best redzone threats in the country. The tight end is a big target at 6’7’’, and he also has very good hands. Evans will look his way if Virginia Tech finds itself in Clemson territory. Defensively, it’s all about containing Watson. Watson is explosive outside of the pocket, and Virginia Tech needs to be ready for him to run the ball. If the Hokies can remove that element of his game then they’ll be in much better shape.

Clemson has been one of the best teams in the nation all season, and the team will be looking to punctuate that with an ACC championship and a College Football Playoff berth on Saturday. As is always the case, QB Deshaun Watson (3,626 yards, 34 TD, 14 INT) will be the team’s focal point in this one. Watson was insane against South Carolina last week, throwing for 347 yards with six touchdowns and only one interception. He’ll look to shred this Hokies defense on Saturday as well. One person that should help him do just that is WR Mike Williams (79 rec, 1,114 yards, 10 TD). Williams might just be the best receiver in the nation, and head coach Dabo Swinney said that he could be better than both Sammy Watkins and DeAndre Hopkins at the next level. Williams will look to make Swinney look like a smart man by putting up some big numbers against the Hokies on Saturday. His size and ability to run clean routes should really give Virginia Tech some issues. It’s also going to be worth watching out for RB Wayne Gallman (943 yards, 14 TD) in this one. Gallman is 57 yards away from his second 1,000-yard season, and he has been in a groove recently. Gallman has rushed for over 100 yards in each of the past two contests, and he has also found the endzone nine times in the past five games. Look for him to have a big game on Saturday. If he is running the ball effectively then there is almost no chance that Clemson lets this game slip away.