Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia have played 88 previous games, but no game in this rivalry has been as
big as this one. The Hokies and Hoos will meet at noon on Saturday with the Coastal Division championship at stake and
the right to play Boston College in the ACC Championship Game. Both teams come into the game with identical 9-2 records
and 6-1 records in the conference, and both teams are playing their best football of the season right now. So, what are
the keys to this huge game?
The Virginia Tech-Virginia series has a history of big plays in all phases of the game, and this game will likely be
decided by a few critical plays. Neither team is prone to mistakes, so any turnover advantage will be huge. The Hokies
would appear to have the advantage in personnel capable of making big plays on both sides of the line, but the Cavaliers
have been excellent at preventing the big play this year on defense and not making big mistakes on offense. Both squads
are very experienced and realize the importance of big plays in determining the outcome of a game, so do not expect a
lot of unnecessary chances to be taken.