In 2011, the Clemson Tigers dominated the Virginia Tech Hokies. The Tigers knocked out Tech twice, once coming in the ACC Championship game. Clemson won those two games by more than three scores each, so one might think they have a good shot to win this one at home. Clemson comes into this game as an eight point favorite over the Hokies. But some factors point to the idea that this might just be a very close game. If you are thinking about making that sort of bet, you will want to study up on these teams.

Clemson currently sits at 5-1. The Tigers seem to have a relatively easy path to 10-1 if they can get through this game. As a near double digit favorite, they expect to win this game at home. But Dabo Swinney’s bunch is off of a bye, and that has not been a good thing for Clemson under the coach. Last year, Clemson nearly lost a huge game to Wake Forest at home, missing the spread by a couple of touchdowns. Two years ago, Clemson lost at home to Miami after a bye. Clemson has also struggled in bowl games, suggesting that perhaps Swinney has trouble keeping the focus of his players during those tough weeks.

Virginia Tech has had a strange year. The Hokies got dropped on their head by Pittsburgh in the early going. They then turned around and lost to Cincinnati in a hard-fought game. The Hokies fell behind by three scores last week before turning it on in a home win against Duke. Now they have to go play a team that has dominated the series lately. They must win this game if they want to have a legitimate shot at winning the Coastal Division of the ACC. So how will this play out?

If Clemson comes in with focus, they should be alright in this game. The Tigers seem to have a gameplan that works against Logan Thomas and Virginia Tech. The Hokies are probably more desperate, and they showed some good stuff in the second half against Duke. This one will probably turn on how well the two defenses can force turnovers. There are times when Tech does a very good job of forcing these bad plays. If they can do that on Saturday, they have a very good chance at keeping the game close at the very least.

Posted by Wunderdog’s trusty sidekick ” Wundercat ”