There is little question that No. 3 Clemson is going to try and “boat race” Virginia in Saturday’s ACC Championship game. That’s just who the Tigers are.

Having clinched its first ACC Coastal Division championship and ending a 15-year losing streak to state rival Virginia Tech, the recent success of UVA football is already making an impact on the Cavaliers’ recruiting.

Most any other year, Virginia’s Bryce Perkins would likely be an easy choice for first-team All-ACC quarterback.

The last time Virginia played Clemson, Bronco Mendenhall was almost three years away from making the move from Provo to Charlottesville.

Virginia linebacker Jordan Mack has been named the recipient of the 2019 Jim Tatum Award, the Atlantic Coast Conference announced Monday.

Read what Virginia senior quarterback Bryce Perkins said during Monday’s teleconference ahead of this weekend’s ACC Football Championship against Clemson at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte

Read what Virginia junior linebacker Charles Snowden said during Monday’s teleconference ahead of this weekend’s ACC Football Championship against Clemson at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte

Read what Virginia senior defensive tackle Eli Hanback said during Monday’s teleconference ahead of this weekend’s ACC Football Championship against Clemson at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte

When Virginia defeated rival Virginia Tech on Friday, the Cavaliers clinched their first ACC Coastal Division crown, becoming the last member of the Coastal to achieve that accomplishment.

In a game featuring two powerful offenses, virtually no one would have suspected that the touchdown that would lock the victory would be scored by a defensive lineman. 

What a range of emotions Bronco Mendenhall experienced on Friday as he watched his Virginia team upset Virginia Tech, 39-30, and end a 15-year losing streak to the rival Hokies.

Come hell or high water, or even tonsillitis, nothing was going to prevent Bryce Perkins from playing his last game in Scott Stadium on Friday afternoon, especially with the ACC Coastal Division championship on the line, and especially against arch-rival Virginia Tech.

Photos by John Markon from UVA’s 39-30 win over Virginia Tech.

Bryce Perkins rushed for a pair of long first-quarter touchdown runs, Brian Delaney kicked a go-ahead field goal late in the fourth quarter, and the Virginia defense put an emphatic exclamation point on the Cavaliers’ first ACC Coastal Division championship in the closing minutes of a 39-30 victory over 23rd-ranked Virginia Tech Saturday at Scott Stadium.

Virginia and Virginia Tech will duke it out for the 101st time Friday, with both the ACC Coastal Division title and the Hokies’ 15-game winning streak against the Cavaliers on the line.

Kelly Poppinga knows exactly what the key for Virginia’s defense will be when the Cavaliers attempt to end a lopsided losing streak to state rival Virginia Tech in their noon showdown in Charlottesville on Friday.

As Friday’s showdown for the ACC Coastal Division championship approaches for Virginia and visiting Virginia Tech, it would be interesting to hear what things Bronco Mendenhall might be saying to his team about ending a 15-year losing streak to the Hokies.

One Hokie player in particular, Dax Hollifield, may be in for a rough day from the Cavalier crowd.

Heading into the final week of the Pigskin Picks season, Hootie is sitting on a four-game lead, which is like Tiger Woods sitting on a four-shot lead heading into the final round of a major. Well, almost.

Despite his wife Holly’s disapproval, Bronco is hoping the beard keeps growing for at least one more month and change.