Collegiate Times

Ladies and gentlemen, it all comes down to this.

After nine games, eight victories and some incredibly sloppy play throughout, we have arrived at the first truly important date in the schedule.

Sure, it would’ve been nice to beat Clemson, and it was amazing to watch the Hokies
come back against Miami, but this next one is for all of the marbles.

The Yellow Jackets aren’t just another ACC opponent — or just another Coastal Division opponent for that matter. No, Georgia Tech represents more than that.

Over the past five years, the Jackets have become the Hokies’ biggest rival and biggest road block in making it to the ACC Championship Game.

Whether the game has a fancy name like the “Commonwealth Cup” or not, the rivalry between the ACC’s Tech schools has become the game of the season several times — including last year’s contest in which the Hokies overcame a 14-point deficit and won with a 90-yard kick return by David Wilson with 2:23 left in the game.

So, while no trophy is given to the winner, the team that comes out victorious earns a
much more valuable reward — the Coastal Division title and a spot in the conference championship game.

Since the creation of the ACC Championship Game in 2005, the winner of Yellow Jackets and Hokies game has represented their division every season. This year looks to be no different, as the two teams occupy the top two spots.

At 4-1 in the conference, the Hokies control their own destiny and a win this week would make the UNC game next Thursday meaningless.

However, unlike the Hokies, Georgia Tech will need help even with a win, as its loss to U.Va. on Oct. 15 gave the Cavaliers the tiebreaker should they both finish with two losses. 

But considering that the Hokies and Cavs play to end the year, and U.Va. hasn’t won that matchup in eight years, the Yellow Jackets can assume that this game will be their ticket to Charlotte.

Rivalries are born from close matchups year after year, and that is exactly what we have here. Over the past three seasons, the average margin of victory between these two programs has been just five points.

ESPN has taken notice of how intense these games have gotten and has made sure they are always put in front of a national audience. Since 2006, the Hokies and Yellow Jackets have played night games four times, including three on Thursdays. 

People usually refer to U.Va. and Miami as the Hokies’ biggest rivals, but a lack of competition and championship implications make those games significantly less dramatic.

That’s not the case with Georgia Tech.

After the Hokies lost to the other Tech in 2009, the accusations of their offensive linemen using chop blocks were rampant on campus for weeks. And this is despite the fact that most people can’t even identify what a chop block looks like or where it is legal.

The fans aren’t the only people in Blacksburg to put a little more effort into this matchup
either. 

Bud Foster actually flew out to Iowa before last season to learn what the Hawkeyes did to shut down the Jackets’ option-based offense in the 2009 Orange Bowl.

Simply put, people know what is at stake when these two teams play.

And when the lights are turned on tonight, the battle for the Coastal Division will be back for another installment.

A version of this article appeared in the Nov 10 issue of the Collegiate Times.