Virginia Tech at Virginia is the Champs Sports Bowl Game Of The Week

This season, pick who you think will win the Champs Sports Bowl Game of the Week and WIN! Answer the question on the Capital One Bowl Facebook page before Saturday’s game. If you pick correctly, you’ll be entered into a drawing to win two tickets to the Capital One Bowl on January 2, 2012!

Virginia Tech leads series, 50-37-5 (Last meeting: Nov. 27, 2010: Virginia Tech 37, Virginia 7)

After 12 weeks, the ACC Coastal division championship has come down to one game. Virginia and Virginia Tech square off this weekend for the right to play for the ACC title and a BCS bowl-berth. The Hokies hold the edge with only one conference loss, but the Cavaliers would own the tiebreaker with a win at home on Saturday. Tech hasn’t lost to its rival from Charlottesville in eight years and has only dropped one game to the Cavs since 1998.

With losses by three top-10 teams last weekend, Virginia Tech has risen to No. 5 in the BCS standings. The Hokies only loss this season came almost two months ago to Clemson, who will represent the Atlantic division in the ACC Championship Game Dec. 3. Virginia Tech held off a late rally from North Carolina last Thursday after scoring 24 unanswered points in the second and third quarters. Redshirt sophomore Logan Thomas threw two touchdowns and rushed for another, leading the Hokies to the 24-21 win. Senior Jarrett Boykin was Thomas’ favorite target on the night, reeling in 10 catches for 106 yards.

Virginia was able to withstand a costly facemask penalty, a crucial booth review and a missed field goal, all in the final seconds, to upset Florida State in Tallahassee 14-13. Despite being held to 78 total rushing yards, the Cavaliers ground attack came through late in the fourth quarter when Kevin Parks scored the go-ahead touchdown from 10 yards out. Quarterback Michael Rocco played well against a Seminoles defense ranked seventh in the nation. The sophomore threw for 221 yards and a touchdown without turning the ball over. Virginia snapped an eight-game losing streak at Doak Campbell Stadium.

Extra Point:

*Virginia Tech is the only team in the country to have won at least 10 games in each of the past eight seasons. 

EXPERT PICKS

	Michel Champagne currently serves as Chairman of Florida Citrus Sports, where his duties include leading Team Selection Committee. He is the Vice President of Operations and General Manager, Orlando Region for Bright House Networks.
	Pick: Virginia Tech Season Record: 13-7

	Greg Warmoth spent 11 years as the weekend sports anchor for WFTV Channel 9 in Orlando before switching to the news desk in 1997. He currently anchors Eyewitness News Daybreak, Eyewitness News This Morning on TV-27 and Eyewitness News at Noon.
	Pick: Virginia Tech Season Record: 12-8

	Marc Daniels hosts The Beat Of Sports on ESPN 1080 AM in Orlando every weekday morning from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. Daniels has over 20 years of experience on the air and is most well known as “the Voice of the UCF Knights” for all football, men’s basketball and baseball games on the UCF ISP Sports Network.
	Pick: Virginia Tech Season Record: 13-7

	Jerry Greene spent 33 years as a sportswriter at Florida Today, the Pensacola News Journal and the Orlando Sentinel before retiring in 2009. He now co-hosts The Beat of Sports with Daniels and contributes to ESPN.com’s Page 2 section.
	Pick: Virginia Season Record: 7-13