Fansided

College football Week 5: 5 games worth canceling date night for

By Patrick Schmidt

BLACKSBURG, VA - SEPTEMBER 23: Quarterback Josh Jackson #17 of the Virginia Tech Hokies throws against the Old Dominion University Monarchs in the first half at Lane Stadium on September 23, 2017 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Michael Shroyer/Getty Images)
BLACKSBURG, VA - SEPTEMBER 23: Quarterback Josh Jackson #17 of the Virginia Tech Hokies throws against the Old Dominion University Monarchs in the first half at Lane Stadium on September 23, 2017 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Michael Shroyer/Getty Images) /
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Clemson-Virginia Tech
ORLANDO, FL – DECEMBER 03: Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers and head coach Justin Fuente of the Virginia Tech Hokies shake hands during the ACC Championship on December 3, 2016, in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

1. Clemson at Virginia Tech – 8:00 p.m. EST – ABC

The game of the week in college football takes us to Blacksburg, Virginia where Virginia Tech hosts the reigning national champion Clemson Tigers. College GameDay will be there and they get the primetime slot on ABC. This is a rematch of last year’s ACC Championship Game won by the Tigers but the game served as a coming out party for Justin Fuente in his first year with the Hokies. Virginia Tech is a program used to competing for ACC Championships thanks to Fuente’s predecessor Frank Beamer, and this is the type of game that can take a program to the next level.

I’m not calling for an upset. But I think Fuente’s team is going to open up a lot of eyeballs across the country. The last few years, the ACC has been dominated by Clemson and Florida State and the individual success of Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson, but it’s time to put Virginia Tech back in the conversation for the nation’s best programs. The Hokies moved up to No. 12 in this week’s Top 25 poll and a win vs. Clemson would firmly place them in the top half-dozen.

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Virginia Tech is led by freshman quarterback Josh Jackson who already has 1,127 yards and 11 touchdowns. He’s a player that has the early makings of someone who will win ACC Offensive Player of the Year someday. It may come as early as next year too. Jackson has been locked on his top target, senior receiver Cam Phillips, who has 34 catches for 523 yards and five scores. He’s on his way toward becoming the best receiver in program history.

Clemson is led by quarterback Kelly Bryant and one of the nation’s best defenses. Will that be enough to pick up the win in a hostile environment? It probably will, but you want to make sure you order up a pizza and have some cold beverages within an arm’s reach and watch all four quarters because this is going to be a slug-fest.

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