Wouldn’t you know it? In Virginia Tech’s first season in the ACC, the Cavaliers and Hokies will be playing for the conference championship. (At least a piece of it, anyway.) Because of that, for the first time since the schools were members of the Southern Conference from 1922-35, more than state bragging rights will be at stake when the old rivals play for the 86th time Saturday at Lane Stadium.

But does that change the nature of the rivalry? That’s what we asked Coach Groh and a handful of UVa players today. While their answers to that question varied, they all agreed on one thing: This is a big game. Maybe the biggest in the series history.

“I don’t know that it changes the rivalry. That would be hard to do,” Groh said. “It adds what is at stake with the game. As I said last week, and I will always say, the sole purpose for being in a conference is to try to win your conference championship. So now that the [Virginia Tech] game every year is going to count toward that, it just raises the stakes on the outcome of the game. And in this particular year, because what is at stake is first place, you can’t have a much bigger pot on the table that that.”

At minimum, the winner will earn a share of the ACC title. If it’s the Cavaliers (5-2 ACC), they will be tri-champs with Florida State (6-2) and either Miami (5-2) or Virginia Tech (5-1). If it’s the Hokies, they can then claim the championship outright by beating the Hurricanes in Miami next week. Virginia has a shot at the league’s BCS bid if it wins Saturday and Virginia Tech beats Miami.

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