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ACC championship primer

Call it the Expansion Bowl. Former Big East members Virginia Tech and Boston College play Saturday in Jacksonville for the ACC championship in a game that was hardly imaginable a decade ago.

The No. 6 Hokies return to Jacksonville Municipal Stadium for the second time in the game's three-year history, after losing the inaugural game to Florida State. The No. 12 Eagles made it in their third year in the league.

Here are five things you need to know about this matchup:

1. Boston College scored two touchdowns in the final 2:11 to beat Virginia Tech 14-10 on Oct. 25 at Blacksburg, Va. Andre Callender scored the game-winning touchdown on a 24-yard pass from Matt Ryan with 11 seconds left.

2. Nobody has a better ACC record than Virginia Tech and Boston College since BC joined the league. (Virginia Tech is 20-4, Boston College and Georgia Tech 16-8.) Remember when Miami was thought to be the jewel of ACC expansion? Remember when the ACC was hot for Syracuse? Well, Miami has yet to reach the title game and is 12-13 the past two seasons. And Syracuse hasn't finished with a winning record since 2001.

3. Boston College's Ryan is the ACC's leading Heisman Trophy candidate, which gives him about the same shot at winning the award as Charlie Brown has of kicking that football Lucy's about to snatch away. Ryan's chances looked a lot better when he had 15 touchdown passes and five interceptions halfway through the season. His second half? Thirteen touchdown passes and 11 interceptions.

4. If you like to watch teams stuff the run, you've got the right game. Boston College and Virginia Tech rank second and fifth in the nation in rushing defense. The Eagles held 10 of their 12 opponents below 100 yards rushing, and though the Hokies got 116 against them they averaged only 2.8 per carry. The Hokies held the Eagles to 32 yards on 18 carries.

5. Virginia Tech has blocked only two kicks this season, both of them punts. It ties for the fewest blocks in a season under coach Frank Beamer, whose teams have averaged more than five blocks in his 21 seasons.

ACC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Virginia Tech (10-2, 7-1) vs. Boston College (10-2, 6-2) at Jacksonville, Fla.

1 p.m. ET Saturday (ABC)

Mike Knobler writes for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.