Clemson is one win away from the College Football Playoff, per our resident bracketologist Jerry Palm. A victory against Virginia Tech in Orlando in the ACC Championship Game would give Dabo Swinney's program back-to-back league titles and back-to-back playoff appearances. After falling just one score short of Alabama in the title game last season, a return to the game's biggest stage is in reach.

There are no pizza party promises, just title expectations. We'll see how Clemson, a double-digit favorite, performs on Saturday night under the lights. Virginia Tech is led by ACC Coach of the Year Justin Fuente and a Hokies program that has been striving to make it back to the ACC title game since 2011, the year Dabo beat Frank Beamer to claim his first ACC championship as a head coach.

Viewing Information

Date: Saturday, Dec. 3

Time: 8 p.m. ET

Location: Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida

TV: ABC

Live stream: WatchESPN

Storylines

Clemson: There was a point this season where Clemson was getting knocked for not being "as good on offense" as they were a season ago. With 12 games of data, the numbers are remarkably similar except for one category: red zone conversions. The Tigers have already reached the red zone more in 12 games than they did in 15 but they are converting those opportunities into scores (touchdown or field goals) as frequently, down from 90.0 percent to 82.5 percent. You know what trips up the "eye test" for a casual fan? Seeing a team blow it in the red zone. The Tigers are still as dangerous and title-ready as they were last season, but need to clean it up in the red zone to avoid leaving precious points on the field.

Virginia Tech: Don't expect Virginia Tech to bring a "happy to be here" attitude to a game where the national attention is solely on the Tigers. Justin Fuente and this Hokies team are not looking to play spoiler, they are looking to win a championship. The Hokies haven't been championship caliber every week -- there are confounding losses to Georgia Tech and Syracuse on that resume -- but with defense and special teams creating turnovers and scores in close conference games and another Coastal Division title fort he trophy case, it seems like everything is right again in the Blacksburg-based universe.

Players to watch

Deshaun Watson, Clemson: You don't need to be told to watch Watson but you do need to be aware of the many ways he's impacted this program and this season, particularly as his Tigers career (likely) comes to a close in the next few games. Watson is one of the best to ever do it at Clemson, 29-3 as a starter looking to become to the first quarterback to lead his team to back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances. He's caught come criticism this season, tossing 12 interceptions in 10 games against Power Five opponents (14 on the season), including three picks in the home loss to Pittsburgh. Watson has responded with some tremendous performances down the stretch, completing 75 percent of his passes in the month of November.

Jerod Evans, Virginia Tech: Evans has emerged, bringing new life to a Virginia Tech offense that struggled and stalled with Logan Thomas and Michael Brewer. Evans has wheels, a live arm and a host of talented pass catchers (Isaiah Ford, Bucky Hodges to name a few) that will test the patience of Clemson's defense. You'd think that a productive star like Evans would catch more attention from the ACC media this season, but it didn't sound like foreign media are too familiar with his work when a reporter asked "Jared" how he was doing on the ACC championship teleconference this week.

[LONG PAUSE]

"It's Juh-ROD," Evans said, via the Roanoke Times. "But I'm doing good. How are you doing?"

Matchup to watch

Clemson WR Mike Williams vs. Virginia Tech's secondary: Pro Football Focus ranks Virginia Tech third in the nation in pass coverage grade, but they haven't faced a quarterback-wide receiver combo like Watson and Mike Williams. Williams' muscular 6-3, 225-pound frame forces defenses to turn their attention his away to avoid giving up easy completions to a player who, if not for a scary neck injury early last season, would likely be playing on Sundays right now. Adonis Alexander and Brandon Facyson will have their hands full on Saturday night, not only keeping tabs on Williams but also Artavis Scott, Hunter Renfro and the rest of Clemson's stud playmakers.