CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) -- The first time Virginia Tech quarterback Sean Glennon played against Virginia, he couldn't wait to show the Cavaliers coaches they made a mistake by not offering him a scholarship.
That was last year, and Glennon led the Hokies to a 17-0 victory.
On Saturday, Glennon and the No. 8 Hokies will take on the No. 16 Cavaliers again in the schools' 89th meeting, a regular season finale that has bigger stakes than ever before.
"Last year, I remember we were just trying to beat them to keep them from getting bowl eligible," Glennon said. "This year, the winner goes to Jacksonville, and the loser goes home until their bowl game."
Jacksonville, Fla., will play host to next Saturday's Atlantic Coast Conference championship, which features No. 15 Boston College.
Virginia Tech has won three straight in the series and seven of eight. It won here two years ago, 52-14.
"Last time we went down there, we beat them up pretty bad. I know that's in the back of their minds, so they're going to come out ready to play," Hokies cornerback D.J. Parker said. The Hokies are expected to continue using both Glennon and the more mobile Tyrod Taylor at quarterback, sometimes switching them out on each play. It's the same system they've used in victories against Florida State and Miami the past two weekends.
The Cavaliers are coming off their lone bye week of the season, and linebacker Clint Sintim said he hopes the time spent studying Tech's offense will pay off.
"You've just got to understand what both quarterbacks are good at," he said. "When they're flip-flopping in the game, guys just have to make a conscious effort to understand who's back there and make adjustments."
The Hokies are well aware of Virginia quarterback Jameel Sewell's affinity for tucking the ball and running, or keeping it on option plays. A year ago, a fumble by Sewell late in the first half led to Virginia Tech's first touchdown.
"He's made a lot of improvements, and the offense goes as he goes," Tech linebacker Xavier Adibi said. "When the quarterback tries to turn into a running back, you've got to punish him. So if he decides to tuck it and run, we're going to be ready to hit."
Sewell said, for him, the key is not trying to do too much.
"Tech is a great team, and it's going to be a little bit difficult, more difficult than the other games," he said. "But as long as we come out there with the mind-set of just playing each play one play at a time and focusing, we're going to be OK."