A young Clemson Tigers squad was the darling of ESPN following an 8-0 start to the season. Heading into the ACC Championship Game against the Virginia Tech Hokies on Saturday, the Tigers are engaged in full-on damage control, dropping three of their last four games including a 34-13 loss at the hands of South Carolina last Saturday. Coach Dabo Swinney isn't ready to concede anything to the favored Hokies, however.

"We have a chance to win the ACC, and as poorly as we've played the past few weeks, we can't lose sight of the fact that we do have an opportunity to play for our league's championship," said Swinney. "That is something we haven't done in a long time, and certainly nobody was picking us to do that this year."

Clemson beat Virginia Tech 23-3 earlier this season, so there is plenty of reason for optimism for Tigers fans. Still, the team's downswing has come as the Hokies are playing some of their best football. Virginia Tech beat the Virginia Cavaliers last week 38-0 in arguably their most complete performance of the season. Junior running back David Wilson racked up 153 yards rushing and two touchdowns in the win.

For more on this game, visit Virginia Tech blog Gobbler Country and Clemson blog Shakin' The Southland. Head over to SB Nation NCAA Football for more on Championship Weekend.