Though Clemson and Virginia played in last year’s ACC Championship Game, the longtime ACC rivals have played just three times in the regular season since Dabo Swinney became Clemson’s head coach in 2008.
As a matter of fact, this will be the Cavaliers’ first trip to Death Valley since 2009, that is the day Clemson clinched its first ACC Atlantic Division Championship under Swinney, a 34-21 victory on C.J. Spiller’s last game in the Valley as a player. Spiller, who will go into the Hall of Fame this year at Clemson, is now a volunteer assistant coach on Swinney’s staff.