Officially, Virginia’s No. 3 quarterback is Riko Smalls. But the true freshman from Plano, Texas, has yet to play this season, and the U.Va. coaching staff’s plan has been to redshirt Smalls.

Second-year coach Tom O’Brien has the Wolfpack playing its best football of the season at just the right time. State hammered rival North Carolina 41-10 on Saturday for its third consecutive win.

Boston College is a win away from Tampa, Fla. The same goes for Virginia Tech. The ACC title game will match the Atlantic Division winner against the Coastal Division champion Dec. 6 in Tampa. With a win Saturday over Maryland (4-3, 7-4) in Chestnut Hill, Mass., BC (4-3, 8-3) would finish tied for first in the Atlantic with Florida State (5-3, 8-3). The Eagles, however, would win the tiebreaker, because they beat FSU in their head-to-head meeting.

Give University of Virginia safety Byron Glaspy points for honesty. He acknowledged yesterday what many of his teammates no doubt have been saying privately: that depriving Virginia Tech of a trip to Tampa, Fla., for the ACC championship game would make a U.Va. victory that much sweeter Saturday. “I’ve thought about that,“ Glaspy said with a smile. “That’d be a nice thing to do: send them home unhappy.“

An important deadline is looming for Athletic Director Craig Littlepage. He has until Monday to decide whether U.Va. will add another year to coach Al Groh’s contract. Groh’s deal runs through Dec. 31, 2011. Each December, the school has the option of adding a year to Groh’s contract. If U.Va. chooses to do so this year, Groh would again have four seasons left on his deal.

CHARLOTTESVILLE Marc Verica, beware of Macho Harris. Harris, an All-America candidate at cornerback for Virginia Tech, has intercepted six passes this season, returning two of them for touchdowns. And the former Highland Springs High star, who had two picks Saturday against Duke, is about to face a quarterback who’s been throwing interceptions at a staggering clip.

During the Senior Day ceremony at Scott Stadium, John Phillips’ mother will be elsewhere. She means no slight to Virginia’s star tight end. But neither she nor her husband can be in two places at once. And so Susan Phillips will be in Williamsburg with their older son, Jake.

University of Virginia football player Rashawn Jackson’s case has been continued to Jan. 15.

Virginia Tech Athletic Director Jim Weaver spent part of yesterday researching Texas’ decision to designate its defensive coordinator as its future head coach.

The locker room atmosphere felt somewhat subdued after Virginia Tech’s 62-57 win Monday night over Mount St. Mary’s—the Hokies’ second consecutive closer-than-expected victory.