With eight days remaining until the ballots are due, no clear-cut favorite has emerged for ACC player of the year.

For two of the candidates, there won't be a better forum than the football field at Scott Stadium today.

Clearly, there's more at stake than individual postseason awards, but it does make for an interesting debate.

"I'm not quizzing you guys," Virginia coach Al Groh told reporters in a Thursday teleconference. "but, as a fan myself, I'm just curious. Who's the leading candidate?"

Until two weeks ago, it might have been Tech quarterback Marcus Vick, whose seventh-ranked Hokies (8-1, 5-1 ACC) visit Virginia (6-3, 3-3) at noon today.

Tech was undefeated until Miami came to Blacksburg two weeks ago and won 27-7 on a night when Vick was intercepted four times and lost two fumbles.

"When Matt Schaub got it, I thought, clearly, that there couldn't be much you could argue with," Groh said. "When Philip Rivers got it, the same way. I thought last year, Bryan Randall was the clear choice to be player of the year."

Schaub, Rivers and Randall -- all quarterbacks -- were the ACC players of the year from 2002-2004, representing Virginia, N.C. State and Virginia Tech, respectively. In fact, six of the last seven players of the year have been quarterbacks. The exception was E.J. Henderson, a Maryland linebacker from Maryland, in 2001.

If only because of the pronunciation of their first names and their position of prominence on rival teams, it would be easy to compare Vick and Hagans. In many respects, they're also play-alikes.

"They're certainly more similar than they are different," Groh said. "They're multiple threats -- run, pass, scramble out of trouble, on the edge on bootlegs, strong arms. Same school district."

Remarkably, Hagans and Vick have never quarterbacked their teams in the same game, going back to Hagans' senior year at Hampton High School in 1999, when he was a quarterback and Vick was a sophomore wide receiver for Peninsula District rival Warwick.

Durham, N.C., based sportswriter Al Featherston, an ACC representative on the Football Writers Association of America board, said he was impressed by Hagans' performance in UVa's 26-21 upset of Florida State but was equally unimpressed by Hagans in a 7-5 loss at North Carolina.

A majority of the All-ACC voters are from North Carolina and the UVa-UNC game was their only look at Hagans, slowed that day by a hamstring injury. The Cavaliers did not play N.C. State or Wake Forest.

"I think, without a doubt, he's as good a [player-of-the-year] candidate as any," Groh said.

Neither Hagans nor Vick will have postseason honors on his mind today, but Groh wouldn't question people who think that the outcome of today's game hinges on which quarterback plays better.

"Since that's the case in most games," Groh said, "I'd say they're in pretty safe territory."

Boston College defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka was the preseason player of the year in a vote taken at The Homestead resort in July, but Kiwanuka only recently returned to action after missing two games with a knee injury.

"He played Saturday night [in a 30-10 victory over N.C. State] the way we thought he would play all year," Boston College coach Tom O'Brien said. "But, due to his injury at midseason, I don't think he ever got going. I think he's deserving."

Dave Glenn, editor of the ACC Sports Journal and an all-conference voter, speculates that he's seen as many ACC games as anybody, but admits he's confused.

"If it's the best player, it's Calvin Johnson, who was double-teamed all year," Glenn said of the Georgia Tech receiver. "If it's the best player on the best team, it's Eric Winston, who just manhandles people. If it was a career award -- it's clearly not -- I'd give it to Chris Barclay."

Winston is an offensive lineman for Miami and Barclay is a running back for Wake Forest, done for the season at 4-7.

"I'm sure a lot of voters will go for Marcus Vick or [Miami quarterback] Kyle Wright," said Glenn, pointing out that Vick has as many interceptions as touchdown passes in ACC games and that Wright has an 11-8 ratio, "but those teams are winning with defense first."

Glenn said his list of the best players in the ACC this year would include two Hokies, defensive end Darryl Tapp and cornerback Jimmy Williams, but not Vick. He also mentioned Maryland linebacker D'Qwell Jackson, but not Hagans.

"He's not on my board," Glenn said, "but that doesn't mean much. Most voters think QB first, and those two guys [Vick and Hagans] are among the top four in the ACC at that position. With a huge finish -- especially for Vick -- anything can happen."