Tech’s path back to the ACC title game
Although Georgia Tech (5-3, 3-2 in the ACC) is two losses behind Virginia Tech and Miami in the ACC’s Coastal Division, it is still possible for the Yellow Jackets to advance to Charlotte and the Dec. 4 conference championship game.
Here is one scenario:
The Yellow Jackets must win out, beating Virginia Tech, Miami and Duke. Defeating the Hokies and Hurricanes would give the Yellow Jackets the first tiebreaker in the two-team or three-team scenario, which is the head-to-head match-up. A loss also would be Miami’s second in conference play, bringing it level with Tech. Miami also has games remaining against Maryland and Virginia, but losing either seems unlikely.
The Hokies would have one loss, but still have games at North Carolina and at Miami. They also must host Virginia. Losing to the Cavaliers doesn’t seem likely, but Virginia Teach stumbling on the road to the Tar Heels or the Hurricanes could happen.
So, despite Tech’s two losses within the conference, they can still defend their title. And, though it seems unlikely when considering how it played in the loss to Clemson, it’s not an unthinkable possibility either.
What say you? Do you think Tech can defeat either the Hokies or Hurricanes?
I think Tech has a better chance to win a shootout with the Hokies, because their defense’s front line is built more on speed than power, a la Clemon’s or Miami’s, or Iowa’s last year. But that’s just my opinion as of now. That’s also assuming that Tech has its special teams issues worked out.
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331 comments Add your comment
ItsOver
October 25th, 2010
11:56 am
Tech’s path to the ACC title game – Ticketmaster
RambleOn84
October 25th, 2010
11:57 am
The best we can realistically hope for is 7-5 and actually beating someone in a bowl game.
Even this seems like a stretch right now.
BE
October 25th, 2010
11:58 am
OK Rambleon84; keep living in your pipe dream. The Tech offense will consistently win 7-9 games per year. If you are OK with that, than enjoy. A good defense who has time to prepare for it will shut it down every time. For example, Iowa last year. Even UGA last year with a terrible DC was able to slow it down. Look who shut it down in 08 also; and this year. Hell, unranked Kansas and Clemson shut it down. If you cannot pass at all, then you won’t win. If you think differently, than you are confused
Cobb Jacket
October 25th, 2010
11:58 am
Rambleon, remember, the revisionist history you speak of comes from a fan base that believes they have the inside track on the NC every year.
BE
October 25th, 2010
11:59 am
Rambleon84; recruiting; you haven’t “signed” anyone yet; just verbal commitments.
RambleOn84
October 25th, 2010
11:59 am
Notice how no actual Tech FANS are delusional enough to think we still have a shot…only Dawg Roberson trying to get hits on his blog is writing this.
On the other hand, I have overheard UGA fans talking about an SEC CG appearance…yeah, beating Auburn will be a cakewalk.
RambleOn84
October 25th, 2010
12:06 pm
Yes, verbal commitments…you are correct. Just a technicality…
As for predicting that the Tech offense will “consistently win 7-9 games per year,” neither you nor I have any way to know this.
You make your prediction because you don’t like our team, but if you are wrong, will you be around to admit it?
The truth is, the offense you say can’t work won 9 games in its first year with players who were in no way designed to fit in it…those same guys won 11 the next year.
This year, we lost our biggest talents from last year and are just starting to get Johnson’s recruits in here. Many show promise (look at BJ Bostic for a clue of where this offense might go with really great fits), but they are also very inexperienced and have made a plethora of mistakes (Stephen Hill has double digit drops, which is really something considering the number of times he has been thrown to).
It is unfair to write off Johnson before he has experienced guys he recruited for his offense in here.
Next year will be a better indicator. If we are still struggling on offense, you might have a point. Too bad we will have to start off with a new QB. Although Nesbitt is not a perfect fit with the offense, he has been extremely tough.
BE
October 25th, 2010
12:06 pm
Rambleon84; and you are not delusional to think your offense will win championships? Don’t talk about ACC championships, because no one considers ACC champs – champs. ACC stands for the All Cupcake Conference and everyone knows it. How many BCS champions out of the ACC? That is right – ONE out of 3 appearances; SEC = 6 for 6
really?
October 25th, 2010
12:06 pm
This years team will struggle to close the season. Nesbitt is a world beater and idiot at the same time. If Nesbitt shows up they have a chance, but i think he will fade along with his Heisman campaign
Cobb Jacket
October 25th, 2010
12:08 pm
Rambleon, Tech and UGA have one thing in common. To get anywhere near the conference championships, the conferences have to suck. Difference is the mutts are all in a lather about the possibility, Tech not so much. Last years SEC game featured two undefeated teams, with the general consensus being the winner was pretty much the nc. This year, a 3 conference loss team is still in the hunt for the east. The dawgs seem to think that the SEC east is still an elite conference.
BE
October 25th, 2010
12:09 pm
Rambleon84; hey I respect your devotion to your team and good luck, but this is Johnson’s 3rd year; you cannot claim he doesn’t have “his” players yet. He is a good coach, but not great. Like I said before, if you are OK with that, than enjoy.
Monday lunch buffet « Get The Picture
October 25th, 2010
12:10 pm
[...] We’re not the only ones with crazy dreams about winning the division. [...]
RambleOn84
October 25th, 2010
12:11 pm
Keep bragging about your conference, BE…when your team sucks you’ve got to find something to be proud of.
timthebrave
October 25th, 2010
12:11 pm
GT had a tough time stopping the run and VT at night will be tough to win. They are going to need some turnovers in that game. I think they can beat Miami at home
BE
October 25th, 2010
12:13 pm
Cobb Jacket – most Mutt fans agree that the SEC east is not elite this year, but one year doesn’t take away the strength of the east. If you really think Florida, Tennessee, and UGA will not rise back up to be consistent top 10-15 programs, than you are clueless. Let’s talk in a couple of years win Tech is still fighting to get your 7 wins to extend your coach’s contract and one of the 3 I just mentioned is in the top 5 at the end of the season.
aztec
October 25th, 2010
12:14 pm
this is a joke right? the aztecs have a better chance of winning the mountain west than gt has of winning the acc
timthebrave
October 25th, 2010
12:14 pm
I think GT will lose 2 more. At VT and at UGA
BE
October 25th, 2010
12:14 pm
Not sure if you know who my team is; but I assume you mean UGA. If UGA sucks, than what does that say about Tech who lost to them last year and will lose this year. Beating UGA 1-2 times every 10 years must be satisfying.
RambleOn84
October 25th, 2010
12:16 pm
BE,
Johnson has had TWO full recruiting classes. His first year he got a late start as he was hired in December. By December most teams have at least half their class put together.
Given his propensity to redshirt first-year players, most of his recruits are this year either redshirt freshmen or currently being redshirted.
The only ones who are not are guys he couldn’t afford to redshirt due to depth (like Stephen Hill, though I wish he would take off an entire year and focus only on catching) or ones who are so good they had to get on the field immediately (like A-back BJ Bostic, who looks like he’s going to be great, and Isaiah Johnson, who has started several games at safety).
I’m not saying Johnson’s a great recruiter. But he has been better than Gailey…the big question is if his O-line recruits can get it done. The first batch will be redshirt sophomores next year, so we will see.
Cobb Jacket
October 25th, 2010
12:17 pm
BE, glad you are so proud of the SEC, how many of those BCS championships did UGA win? If I’m not mistaken, UGA has the same number as Kentucky, Ole Miss, Vandy, USC, MSU, Arkansas, etc. that’s real elite company you keep. Delusion is recognizing that your conference is the elite, but not recognizing that you are average within that conference.
RambleOn84
October 25th, 2010
12:19 pm
Tech also sucks right now; no one is denying this right now.
Johnson inherited a mess of a team (outside of a handful of really good players) down nine scholarships. Give him some time to put this team together.
We will never have the talent level of UGA or Clemson, but he has already proven he can level the playing field with inspired coaching WHEN HIS GUYS MAKE PLAYS.
This year our players have not made plays…that is the difference between this team and last year’s team.
Chase
October 25th, 2010
12:26 pm
Go Hokies!
UGA owns you tasty bees..
October 25th, 2010
12:31 pm
lol November is going to be a bad month for the maggots. How does it feel to know your team is going to be 2nd (maybe 3rd) best in state AGAIN? That is, until GSU gets a few more of Bill Curry’s type guys in there, then you’ll be the second best team in the CITY instead of state.. I bet GSU would hang 30 + points on your charmin ultra-soft defense THIS YEAR. Lucky you losers don’t play them..
MC
October 25th, 2010
12:32 pm
Doug they might can beat Duke. Forget the rest of them. And RambleOn84 I hate to break it to you pa but Chan Gailey’s guys were the playmakers and PJ will never see players like that again at GT.
VT Rules!!!
October 25th, 2010
12:34 pm
GO VT!!!! Charlotte here we come!!
Grohbo
October 25th, 2010
12:35 pm
It’s now a two game season.
Tech is undefeated within the Coastal division and can win it if CPJ stays with the option as the defense continues to improve.
Navy only threw two passes while dominating Notre Dame.
This should be a lesson for Tech.
VT & Miami are beatable, VT is green on defense and has not seen an option attack like Tech’s. Miami is an impatient team and does not take care of the football.
If Tech can show patience with the option, it can win these two and put it on cruise control into the showdown with FSU for the Orange Bowl.
UGA owns you tasty bees..
October 25th, 2010
12:36 pm
And five, maybe ten years from now, will the techies be saying “ahh we gotta give man-jugs time to bring in his own players”? the excuse is running out, next year will be a choke point, when the rest of the ACC blows you out of the water, and you fall to the level of Duke and Weak Forest. Then you all will be crying for man-jug’s job, then you will hire some other loser that comes in, posts eight wins one season with “master recruiter man jug’s” boys, then you all will exclaim “let _____ get his players in!!!” Seems like a lot of years of football wasted up at the yellow-bellied eng. school in downtown..
E. Ducette
October 25th, 2010
12:36 pm
All you Paul Johnson apologists are funny as hell. You think this year is bad. Next year will be a total disaster.
Update
October 25th, 2010
12:38 pm
How does Nesbitt get back in Heisman chase?
Todd Grantham
October 25th, 2010
12:39 pm
UGA owns you tasty bees.. – “you fall to the level of Duke and Weak Forest.”
… sort of like the UGA Dawgs in the SEC… how does it feel to be a doormat? Shut your pie hole and worry about the Dawgs getting to the SEC championship, something the pups haven’t done in a long time.
Cobb Jacket
October 25th, 2010
12:39 pm
Tasty,
This must be a confusing time for you. Generally, this is the week you guys are getting ready to blow your entire season with an epic loss to Florida. But being the overachievers that you guys are, you went ahead and got that out of the way early this year. I love the fact that you guys may actually have an opportunity to beat Florida and it means absolutely nothing because you found a way to lose 3 SEC games before the leaves changed. But again, since the sec east sucks this year, you guys actually have a chance to win it. Not to worry, I have faith that you guys will still lose in Jacksonville, some traditions still hold.
Cobb Jacket
October 25th, 2010
12:41 pm
Update, the same way the dawgs get back in the SEC chase. Everyone else must suck. Wait, that is actually happening in the SEC right now. Elite college football conference my ass!!!!!
Doug Edwards
October 25th, 2010
12:41 pm
The offensive talent at Tech is not going to get better. The top teams in the ACC all have better talent and every single one of them are better at stopping the TO. GT is second tier in the ACC now and won’t get anywhere close to Miami, FSU, VT, or the Clemsons of the world.
Todd Grantham
October 25th, 2010
12:43 pm
superDawg – “Who is going to be the tallest midget?”
… that would be Aaron Murray, or did you forget?
dawgfan
October 25th, 2010
12:46 pm
There’s nothing dumber than a Georgia Bulldog fan.
SST
October 25th, 2010
12:46 pm
Are you refering to that conference that beats the hell out of your candy azz teams with alarming frequency huh Cobb Jacket. Your IQ can’t be more than a bottle of cheap wine. How many fingers does it take to count wins by ACC teams in BCS bowls Einstein?
UGA owns you tasty bees..
October 25th, 2010
12:48 pm
We don’t need to win the SEC East. We have already won the Fulmer Cup, which is far more prestigious than any SEC Championship.
RambleOn84
October 25th, 2010
12:48 pm
Hey, all you guys who already know that Tech will never get better talent:
Can you look in your crystal ball and tell me the winning lottery numbers for this week?
Don’t use the numbers to win for yourselves because you know you will just waste all that money on Dawg collectible plates at Wal-Mart.
superDawg
October 25th, 2010
12:48 pm
Like I said Aaron Murray plays tall and you will see on nov 27.NUFF SAID!
Todd Grantham
October 25th, 2010
12:50 pm
SST – ” How many fingers does it take to count wins by ACC teams in BCS bowls Einstein?”
…how many points do you get if you make a 3-point shot? SST, pot meet kettle you moron.
Cobb Jacket
October 25th, 2010
12:51 pm
SST,
Never disputed that, just pointing out that UGA has more in common with the bottom half of that conference than with the elite. Show us your IQ by counting the number of BCS titles that UGA has. I’ll give you a head start, six is the total by the SEC, and UGA has less than six. Take your time and get back to us.
Walter Hill
October 25th, 2010
12:52 pm
I guess that being the case Cobb Jacket you might as well go ahead and get ready for that ass kicking that you endure around Thanksgiving every year. This year stands to get really ugly for GT against UGA. How does it feel knowing that a UGA team that could show up with a losing record is still by far a superior team to GT. That really does suck doesn’t it Cobb Jacket? And we know another tradition that still holds too. GT’s pitiful record against UGA.
Todd Grantham
October 25th, 2010
12:52 pm
superDawg – “Like I said Aaron Murray plays tall and you will see on nov 27″
…Murray is still a midget, and most of you Dawg fans (like superdumbDawg) on a Tech blog are simply mental midgets.
AMG
October 25th, 2010
12:52 pm
I have said it all year long, Tech has no chance to win as a passing team. Tech needs to be a run always pass only to suprise the heck out of you football team. In 2008 we averaged 3 passes a game. In 2009 that shot all the way up to 6. No reason to change that. I will admit most of the passing problems are the receivers can not seem to catch. I will admit that most defenses are adjusting there safty for the option, but still we need to get back to running. The problem with that is two of our best OL guys play for Georgia State this year.
Todd Grantham
October 25th, 2010
12:53 pm
Walter Hill – “How does it feel knowing that a UGA team that could show up with a losing record”
… that’s right, the Dawg football team sucks. Thanks for clearing that up for us.
GT Sambo
October 25th, 2010
12:55 pm
Our chances of making the title game seem pretty remote. Reminds me of the line from Dumb and Dumber. What are my chances, 1 in a 100? More like 1 in a million. So you’re sayin there’s a chance!
UGA owns you tasty bees..
October 25th, 2010
12:56 pm
I like most Dawgs feel that we can run the table, beat the SEC West champion and go to the BCS National Championship. The way we’re playing and the fact that we are the mighty Dawgs nothing is impossible. In fact, most Dawg fans feel the way I do that it is highly likely that Athens will own the Crystal Football this year.
Cobb Jacket
October 25th, 2010
12:56 pm
Enter your comments here
AMG
October 25th, 2010
12:56 pm
I say work with the best guys. Who here agrees with starting A backs of Orwin Smith and BJ Bostic. Why do we not give those two or ant the ball every play? Orwin Smith can even catch, so can ant so . . . .
db
October 25th, 2010
12:57 pm
Get Real. Have you seen them play lately? At this point any bowl would be good. And I’m a GT fan!