Tech to play Virginia Tech on Labor Day
Georgia Tech will open the season at Virginia Tech on Labor Day night, according to a person familiar with the ACC’s scheduling.
The schools and the league had been in discussions trying to organize the game, which will have a national ESPN platform at a time slot with little competition.
The game is a break from Tech’s scheduling pattern, in which the Jackets have opened at home against an FCS-level opponent in each of Paul Johnson’s four seasons. Tech associate athletic director Wayne Hogan had previously indicated concern about playing such a meaningful game in the opener. The winner of the Yellow Jackets-Hokies game has gone on to represent the Coastal Division in the ACC championship game all seven years since the league split into two divisions.
However, the opportunity for national exposure is a considerable temptation. Virginia Tech almost certainly will be ranked in the top 25 in the preseason and Tech could be as well. The ACC is scheduled to release the league schedule by mid-February.
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112 comments Add your comment
hokie
January 26th, 2012
5:23 pm
Opening with a gimme game against A GT team who’s talent goes down each year.
Technically Correct
January 26th, 2012
5:23 pm
Since all it takes to beat our ground-oriented offense is 7+ days of preparation by a talented defense, dare we dream that ours will not be the same ground-oriented offense on Labor Day 2012 as we saw in 2011? Maybe CPJ changes to TO-Lite. Maybe CPJ comes up with a more balanced attack between running and passing, one that penalizes defenses that stack against the run. Pinch me quick…
GTPhenom
January 26th, 2012
5:24 pm
big gt fan, you don’t know that. Washington can’t make the defense play well. He’s had his ups and downs, but if he gets just a bit of help from the receivers he’ll play fine. I’m more than willing to let the coaches, who know a helluva lot more than any of us do about who the starting QB should be make the decisions. If they decide Vad Lee is the way to go, I’m going to be excited. If they decide TW is the way to go, I’m going to be equally excited. Entire O-Line coming back, young, hungry receivers just waiting for their chance to stand out, impact running backs, and either an immensely talented young QB, or a wily, veteran QB. Sounds good to me no matter what.
GTPhenom
January 26th, 2012
5:27 pm
Technically Correct, last I checked he did that many times last year. He can’t make the receivers catch the ball. It’s funny, the main reason we lost a lot of the games that we lost was because our “ground-oriented offense,” decided to get WAY too pass happy. It happened against Miami (first play was an INT), it happened against Maryland, it happened against UVA. An occassional shotgun package is fine by me. But there is no reason to get pass happy and screw ourselves over. I’m quite fine with the elite ground game we’ve pumped out for the past four years. Get some EFFICIENT passing along with that and we are damn near impossible to stop
Smyrna Gold
January 26th, 2012
5:40 pm
I never have understood this “the tv exposure will help GT”. GT has a lot of TV exposure and the program is still in a tail spin. The fact is, the GT football program is a lot worse than 5 years ago with CPJ and his triple option, poor defense, pathetic special teams, and recruiting that is suspect. It an embarassment for GT to play on TV, ala UVA, UGA, VA TECH, Air force, Idaho, Maryland, et al.
Beamer will take CPJ to the woodshed with this much time to prepare.
Really?
January 26th, 2012
5:40 pm
At least the trade school will get hammered early and there will be no false expectations for the bug boys. Everyone knows what happens when there is more than a week to prepare for coach hypocrites high school offense. The bugs get squashed.
Go Jackets!
January 26th, 2012
5:41 pm
57th?
Go Jackets!
January 26th, 2012
5:43 pm
It should be a good game.
Go Jackets!
January 26th, 2012
5:45 pm
One troll, so many screen names
Southern Man
January 26th, 2012
5:45 pm
Vad Lee will not start for GT. Get over it.
crackbaby
January 26th, 2012
5:46 pm
Ken,
Will this game count on the schedule as VT home game? Or will the 2013 game be at VT b/c this is a “neutral site”?
If Jackets get to keep their 2013 home game, this is a positive development. I hear the talk of time to prepare, but I’d rather play Logan Thomas early in the season. That kid could be a special QB.
SansWorld
January 26th, 2012
5:48 pm
Smyrna Gold
GT has 34 wins in the last 4 years. Chan never won like that. George O’Liery is the only other coach since Bobby Dodd to do it.
crackbaby
January 26th, 2012
5:48 pm
BTW – Beamer’s coaching errors cost VT the Sugar Bowl. He is slipping.
Mitt Santorum
January 26th, 2012
6:03 pm
Designer Jacket
My point was that VT will have significantly more time available to devote to GT’s offense than they would if they game were in the middle of the season with a week to prepare. They probably won’t be able to spend quite as much time as they would prepping for a bowl game, but given how much the matchup typically means in the Coastal Division race, I’m sure they’ll do what they deem appropriate. If VT ends up having 9/8 off, that’ll work even more to VT’s advantage. We can nitpick over the exact amount they should/will spend on GT specific prep, but my original point stands.
PJs last stand
January 26th, 2012
7:00 pm
Sans World, The ACC was a better conference when Chan was at tech. Plus tech didn’t play Jax State or W. Carolina every year. Chan won Bowl games and developed talent. PJ beats cupcakes , as witnessed by last years 5 wins over teams with only 10 wins among them. #71 ranked schedule. many many teams would win 8 games with the tech schedule.Maryland 2 wins, W. Carolina 1 win, M Tenn 2 wins, Duke 3 wins, Kansas 2 wins. Maryland and Duke last place in their divisions, M Tenn last place in Sunbelt , Kansas last place in Big 12. NC State was injury riddled when tech beat them or that would have been a loss. Pj driving the Ramblin wreck straight to hell and GT fans cheer him on.
DawginSewer
January 26th, 2012
7:13 pm
We`s likes to watch, if Ms. Richt buys us a telivision ands runs a lines fromes his castles to de sewere.
Ruffs ruffs. Go Dwags
chas_jacket
January 26th, 2012
7:46 pm
Question about the issue of whether or not it would count as a home game for VT – Are we looking at a venue other than Lane stadium? Overall I think it’s a positive playing a tough game early on – no problem getting focused during Spring/Summer. We have an experienced offense and CPJ can throw in some wrinkles over the summer. I think Washington will be the starter but Vad and Justin Thomas (JT) will get playing time in some capacity – probably special formations/plays. Don’t think we will see JT redshirt – just can’t keep someone with 4.23 speed off the field. It’s also better playing in Blacksburg early September rather than November due to weather. Love to see us start with 2012 with a big win – go GT!
Go Jackets!
January 26th, 2012
8:15 pm
Post at 7:13 pm, what does that mean?
Nevermind!
CPJ
January 26th, 2012
8:38 pm
choke the chokies!!!!!! hahaha
sports
January 26th, 2012
9:02 pm
the yellow blowflys will get it handed to them early…SWEET.
dustin bailey
January 26th, 2012
9:19 pm
the hokies only lose 2 starters on the defensive side of the ball and on offense they will be even better with logan thomas only gonna get better
1 4 GT
January 26th, 2012
9:25 pm
Mark it down. GT wins this one. I don’t care what you nattering nabobs of negativity say. Good grief fellas, if you support GT, then sound like it, type like it, write like it, walk like it, act like it & talk like it or shut the stuff up and go away. SHHHHHHEEEEEESSSSSS!!!! GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO JACKETS THWG
Dawglasville
January 26th, 2012
9:47 pm
This is a no lose game for Tech. Great exposure. Great hype. Big build up all summer. Should be fun.
chas_jacket
January 26th, 2012
9:49 pm
Agree with 1 4 GT, think we will win. The hokie offense is always slow starting and they are losing a lot of starters – Logan can’t do it all. Think that Tevin will get better with another year under his belt. And if not, we will have more depth at QB then ever before.
Ed
January 26th, 2012
10:15 pm
This is almost 9 months from now. Why make it the top story? Slow sports day?
Tech Fan Since 1950
January 26th, 2012
10:23 pm
Sounds like a Hokie loss to me. Think I’ll start celebrating now. Yes, talk is cheap, but Novembers in the cow pastures of the Virginia foothills are just too cold and rainy. Labor Day sounds like a nice time of the year to me. Go Jackets!
OkieDawg
January 26th, 2012
10:33 pm
I’m pulling for the GT vs VT game. I’m all for GT losing early and often. The Tech players will be extremely nervous playing in Lane stadium before 65,000 fans. Coach Fish Fry can’t outcoach the Beamer.
Ken Sugiura
January 26th, 2012
11:02 pm
it’s my understanding the game will be in blacksburg.
Alan
January 26th, 2012
11:08 pm
The defense you talk about that played Gah Tech in Nov had (I think) 5 starters missing, and we still beat you guys! We have 9 starters returning (obviously including those that were injured), so I am MORE THAN CONFIDENT that we’ll shut you butterflies down. Keep talking the smack that we can’t stop you, but last time I checked, you guys rode the LT3 train on 3rd down conversions LOL!
Go Jackets!
January 26th, 2012
11:10 pm
The GT players might be anxious, but I doubt nervous. Not even in Lane Stadium before the Hokie faithful. I like the early match up.
William Casey
January 26th, 2012
11:26 pm
I like the idea of GT playing on Labor Day. The Jackets have little to lose since few unbiased observers will expect GT to win in Blacksburg anyway. VT hasn’t seemed to play well recently in the early season. For all you “Foster will have all preseason to prepare” guys, it also gives CPJ the opportunity to put in a few surprises of his own. A “Days” package of old-school wishbone. A “Lee” package out of the shotgun. Who knows! Personally, I don’t fear VT nearly as much as Miami. Yeah, we’re only 1-3 vs. VT under CPJ but could easily be 3-1. This is exciting news for the Jackets and a good barometer.
Alan
January 26th, 2012
11:41 pm
“Yeah, we’re only 1-3 vs. VT under CPJ but could easily be 3-1.”
LOL — yeah, we could easily be 14-0 as we could have been 11-3. Should’ve could’ve would’ve. Guess you guys are the team that chokes more.
HokieHero
January 27th, 2012
7:33 am
I think this has benefits for both teams. VT’s defense has always had trouble with GT in large part because Bud has had to change is scheme 3/4 of the way through the season. GT has always struggled with VT because VT has hit their stride by the time November comes around and the offense can generally help out the defense by that point in the season. I haven’t looked at GTs defensive unit. If they have a strong DL returning then I’d say the match up favors them because VTs O-Line will need a few games to gel after replacing so many starters. Otherwise I think its advantage VT because they’re returning so many starters on D, won’t be banged up, and will have time to prepare. VT’s DL will be a major strength for them this year, which is a key to stopping GT’s offense. Should be an interesting game, I wouldn’t dare make a prediction when its 7 months away.
Tokyo jacket
January 27th, 2012
7:38 am
I love it. You can’t simulate the spread option in practice, Tech is generally pretty good at the start of the season, and VT won’t have even played a full speed oponent when they face GT.
Add to that that VT will be a top-15 team to start the year and they will have lost most of their offensive line and RBs and this one looks like a win-win for GT. If we lose, we get a tough game out of the way early, but it looks like it favors GT.
Tokyo jacket
January 27th, 2012
7:47 am
Oh yeah, the other thing this does is add a cupcake in the middle of the season which is great when you’re banged up. We have really hit a wall the last two seasons because of the strength of schedule in the mid/late season we’re out of gas. Nice to play a MTSU or Lower Southwestern Arkansas Tech in late October or early November.
Road Scholar
January 27th, 2012
8:27 am
As long as we don’t lose our normal Thursday night game!
Tokyo jacket
January 27th, 2012
8:44 am
I’d expect a Thursday night game with Miami to replace our game w/ VT.
Egg_guy
January 27th, 2012
9:25 am
PLEASE……get Vad Lee ready for this game! No more TW…..too many da passes to the wrong team. Good kid, I’m sure, but we got to have a better QB to make the offense a “TRIPLE” option!
Jim 70
January 27th, 2012
9:53 am
the best time to beat a better team is the first game, so we have a chance there. however, vt has extra time to prepare and in the past with bowl games and playing teams which have had a previous week bye, gt has not fared well.
i would like to see vad play qb, but worried about the first game with the jitters and ball handling. maybe tevin would be a better qb for this game and inserting vad in the next couple with weaker (hopefully!) competition.
GssiT
January 27th, 2012
9:57 am
The most important divisional game of the season and we’re going to start the season with it? And the reason is—national exposure. We are GEORGIA TECH- THE GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY-GEORGIA TECH. Get it? Obviously, the inmates have taken over the asylum. DRAD and his staff need to go to work for CPJ, his staff, and the team. BYU/GT Labor Day Night This would be NATIONAL exposure. C’mon DRAD, you’re being duped! Go, Jackets!
juvenal
January 27th, 2012
10:23 am
Super, you going? guess i’ll get a ticket, have friends that tailgate there…….
reebok
January 27th, 2012
10:53 am
Gutsy move…high-risk & high reward. The winner has effectively a 2-game lead in the ACC Coastal…the loser will be chasing the schedule the rest of the season. I don’t see how our offense can be ready to go full speed at a Div-1 team without a tune-up game, but hopefully CPJ will have them ready to go.
reebok
January 27th, 2012
10:55 am
We match up very well against VT, the last 4-5 games all could have gone either way. I just can’t figure out why we keep getting our clocks cleaned by Miami.
Hokie Witch -Atlanta
January 27th, 2012
1:06 pm
We are definitely worried about playing such a meaningful game this early.
Hokie Pokie
January 27th, 2012
1:25 pm
Should be a good game, but GT will not face the same defense it faced in 2011. VT played without several starters because of injuries at defensive tackle, inside linebacker, outside linebacker and defensive end. Looking forward to an early season showdown.
crackbaby
January 27th, 2012
1:50 pm
Thank you, Ken. My bad.
My error thinking this would be played at the Dome as one of the season kickoff games. Would have been nice but VT understandably would not sacrifice a home game.
Hope Lee Corso doesn’t show up and bring lighting…. LOL
r2who
January 27th, 2012
2:34 pm
Great idea. Two respected teams in the ACC starting right out of the gate. ADs got it right this time. GO HOKIES!
go GT
January 27th, 2012
8:24 pm
Time to se what CPJ if really made out of
A storm is coming...
January 27th, 2012
8:56 pm
Tech by 14 plus…Vad becomes the man!
Born2Buzz
January 27th, 2012
9:00 pm
This is good news. I might even go up to see the game. Although the last time I went to see us play VT in the season opener the game never happened. What a surreal event that was.
On another subject, Ken, what’s up with the AJC headline writers. First is your article about recruiting – “Tech Class lacks Splash” . That was totally misleading from the actual article. But the the other one “Tech Recruit Headed to Auburn” was even more misleading. I take it the headline writer was a UGA grad just trying to gives us Techies a hard time.