Miami self-imposes, Tech headed to ACC title game
It took a second-half resurgence, the fallout of a booster gone wild and Virginia Tech’s worst season since 1992, but Georgia Tech is going to the ACC championship game.
A day after most expected the decision to be made public, Miami announced Monday morning that it will self-impose a postseason bowl ban in anticipation of NCAA sanctions in the wake of an investigation into allegations that Hurricanes booster Nevin Shapiro provided players with thousands of impermissible benefits with the knowledge of coaches. The ACC does not allow bowl-ineligible teams to compete for the ACC championship. As a result, Tech will play Florida State for its third ACC title Dec. 1 in Charlotte. Kickoff will either be 7:45 or 8 p.m., depending on the broadcast outlet, either ABC or ESPN.
The Yellow Jackets’ 42-24 win over Duke Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium turned out to be the clincher. Tech’s 5-3 league record cannot be matched by any bowl-eligible team in the Coastal Division.
It is a stunning turn of events. Oct. 6, Tech fell to 2-4 overall and 1-3 in the ACC with its third consecutive loss, to Clemson by a 47-31 score. It was the third consecutive game in which the Jackets had allowed 40-plus points, a first in the team’s history. The dismissal of defensive coordinator Al Groh followed two days later.
With division losses at that point already to the Hokies and Hurricanes, Tech’s shot at Charlotte was still mathematically alive, but that seemed about it. For Tech to reach the ACC title game would likely require Virginia Tech to lose four conference games, something the Hokies hadn’t done since joining the ACC in 2004. It would seem to have also required the Hurricanes, whose possible bowl ban had yet to surface, to do likewise.
The Hokies lost to North Carolina to drop to 1-1 that day, and then after beating Duke Oct. 13, lost three consecutive games to drop to 2-4 in the league to give the Yellow Jackets a second chance. Virginia Tech has not had a three-game since 2002. Tech has since remained perfect in the league, defeating Boston College, Maryland, North Carolina and Duke with a loss to BYU mixed in.
It is coach Paul Johnson’s second appearance in the ACC title game in his five years at Tech. Were the Jackets to defeat Florida State – Tech will almost certainly be a heavy underdog to the 10-1 Seminoles – Johnson would become the only coach in school history to win two ACC titles. (The first, in 2009, was vacated by the NCAA as a result of impermissible benefits violations.)
The news sets up an interesting week in the state of Georgia. For the first time, both Georgia and Tech will be playing in their respective conference championship games in the same season. While the game carries heavy meaning, both teams will be playing for more in a week’s time. The Bulldogs may be playing for a spot in the national championship game. Tech will have a spot in the Orange Bowl on the line, a remarkable prize for a season that started so auspiciously.
Johnson may have to make a decision on A-back Orwin Smith, who suffered an ankle injury in the second half of Saturday’s game. After the game, Johnson said he didn’t know if Smith would be available for the Georgia game.
The Tech ticket office will likely make information available soon. Tickets are also available at the ACC’s championship game site here.
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485 comments Add your comment
White&Gold
November 19th, 2012
12:04 pm
UGA Lover, watch this weekend when Florida and South Carolina get beat by FSU and Clemson. Then it’ll finally be exposed to the rest of the nation how weak the SEC East is. Frankly, I thought people would get the message when the three top teams from the East struggled with FCS teams. LOL
sean jones
November 19th, 2012
12:07 pm
@Killer Dog
my point is who cares!!! Everybody knows BAMA will destroy UGA. Have fun in the Uh-Oh dome!! Dont get drunk bc a bama fan will tea-bag you
UGA Lover
November 19th, 2012
12:07 pm
I’m not concerned about Fl and SC. They couldn’t get THEIR Jobs done this season so far. We are sitting @ no. 3 with 2 wins needed to go to Nat’l Champ Game.
sean jones
November 19th, 2012
12:10 pm
@UGA lover
if you wud have played the schedule SC did—-u wouldnt even be in the picture. Do you really think yall can beat BAMA?? UGA fans are stupid!
Rick James
November 19th, 2012
12:10 pm
@Rhettt
@Rick James – Tech got a gift. I don’t remember reading anywhere Tech had anything to do with improper gifts from a Hurricane fan to Miami players. Please correct me if I am wrong. Miami broke the rules by not running a proper program. Don’t think Tech had anything to do with Miami’s lack of supervising Miami’s program.
———————————————————————————————————————–
Come on Rhett dont pretend to be stupid..Tech benefited from Miami’s wrongs..6-6 and playing in the ACC championship can only result from a gift,a weak conference or both..I’m sure you will be one of the 50 Tech fans attending the game in Charlotte
Killer Dog
November 19th, 2012
12:12 pm
Have fun in the Orange Bowl Sean Jones. I’ll send you a post card from the National Championship Game a few days later. Hell, I’ll even throw in an UGA nat’l champ t-shirt. What size you wear?
Rational One
November 19th, 2012
12:15 pm
GTech is going to wish it never went to this game. FSU is going to rail them.
Munsondawg
November 19th, 2012
12:18 pm
Sean,
Why the bitterness saying UGA fans are stupid? You and the Tech77 poster are off base. The fact is GA is in a position to win it all. If you GA Tech fans truly despise that, well, so be it… I do root for your basketball and baseball teams.
Duke Dad
November 19th, 2012
12:20 pm
UGA and FSU will win handily. Tech fans MAY end up in Boise for a bowl game. And that would be with a losing record.
Rational One
November 19th, 2012
12:21 pm
UGA fans are discounting that the next 2wks have some of their hardest games this year. Florida, their lone quality win, is not a great team and will be shown as such. The SEC, this year, is a huge misnomer. Besides Alabama, no other team in SEC is really deserving to be top 10. LSU (with 2 losses) being there is an absolute joke. UGA fans, these next two weeks will not be Tennessee and Kentucky games (with which you struggled). You, quite simply, are not a great team. But, please continue your laughable self-gratification tour. Your ability to eat crow will be scrutinized later.
beanster
November 19th, 2012
12:24 pm
Congrats Techies. If anything, this weekend’s game will be more interesting since each team has bigger fish to fry (sorry, couldn’t help it) the following week. Here’s hoping for a good, clean, hate-filled contest where neither team loses anyone to injury.
Wolfpack Backer
November 19th, 2012
12:26 pm
GA Tech gets thrown a bone (no pun intended) and all they (Tech Fans) can focus on is the Georgia Bulldogs and the possibility that the Dogs may be going to the championship game 1/7/13. You would think Tech fans would be chirping about ACC game instead.
Paul Johnson For President
November 19th, 2012
12:29 pm
Rational One,
What is the other hardest game GA will face in the next 2 weeks besides Bama? Just curious.
UGA = Yawn
November 19th, 2012
12:30 pm
Duke dad – so you went to UGA but your kid goes to Duke? Just trying to clarify. You are not as bright as your kid. GT will NOT be going to Boise because, at worst, we are the #3 ACC team. Which, by the way, goes to a very good bowl game. Sorry bout your luck and we plan to beat your team (UGA) Saturday! Can’t wait to see Johnsone give you guys the fist again!!!
UGA = Yawn
November 19th, 2012
12:31 pm
Wolfack Backer – first things first. The UGA game is this Saturday and is the only game important to GT at this time.
Rick James
November 19th, 2012
12:32 pm
There is a real possibility that Georgia’s offense could score 50 points on Tech’s defense,yet it is highly unlikely that Tech offense will score 51 points on Georgia’s defense..
Destin Gator
November 19th, 2012
12:32 pm
To Rational,
Calling Fl a team that is not great is just silly. We are 4th in BCS. All you Tech fans can suck it. I hate GA, but they will friggin Destroy your asses.
Just Saying
November 19th, 2012
12:32 pm
did GT have the better talent in 08? Think not with Stafford and No Show…not to mention UGA was preranked number 1 that year. I remember a freshman named Roddy Jones out ran all of them
Duke Dad
November 19th, 2012
12:35 pm
UGA Yawn,
I went to Virginia many years ago. I live in Atl. now. Yes, my child goes to Duke. I watch both GA and GA Tech. By the looks of things, GA will beat your team pretty good. Have fun at #3 ACC bowl slot.
Al Grogh
November 19th, 2012
12:36 pm
Rats!
beanster
November 19th, 2012
12:36 pm
@ Just Saying — The difference is that UGA still has something to play for this year. Not true in 2008.
May the best team win this Saturday.
Jacket Detective
November 19th, 2012
12:37 pm
@Duke Dad.
Sour grapes much.
Cardinals slipped into basball playoffs two years in a row and were a better playing team than those who won their divisions, going on a roll and winning one WS and nearly getting into a 2nd.
Tech is a better team than our record shows and we may well give all future foes a decent game.
Our drawback was refuse to blitz D coor Al Groh who cost us both the VT and Miami games.
Get a life those who want to put us down.
11 out of 12
November 19th, 2012
12:37 pm
Cant wait to rip the wings off a little bee this weekend.
SNOWBALL's CHANCE
November 19th, 2012
12:38 pm
we should self impose a ACC title game ban as well. what an embarrassment; especially after the shutout the mutts will put on us.
Whiskey Breath
November 19th, 2012
12:39 pm
Look Tech, right when I think Tech can’t get any lower, this doesn’t look good.
First of all what does it say about the ACC that you would get in the title game?
If you had any shame, you would tell them no thanks. Benefiting off Miami,
how bush league are you guys?
Jacket Detective
November 19th, 2012
12:40 pm
@Duke Dad.
Oh Virginia are your true colors?
Well that explains things even better, doesn’t it?
Didn’t like the beatdown u got in September and hoping for others to do what u can’t.
Jacket Detective
November 19th, 2012
12:41 pm
We got in fair and square.
Other schools should not cheat.
Spider29
November 19th, 2012
12:42 pm
Congrats to Tech for making it to the ACC championship game. I will be pulling for my Bulldogs to beat them on Saturday but will be cheering for the Jackets on December 1.
Tech 54
November 19th, 2012
12:43 pm
Tech’s 5-3 league record cannot be matched by any bowl-eligible team in the Coastal Division.
There’s your sign…
GT going to the conference championship, when considering our record of not beating a single ranked team, does not bode well for the ACC. Our conference is statistically weak when one takes note that against Top 25 opponents the ACC has posted only 2 wins against 23 losses, without a single win by a Coastal division school.
We have given up 326 points so far and still have to face Georgia.
We have already allowed five opponents to hang 40 or more points on us.
We have a chance against UGA, but slim; no chance against FSU; and we don’t deserve the gift.
Duke Dad
November 19th, 2012
12:46 pm
@Jacket Detective,
Yeah. That’s the ticket. You hit the nail on the head. You are the man! Virginia lost. Wow. Normally I think the Virginia-GA Tech series goes back and forth. If you think tech is a better team than the record shows, good. GA is a much better team all around than Tech. JMO. I’ll be here next week posting no matter what. We will see about you.
Jacket Detective
November 19th, 2012
12:48 pm
@Tech 54
We are playing better now and can give Uga and FSU a game.
Either way, we would be crazy to turn down this gift or be embarrassed about getting it.
I look forward to the trip as I have lived in Charlotte for short periods for business and liked it some.
Who gave Baylor a chance against K State last week?
Or Stanford against Oregon.
Could go on and on with examples.
Slide Rulers Are Great
November 19th, 2012
12:49 pm
To Jacket Detective: If you are proud of 6-5, you need therapy. Maybe you like mediocrity, but this Tech fan doesn’t.
Jacket Detective
November 19th, 2012
12:50 pm
Since u can’t get revenge with your own team or teams.
Why use a Duke handle to hide behind in the 1st place?
Rational One
November 19th, 2012
12:51 pm
@Destin Gator:
Name one team in history of BCS ranked 118th in passing offense that finished in top 5 or even Top 10?
Bet you can’t do it.
The BCS has been proven wrong TIME and TIME again. If this system justifies your stance, then you will use it. If it doesn’t justify your stance then you detract from it. The fact remains that the BCS is NOT an accurate portrayal of the CFB rankings. Did you happen to watch any football this past weekend? It was proven wrong just 2 days ago. The SEC has a self-fulfilling prophecy. You can objectively see that the SEC (besides Bama) is not the utopia of football it appeared in the past few years. If you can’t see that, there is no reason for rational discussion.
Consider this...
November 19th, 2012
12:52 pm
@ Bad Dawg, Bad Dawg
“Consider this…..Consider this: Since UGA’s only national championship 32 YEARS BACK…Bama has won 4, LSU 2, Gators 2, Auburn 1, Vols 1 and Tech 1. Now mind you that means Bama has 14 total, LSU has 3, Gator have 3, Auburn has 2, Vols 6 and Tech 4. UGA 1 and only 1 and you’re an elite program in the SEC. I think the elites are listed above. Numbers don’t lie, people do.”
You’re a moron. UGA has been credited with 2 National Championships by consensus (1942 and 1980). And it is a “what have you done for me lately world.” And lately, Mark Richt has won at least a share of the the SEC East championship in 6 of 12 years and taken UGA to the SEC championship game 4 of those years. In that span, UGA has won 2 SEC championships and finished in the final top 10 rankings for 5 or 6 of those years, depending on which polls you look at. This season will mark a 6th or 7th finish in the final top 10 rankings in a 12-year span. To expand those numbers a little more, UGA has finished in the top 25 in 10 of the past 12 seasons.
THAT is why UGA is considered to be in the upper echelon of college football. I don’t hear anyone calling UGA elite though…the Dawgs have to win another National Championship to earn that. You, however, have left me laughing with your inclusion of Tech, Tennessee and Auburn as your elite teams…especially Tech. 10 of 11 and soon to be 11 of 12…Go Dawgs! We are Dawgs always, but we are also exterminators every 12th game of season.
Duke Dad
November 19th, 2012
12:54 pm
Jacket Detective,
Revenge? (chuckle) Whatever. I’ll try this again. My kid is at Duke. Hell, I root for them too right now since my money goes there. Hence, the name on these posts. For a detective, you are not that bright son.
GTBOB
November 19th, 2012
12:54 pm
Can we still get 4 cokes and 4 hotdogs with those chamionship tickets? Got to or no one will sshow!
Buzz
November 19th, 2012
12:54 pm
And like the other good fellows I drink my whiskey clear… and lots of it especially after we beat UGA, Go Jackets!!
Enochs
November 19th, 2012
12:54 pm
We can most certainly do it! I mean beat both FSU & UGA! Go Jackets!
Jacket Detective
November 19th, 2012
12:57 pm
Our NY transplants who were Mets fans and lost to the Braves in 2000 then pulled for the Yankees to do what they couldn’t.
A number of weak sister ACC fans doing that today.
Pathetic.
Win your own fights.
Don’t run to big brother to do it.
Jacket Detective
November 19th, 2012
12:59 pm
@Duke dad.
Get a life.
What are you doing on a Tech blog but making a jerk of yourself.
Rational One
November 19th, 2012
12:59 pm
I wet my pants when Tech beat Duke and now I feel so good going against Georgia!
Jacket Detective
November 19th, 2012
1:00 pm
Fans of other teams.
Seriously.
What are you doing here?
Nothing better going on in your life.
Think about it.
Mark Richt
November 19th, 2012
1:00 pm
Rational One is correct: the gators are overrated. Their defense is solid, but they aren’t elite.
UGA has a mountain to climb to beat Alabama. GTech has no defense, so they are cake. Their undersized OL will be no match for Jarvis and Co.
No ID Required
November 19th, 2012
1:00 pm
I would call Tech a weak sister of the ACC also. Hell, somebody had to be put in that spot for a beat down though. FSU rocks.
Jacket Detective
November 19th, 2012
1:02 pm
I guess I could find ACC blogs to post trash on whenever something bad happens to another school.
Or knock an accomplishment.
Would I feel better?
I doubt it.
No ID Required
November 19th, 2012
1:03 pm
Rational One.
First GA and then FSU. They both are going to make biatches out of Tech. LMAO!!!
Jacket Detective
November 19th, 2012
1:03 pm
Baylor 52 K State 24.
All the experts on here would not have predicted that either.
hit a single
November 19th, 2012
1:04 pm
Little off the subject but Ga. State would be smart to hire Derek Dooley. Lousianna Tech is a better program because of Coach Dooley and people will say the same thing as time passes about Tenn. Oh I just hope UGA can slow that high school offense down. They are hot!
Buzzy Bee
November 19th, 2012
1:04 pm
Come on jacket detective, PUMP up this board. Hell, our fans dont come to the games. We need someone rooting for us.