
The Jackets need to wait another year for a BCS title shot, but not for bragging rights.
Welcome to Opportunity Night.
Georgia Tech’s ability to become a national program is dependent in part on the ACC’s ability to develop elite teams and elevate itself significantly higher than it has been this season. But the Yellow Jackets never will have a better opportunity to take hold of their local rivalry.
Georgia fans don’t want to hear that. They view the Jackets’ 45-42 win last season and their ensuing hedge assault in Athens as some sort of aberration. All evidence is to the contrary.
This season has confirmed what we suspected last season: Tech is a program on the rise and Georgia is the one sliding. The Jackets are scrambling to keep their head coach, Paul Johnson. Mark Richt is not in trouble at Georgia but is expected to make changes to his staff.
Even if Tech had beaten Miami earlier this season and was entering tonight’s game undefeated, there’s a pretty good chance it would rank no higher than fourth in the polls, behind Florida, Alabama and Texas. That’s because of perceptions of the ACC. The Jackets would be sitting in that cluster with TCU, Cincinnati and Boise State, screaming for a playoff.
But let’s focus on the local landscape for now. The Bulldogs won seven straight games in this series (2001-07) before last season, and 14 of the last 17. But what happened last season at Sanford Stadium was not a fluke. If the Jackets win tonight, it also won’t be a fluke (they’re favored by 7 1/2).
The 2010 season is months away. But Georgia probably will be starting a freshman quarterback and Tech will return Josh Nesbitt and a blur of running backs in an offense that just keeps getting better. If you had to guess right now, which school do you suppose is going to be favored when the teams meet again next season?
This is Tech’s chance. It is the cliche statement game. Nationally, the Jackets certainly can make this a special season and say something about the program by defeating Clemson in next week’s ACC championship game and then winning the Orange Bowl. But closer to home, this is their chance to take charge locally.
Tonight’s game comes down to one thing for me: I don’t think Georgia’s defense can stop the Tech offense. The Jackets’ have defensive liabilities but I don’t see the Bulldogs matching the Jackets when they have the ball.
Do you agree? Weigh in and I’ll be back shortly.
1,373 comments Add your comment
dandydawg
November 28th, 2009
11:42 pm
Today ACC vs. SEC
Unranked GA beats #7 Tech
Unranked USC beats #18 Clemson
#1 ranked Florida beats FSU
I don’t know what this tells us, but it looks like the SEC is the better conference on this day!
Rob2595
November 28th, 2009
11:42 pm
we would make rings when we beat Tech but it would cost WAY too much
ellis
November 28th, 2009
11:42 pm
great game UGA
GT IS OVERRATED!!
November 28th, 2009
11:42 pm
T-terrible in big games
E-easily the most overrated team in the ACC
C-choke
H-HAHAHAHAH
Saint Simons
November 28th, 2009
11:42 pm
i have found a way to turn back time gt grads. you have to hold your breath and bag your head against a wall. once you get dizzy and faint, you can go back in time and imagine that we actually beat the dogs tonight. just try it gt grads. i have been reading, though, that we may have lost 30-24.
i’ll try it again to make sure. you should all try it
fcmr
November 28th, 2009
11:42 pm
Yellow fuzz seems to had to work late at Best Buys tonught so he won’t be joining us. A shame!
Nate
November 28th, 2009
11:42 pm
I’m here to report back in and say congrats. I honestly thought the only way we would lose would be UGA’s passing game but that wasn’t the case. Good game Georgia.
Key stat: CPJ hasn’t lost two games in a row at Tech. This ain’t 06′ Chan Gailey.
Gem Dawg
November 28th, 2009
11:42 pm
Can you say
CHOKE by the coaching staff
CHOKE by the offense
CHOKE by the d line
And the d backs never got a chance to choke,
we didn’t need the pass cuz the run
was SSSOOOOOOO east tonight. I am
glad we didn’t have to finish the season
with an SEC team.
Pi$$onatechie
November 28th, 2009
11:42 pm
I bet we wont see a sorry a$$ fruit flyz in any blog fron now on..bwahhahahahahhahah
Jimmy
November 28th, 2009
11:43 pm
COWARDS
Ramble On
Saint Simons
Yellow Fuzz
Willis
November 28th, 2009
11:43 pm
Looks like ol’ Russ is 1-0…..might get the job permanent.
Let’s show a little class Dawgs with our silence and just point to the scoreboard. I’m just gonna let all my Techie friends & neighbors wait a day or two for the shoe to drop, even though they’ve tried to make my life hell for the last year.
charles
November 28th, 2009
11:43 pm
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
weston
November 28th, 2009
11:43 pm
Well Girls you can “if” “if” “if” your little yellow wig selves for the next 12 months thinking about this whipping you took tonight.
((( 30-24 ))) LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL
Go You Hairy Dawgs!
Cautiously Optimistic
November 28th, 2009
11:43 pm
I thought ya’ll were gonna put 60+ on us…………………………………..
30-24
8 of 9
order restored!
austindog
November 28th, 2009
11:43 pm
EAT IT NERDS!!!!
GT IS OVERRATED!!
November 28th, 2009
11:43 pm
Man this was sweet…GO DAWGS!!!
james
November 28th, 2009
11:43 pm
the acc is a great AAA league. they’re pesky – just not talented. Can’t wait to hear all the excuses. the jackets got absolutely pushed around tonight. 8 out of 9. the dominance is undeniable.
JGSDawg
November 28th, 2009
11:44 pm
Enter your comments here
Saint Simmons
November 28th, 2009
11:44 pm
30-24 Dawgs hahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Brandon
November 28th, 2009
11:44 pm
Schultz…HOW BOUT THEM DAWGS?
Johnson Sucks!!!!
November 28th, 2009
11:44 pm
Fire Paul Johnson and Dave Wommack. Is it a big game now PJ? You suck.
Stadawg
November 28th, 2009
11:44 pm
For all you tech fans that keep saying, “if that receiver would have caught that pass”, if our kicker would have hit that field goal, it wouldn’t have mattered. Heck, you needed the official’s help on the drive before to get a touchdown!! Keep dreaming!!
Go Dawgs!!
austindog
November 28th, 2009
11:44 pm
We all watched the same game, and GT BLEW IT!!! The game was there to be had.
Chan Gailey
November 28th, 2009
11:44 pm
Key stat: CPJ hasn’t lost two games in a row at Tech. This ain’t 06′ Chan Gailey.
Now that you get to play the ACC co champ that was beat down by the 5th place SEC team, you should be alright.
And UGA didn’t have their best player. ROTFLMAO>>>>>
LHardingDawg
November 28th, 2009
11:45 pm
Great game GT! Good luck with Clemson, you know how we Dawg’s hate Clemson. I hope you win out. See you next year.
tell it like it is
November 28th, 2009
11:45 pm
Tech don’t belong in a BCS game thier defence is to sorry.
Sarah
November 28th, 2009
11:45 pm
im just glad the dawgs didnt tear up the field and be idiots like tech was last season…..maybe we should have rings made LOL LOL
GT IS OVERRATED!!
November 28th, 2009
11:45 pm
Don’t lose to clemson nerds, or the smurf turf may be calling your name again!
fcmr
November 28th, 2009
11:45 pm
I’m guessing this game won’t increase ticket sales for next week or techs bowl game or next season. At least we won’t have to buy tech season ticket packages to see the DAWGS beat tech next year. I do beleive Bay be was crying like a baby after that dropped ball.
ellis
November 28th, 2009
11:45 pm
Georgia Tech stinks big time
Dawgtime
November 28th, 2009
11:45 pm
Go DAWGS
sarfdawg
November 28th, 2009
11:45 pm
Up yours Saint Simons ((((((((((((((((((((((((30-24))))))))))))))))))))))))
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
charles
November 28th, 2009
11:45 pm
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Chan Gailey
November 28th, 2009
11:45 pm
austindog
November 28th, 2009
11:44 pm
We all watched the same game, and GT BLEW IT!!! The game was there to be had.
IDIOT.
tjm
November 28th, 2009
11:45 pm
:ACC CHAPIONSHIP DAWGS / GAMECOCKS
Baba O'Riley
November 28th, 2009
11:45 pm
……and Bill King said this rivalry game didn’t mean as much to UGA. Did the blogs get this many hits when the UF game ended this year? The Auburn game? Rocky Top?
Dawg in Tennessee
November 28th, 2009
11:45 pm
Look for UGA to go on another long run against tech—very overrated team in a weak conference. The SEC is just too strong for these acc teams to play—tech may get blown out again by an SEC team in a bowl game like last year!!! 30-24!!!!! go home tech—another choke in a big game!!!!
fcmr
November 28th, 2009
11:45 pm
Do you think we’e going to put 30-24 on our rings for 09. NOT
JGSDawg
November 28th, 2009
11:46 pm
Hey where did Shultz go? He must be writing a piece about how Tech is so much better than Georgia and how Georgia is going in a different direction than Tech and how Paul Johnson is the new Bill Gates of our era. Can’t wait to read it!
dawgfanatic24-7
November 28th, 2009
11:46 pm
So you run 90% of the game and all of a sudden Nesbitch turns into a pro style QB. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!! Takes a bad coach to stop what is working. All you tech fans are my beyotches now. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!! Go on down to your nerd bar and cry in your Zima’s. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!
ellis
November 28th, 2009
11:46 pm
GT take that high school offense out of here. Dogs showed you how to properly run the football.
GT IS OVERRATED!!
November 28th, 2009
11:46 pm
Remember the discussion of where Tech would finish in the SEC?? Somewhere between Vandy and Miss St.
Baba O'Riley
November 28th, 2009
11:47 pm
Make the changes necessary CPJ. Wommack must go.
Tech Tony
November 28th, 2009
11:47 pm
While this is certainly disappointing, it’s not the end of the season. We have to rise up from this embarrassment, beaten at our own game by a band of mere thugs and rednecks.
We took Georgia for granted and there was no reason not to. The UGA faithful have this mistaken notion that they matter to Tech when the fact is, tonight simply proves beyond all measure it is they who need us for what litle identity they have.
Oh well. We lost to a bad team. That happens sometimes. Time to rebound. We can’t do anything about this bad loss to a subpar team now so let’s not let one terrible loss lead to another.
Threeandoh
November 28th, 2009
11:47 pm
How did we run that ball that well when we haven’t been able to all year? Is Tech’s defense that bad?
Chan Gailey
November 28th, 2009
11:47 pm
What about the pass dropped by UGA earlier? What about the missed FG. Don’t make excuses, you lost.
SatillaDawg
November 28th, 2009
11:47 pm
Hey, Saint Cryin’ Cause He’s Dyin’..
Where are ya, you obnoxious twit ?????????????????????/
))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 30-24 !!!!!!!! (((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((
Better head down to Gnat’s Landing. I hear they’re holding a GT wake! Ha, Ha, Ha!
How ‘Bout Them Georgia Bulldawgs!
jimbob
November 28th, 2009
11:47 pm
lowcountry,
Under Gaily, Tech football did actually suck. Now? We’re the much better coached team, and you can barely beat us 1 out of 2 years with all your 4 and 5 star guys.
Enjoy the victory. Be sure on tuesday to remember to clean out my gutters and stop leaving all of those leaved bunched up against the fence at the bottom of my driveway.
weston
November 28th, 2009
11:48 pm
There’s a new sheriff in town!
LMAO
fcmr
November 28th, 2009
11:48 pm
The ACC replay officials over ruled the SEC refs today, other than that the ACC had a very bad day. One win out of four. Great conference, good news hoops is about ready to ger serious.