With Georgia Tech loss, ACC struggling for attention again
This was the sad scene in Jacksonville at the 2007 ACC title game. Attendance was announced as 53,212.
The ACC wanted to be the SEC. It wanted the money, the clout, the conference championship game, the TV contracts and pollsters to give mid-level ACC teams the benefit of the doubt because, well, they were in the ACC.
But once again, the ACC looks like a souffle that keeps collapsing.
Georgia Tech lost to Georgia Saturday. Clemson lost to South Carolina. So both halves of next week’s ACC championship game in Tampa lost to mid-level SEC teams that are headed to third-tier bowl games. That’s not how a conference gets money or clout or a big TV contract or the benefit of the doubt.
Meanwhile, the SEC title game matches No. 1 Florida vs. No. 2 Alabama.
While Tech coach Paul Johnson tries to figure out how to motivate his players after Saturday’s lost to the Dogs, ACC commissioner John Swofford needs to figure out how to spin this almost annual disaster into a positive. Good luck with that.
The conference has never received the marquee Miami-Florida State match-up it was hoping for when it expanded and split into two strangely divided geographic divisions (Atlantic and Coastal). Here’s the ACC’s brief championship game history:
♦ 2005: The first game has been the high point. It was a good game (FSU beat Virginia Tech, 27-22), was well attended in Jacksonville (72,749) and TV ratings that exceeded the SEC and Big 12 title games.
♦ 2006: Tech and Wake Forest were the surprise finalists and played a dreadful, touchdown-less game (won by Wake, 9-6). That year, just as this year, the Jackets were coming off a season-ending loss to Georgia. Announced attendance on Jacksonville dropped 10,000 (62,850).
♦ 2007: Two teams from the distant north (Boston College and Virginia Tech) caused attendance to continue to plummet. The No. 5 Hokies won, 30-16, so at least it gave the conference a highly ranked team going into the bowls. But then Virginia Tech was upset by Kansas in the Orange Bowl.
♦ 2008: The game was moved to Tampa. But it was the repeat matchup the ACC couldn’t afford. This time, B.C. and VaTech drew only 27,360 — which means half of the tickets distributed/sold weren’t even used. The Hokies won, 30-12. Not that anybody noticed.
♦ 2009: This week’s losses and the economy likely will hurt attendance. Regardless, the game would’ve garnered a lot more attention if Tech and Clemson were coming off victories.
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468 comments Add your comment
came to get my medicine
November 29th, 2009
7:22 pm
does uga have a winning streak? oh yeah they lost to UK… at home… to kentucky… at home… to kentucky… do they have a football team ?
GT is a 4th rate high school team
November 29th, 2009
7:22 pm
WHEN GT FANS LOSSES ARGUMENT THEY START BEING PHILOSOPHICAL, SAYING DAWG FANS HAVE NO CLASS, POOR SOULS, PYRRICK VICTORY, ETC. OR MINOR BOWL ETC. AT THE END UGA SMASHED GT IN THEIR MOUTH. HAHAHAHAHAHA, HAHAHAHAHAHA, AND MORE HAHHAHAHAHAHAH, FOREVER AND EVER.
GT is a 4th rate high school team
November 29th, 2009
7:24 pm
GT LOSSES TO A TEAM WITHOUT WINNING STREAK. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, AND MORE HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, FOREVER AND EVER.
came to get my medicine
November 29th, 2009
7:24 pm
whose had 40 arrests in 3 years? it aint GT, so drop the implication that we’re a buncha thugs in tha “A”
Simply the Truth
November 29th, 2009
7:24 pm
Va. Tech, Clemson, Ga. Tech, FSU … all losers to SEC teams … the funny thing is the 2 so-called class of the ACC divisions were creamed by unranked members of the SEC…. GOOD JOB DAWGS AND GAMECOCKS…. If the SEC is weak, then the ACC is comatose…..
GR82BAG8R
November 29th, 2009
7:25 pm
Congratulations, Bulldogs. If you played like that earlier this year, you wouldn’t have 5 losses. The ACC championship should be held in Charlotte every year. Tampa is a riduculous place for a championship when most of the ACC’s teams are north of the NC/SC line.
MLH
November 29th, 2009
7:25 pm
What’s even more sad is the Tech lost to the team that lost to Kentucky at home.
Oh yeah, Tech was at home too.
And had an extra week to prepare.
Ouch.
Charlotte Dawg
November 29th, 2009
7:26 pm
On a side note, loved the intro to the game on tv. Shows our true hate for one another and that hate just got turned up a notch as
THE DAWGS just beat the most talented team has fielded since 1990 in one of their own worst seasons imaginable.
Another side note to Richt: Please don’t let Brandon Smith run the ball again. He gets hit hard, he coughs it up…done it several times to us this year. Boykin is a much more stout return man(but I think he wasn’t 100% last night).
GR82BAG8R
November 29th, 2009
7:26 pm
Charlotte Dog, we won’t hear from m for a year. He guaranteed ACC would beat SEC head to head this year.
GT is a 4th rate high school team
November 29th, 2009
7:27 pm
GT LOST TP A TEAM THAT LOST TO OSU, LSU, TENN, FL, AND KY. THAT’S HILARIOUS, IT CALLS FOR HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA FOREVER AND EVER AND ANOTHER HAHA
macrotech
November 29th, 2009
7:28 pm
ccrider, I got ya……thanks…. wasn’t sure where all that came from! At least at Tech, we clean up all the trash! I’m sure those folk have been taken out!
GR82BAG8R
November 29th, 2009
7:28 pm
cmac, Georgia did the same thing last year when they lost. They turned off the scoreboard as time expired. So don’t try and belittle Tech for doing the same thing. Neither school wants to give the other lots of opportunities to take pictures in front of the scoreboard when they lose.
GT is a 4th rate high school team
November 29th, 2009
7:29 pm
GT LOST TO A TEAM GOING TO PAPAJOHN BOWL. HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHHAHAHHAHHHAHHHAHHAHAHAHA FOREVER AND EVER
Charlotte Dawg
November 29th, 2009
7:30 pm
MAKING FUN OF UGA’S PASSING WAS JUST BAD KARMA FOR THE TALIBAN! TERRIBLE IDEA.
Still getting rings? Why not, you are better than you were last year? Oh that’s right….lost to a team that couldn’t beat Kentucky. Oh dear god!
As my boy “m” would say, “glad it still hurts so good. there’s a new sheriff in town and he is now a poopy head.”
M! I can’t wait to hear from you!
Yellow fuzz? What was it? “I look foward to hearing your excuses.”
came to get my medicine
November 29th, 2009
7:31 pm
4th rate HS team? thats cute and clever and i bet you still watch enough high school football to be able to make that distinction. Hey look everybody it’s the creepy guy that still wears his high school letterman jacket and cruises for “girls” in his camaro. meanwhile as he gets balder and fatter the world passes him by. pull your head from you rectal cavity and take a deep breath of fresh air. youre a uga fan and … well thats it really. thats all you’ll ever be. oh and a south laganville high school football fan, that too.
NorcrossDawg
November 29th, 2009
7:32 pm
Wow, been out of town and figured it was too late to post, but you guys are still going at it.
First, I think we beat a good, well-coached team last night even without the best receiver in the country. Which means I have to eat some crow (gladly):
- Coach Richt- you had the team ready to play and they were pretty disciplined for a change.
- Bobo- With the exception of a couple of late 3rd down selections, you called a great game.
- Willie- (this one hurts)- great job with the defensive last night.
- Cox- you played within yourself and did a great job- largely due to the good playcalling.
On one point I wasnt surprised. We finally stuck with the run and showed we have 2 potentially great running backs. 300+ yards!
To Tech- you guys got a little ahead of yourself saying the tide had shifted and you were now the best team in the state, but theres no reason you cant kick the crap out of Clemson. I hope you do- it just makes us look a little better- which is no small feat this year.
And finally to UGA VII- we hardly knew you- but Damn Good Dawg!
Dam it boy
November 29th, 2009
7:32 pm
30-24 HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ron
November 29th, 2009
7:33 pm
Tech could be in the Champs sports bowl if they lose this weekend. UGA is going to the Chic fil a this year.
GT is a 4th rate high school team
November 29th, 2009
7:34 pm
GT LOST TO A TEAM THAT LOST IT’S PET MASCOT. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA FOREVER AND EVER.
Damon Evans
November 29th, 2009
7:35 pm
Loran:
I think we better put into high gear that Tech is our biggest rival. We will NEVER beat the Gators now that Urban is in place and putting in a #1 recruiting class every year — because he knows how to coach top notch kids.
Let’s put in motion the PR campaign to claim that the Jackets are our top rival.
Damon
Charlotte Dawg
November 29th, 2009
7:35 pm
And we didn’t have AJ or our 1st and 2nd string safeties! My what we could have done.
We are lucky that Thomas dropped that pass? Were you lucky when we dropped several passes in the first half including a td pass?
“WITH A HOBNAIL BOOT AND BROKE THEIR NOSE!”
GT is a 4th rate high school team
November 29th, 2009
7:36 pm
UGA SMASHED A WELL COACHED TEAM. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AND MORE HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHA FOREVER AND EVER
tech man
November 29th, 2009
7:37 pm
To all the Dog nation, get a life. You won a football game. And all the talk about how much better the SEC than the ACC is ridiculous. You need to be thinking how to win more than 5 games. That is no brainer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
came to get my medicine
November 29th, 2009
7:37 pm
Uga’s dead because the inbred cuzin F -ucKers at uga don’t know how to take care of a dog. Is it really that hard? i realize you can stuff your fat faces with fried chicken and fat back, but how hard could it possibly be to keep a dog alive for more than two years?
Damon Evans
November 29th, 2009
7:38 pm
Coach Richt:
I just read that Urban is signing 15 of the top 100 players in the country. Are you certain that you do not want to send your application to attend divinity school?
Damon
Jeff Schultz
November 29th, 2009
7:38 pm
This game means: I’m not talking trash, just responding. Talking trash suggests it matters to me who wins and loses. Cheers.
GT is a 4th rate high school team
November 29th, 2009
7:39 pm
UGA WILL KEEP WILLIE MARTINEZ JUST OF HIM TO SMAH GT EVERY YEAR. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHHAHA THAT’S REALLY IS FUNNY. HAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, AND MORE HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHAAHAHA FOREVER AND EVER
Genius Jacket
November 29th, 2009
7:40 pm
I heard Josh Nesbitt got arrested this past week. Any truth to that rumor?
4nic8ion
November 29th, 2009
7:41 pm
lol….beating us last year was the biggest thing to happen to your 2nd class program in 15 years, and you fools are going to claim that you looked past us this year? thats too phukin funny
KINGDAWG
November 29th, 2009
7:41 pm
It is too bad Saint Simmons didn’t have the common sense to know that if you are going to talk the talk then you better be able to walk the walk. If you want to show some moxey at least win a few more games against us. Hey, even a blind squirrel can find an acorn every now and then…good luck finding you next nut.
GT is a 4th rate high school team
November 29th, 2009
7:42 pm
COACH RICHT GOING TO DIVINITY SCHOOL. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA AND MORE HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA. FOREVER AND EVER.
xus aigroeg
November 29th, 2009
7:42 pm
cmac is a piece of crap. if you taunted me you’d get the “dawg” crap beat out of you. You UGA thug! Dawg fans should be proud!
Jsmuga
November 29th, 2009
7:43 pm
No matter how the Tech fans spin it…. You lost to UGA and the acc championship between two losers to 6-5 SEC teams is going to be diminished in the national media…….
7-5 IS SORRY
November 29th, 2009
7:43 pm
Enter your comments here
Super Dog
November 29th, 2009
7:45 pm
SORRY I WILL NOT GIVE WILLIE ANY COMPLIMENTS
HE BARELY COULD STOP THIS TEAM
TO TECH FANS YOU WANT TO TAKE SOME MEDICINE TAKE THIS TWICE A DAY
GET A QB WHO CAN HIT A TARGET LIKE TEBOW OR MCCOY AND CAN RUN AND YOU WOULD HAVE A GREAT TEAM EVEN BETTER THAN UGA THIS YEAR PROBABLY PLAYING FOR A NC
BUT YOUR ACHILIES HEEL IS YOUR STUPID ARROGANT COACH WHO THINKS THAT STUPID VEER WILL WIN A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP AND BEAT GA EVERY YEAR
THIS AINT DIVISION 2 FOOTBALL ANYMORE PAUL
AND YES THE BUDDY SYSTEM WE HAVE IS OUR PROBLEM AT UGA
Snoop Dawg
November 29th, 2009
7:48 pm
Yo Dawgs-
I’ve read a lot of trash about Notre Dame being interested in Paul Johnson. Why would Notre Dame want to hire Paul Johnson? I thought they were trying to resurrect a winning program, not devolve into high school football. Those priests and monks are smarter than that!
GT is a 4th rate high school team
November 29th, 2009
7:49 pm
BETTER TO WIN AGAINST A 10-2 TEAM THAN TO HAVE LOST AGAINST AND 7-5 TEAM. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH, AND MORE HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHHA AND ANOTHER HA. FOREVER AND EVER.
True Dawg Fan.
November 29th, 2009
7:50 pm
Calling all DAWG fans. We beat a quality team last night with a workman like attitude with good old fashioned USA / UGA pride. I ask all UGA fans including myself to clean up our acts, enjoy this victory, support our DAWGS and act like winners that have been there before. Lets set an example for young and old alike that the Bulldog Nation is a cut above in every respect by respecting all as we all want to be treated. I challenge the Bulldog Nation that if we take the high road as fans and lead by example in what we say and do — great positive things will happen at UGA in the near future.
Our forefathers made this nation great by working to change things instead of bitching,cussing and complaining when things didn’t go their way and above all trusting in the good Lord above.
GO DAWGS ! and May God continue to Bless America.
Super Dog
November 29th, 2009
7:51 pm
PAUL JOHNSON
“NO ONE HAS STOPPED THE VEER YET”
“WE HAVE OTHER FISH TO FRY THAN WORRY ABOUT A RIVALRY GAME”
ARROGANT PUNK
Coach Richt
November 29th, 2009
7:51 pm
To Damon:
What I am hearing is that most of our top recruits are trying to get UF interested in them. We may lose a couple because all the nation seems to want to sign with Florida.
The good news is that UF can only take about 25 recruits. That leaves some for us.
Mark
GT is a 4th rate high school team
November 29th, 2009
7:52 pm
ND IS BEING FOOLED BY PAUL JOHNSON LIKE HE FOOLED GT. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. FOREVER AND EVER
Taron
November 29th, 2009
7:52 pm
The ACC is always wanting what the SEC already has. ACC must stand for “Always Complaining Conference”. That bunch of losers!! Now go put that in your slide rule and smoke it Tech!!
Snoop Dawg
November 29th, 2009
7:52 pm
Dawgs, listen up-
I’ve heard from a reliable source that Liberty University is interested in Markt Wreck as head coach. So is Bob Jones University. They like his preaching and his Koolaid. Dawgs, when this story hits the mainstream press, just remember: LET HIM GO! ENCOURAGE HIM TO TAKE SLICK WILLIE AND BOZO WITH HIM!!! The players of UGA football beat Tech last night in spite of the coaches…
bulldawghuff
November 29th, 2009
7:52 pm
saint simons can you please tell me how to spell state champions…..never mind i think its spelled U-G-A.and to the tech fans that are now saying that your team was looking past us to clemson,thats b.s the minute the gamecocks beat the tigers and fla. state got murdered you got focused on carrying the flag for the A SHE SHE and you still lost.and how much does the acc championship really mean after the best you had to offer lost both games against the 4th and 5th best in the sec ,so what you may go to the bcs ,thats the same as sleeping at work all week and going in the bosses office to get your check with your head hanging down. ……………….awwww thats ohkay boo boo we will reconize you as champs of the jr league.goooooo dawgs.
TM
November 29th, 2009
7:52 pm
Man, you Dogs are pretty sad. I’m from out of state and never really cared about the rivalry until last night all because of your fans and teams actions. You rival UM for rudeness. You left our campus one big dump after you left (much like you leave your own drunken landfill). Frankly its disgusting how you treat your campus even after a newspaper wrote about it and your drunken fans peeing in the library:
http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2009/11/18/mic_556215.shtml
What are all of you? 2 years old? Seriously? What the hell is wrong with you all?
Not to mention AFTER the game AFTER you had won you walk around making fun of overweight Tech fans for NO reason (yes I actually saw this walking back to the dorm).
I’m not even going go into what your team did during and after the game.
I’ll leave you with a parting thought given to me by a decent UGA fan I’ve had the honor to know:
“[UGA] may win more often then not in athletics, but [Tech students] win in life.”
Vskee(BIGDAWG48)
November 29th, 2009
7:52 pm
You Tech fans are now all of a sudden yelling the PJ “This game should not be so important” crap. Yall know that you were the most overated team in the top 25. All the commentators, pundants, fans, sleeze balls, players, and radio personalities kept saying was how great tech (Yall don’t deserve caps) was….
Now its we better worry bout our coaches….yada yada yada. You lost to a program in turmoil with player problems, coaching problems and who suffered a devastating lose last week. Not only did you lose the game, you got MAN handled…by men. AT by far is the best player on ur team, not Dwyer. Your coach is running the Nebraska, army, Navy, crapfense that has won nothing in the past 15 years. I now see why CPJ didnt want this game to seem as big as we all know it is.
Could you imagine Saban telling UA fans that the Iron Bowl aint a big deal? Laughable you stinger beaters are! TO HELL WITH TECH!
They’re the Ramblin’ Wreck from Georgia Tech and a helluva a bunch of queers, a helluva, helluva, helluva, helluva, helluva bunch of queers. They like to suck on peter and they take it up the rear. They’re the Ramblin’ Wreck from Georgia Tech and a helluva bunch of Queers!!
BACK ON YOUR KNEES BEES!!!!
ACC...SEC facts
November 29th, 2009
7:53 pm
At Georgia Tech, Coach Paul Johnson is 4-2 against the SEC.
Mark Richt is 2-4 in his last six SEC games.
Tech is 10-2 and ranked #12.
Georgia is 7-5 and unranked.
Bama and Florida were guaranteed undefeated records by the suspended SEC refs.
came to get my medicine
November 29th, 2009
7:53 pm
is it irony that the mascot for UGA is Uga an inbred overweight stupid lazy colorblind bulldog? now that i think about it makes perfect sense. it also makes perfect sense that something as simple as not overfeeding your “beloved” mascot would be fouled up by a bunch of stupid inbred overweight lazy people that so emphatically call themselves uga fans. and i think that about says it all.
Snoop Dawg
November 29th, 2009
7:55 pm
ACC…SEC facts: UGA 30, GT 24.
Snoop Dawg
November 29th, 2009
7:56 pm
Q: Why was Georgia Tech built in a ghetto?
A: Because they are Trashy…
Yo Dogg…