Potential first: Georgia and Tech both playing for titles
Mark Richt and Paul Johnson have their teams in position for title shots. (Brant Sanderlin/AJC)
This didn’t seem possible when Georgia opened the season with losses to Boise State and South Carolina and Georgia Tech followed a 6-0 start with losses to Virginia and Miami: But both schools can all but assure themselves of a ticket to their respective conference championship game this week.
The Bulldogs and Jackets never have played for conference championships in the same season since the SEC (1992) and ACC (2005) split off into divisions, nor have they ever won conference titles in the same season.
Here’s the backdrop:
• Georgia (5-1 in SEC plays) holds a half-game lead over South Carolina (5-2) in the SEC East and is a whopping 12½-point favorite over Auburn Saturday in Athens. If the Dogs win, they need to only beat Kentucky at home the following week to clinch the East. The Gamecocks’ final conference game is against Florida, which was Georgia’s last SEC victim. They hold a tiebreaker edge should the Dogs lose one of their two conference games.
• Georgia Tech’s route is a little more difficult. The Yellow Jackets (4-2) trail Virginia Tech (4-1) by a half-game. But they play host to the No. 10 Hokies Thursday night. Most lines have Virginia Tech as a one-point favorite. Georgia Tech’s only other remaining ACC game is at Duke.
(UPDATE: Just to cover all bases: Virginia technically holds a tiebreaker over Georgia Tech. But the Cavaliers would need to sweep their remaining three games against Duke, Florida State on the road and Virginia Tech to win the Coastal.)
The Jackets are coming off an upset of then-No. 5 Clemson. Can they do it again?
Tech has been to the ACC championship game twice since the conference split into divisions in 2005: It lost the title game to Wake Forest in 2006 and defeated Clemson in 2009 (official records now show that championship as vacated by the NCAA, pending appeal).
Georgia has played in three SEC championship games: The Dogs defeated Arkansas in 20o2 and LSU in 2005, and lost to LSU in 2003.
In no year have the two schools won a football conference championship in the same season (both were in the SEC until Tech became an Independent in 1963 and later joined the ACC).
So what are the chances both pull it off this week?
And then what would the chances be that both win championships? The likely opponents in the conference title games would be LSU for Georgia and Clemson for Georgia Tech.
Or should we just go one step at a time?
By Jeff Schultz
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320 comments Add your comment
Delbert D.
November 7th, 2011
1:13 pm
20th-ranked Auburn lost to 9th-ranked Clemson, who lost to 21st-ranked Ga. Tech. I’m not sure what that tells me.
If VT beats Ga. Tech and the Jackets fall from the ranking, does that mean Georgia Tech shouldn’t have been ranked?
How about that win by I forget who over 4th-ranked Texas, who then dropped out of the Top 25 for a few weeks? Surely that no longer counts as beating a Top 10 team.
Southern Miss is currently ranked above former Top 10 beauty Michigan. Other former Top Ten Big Ten teams Wisconsin and Mich. State seem to be settling toward a lump along with Nebraska in the bottom of the Top 25, if even that high by the end of the season. Cincinnati got pummeled by Tennessee and by the press now is in the Top 25.
Figure it out if you dare; or, just let them play ball.
ARdawg
November 7th, 2011
1:16 pm
Delbert
Ah yes, the indelible day of reckoning. There is a reason games are won on the field and never a game has been won on the blogs. Good point
harold
November 7th, 2011
1:16 pm
GEORGIA TECH WOULD GET SMASHED IN THE SEC. UGA HAS NOT BEATEN ANYONE THE LAST 7 GAMES……IN FACT “ALL” HAVE HAD LOSING RECORDS!
UGA IS AN AVERAGE FOOTBALL TEAM WITH AN AVERAGE COACH!
IF RICHT DOES NOT WIN OUT HE IS DONE!
WDE
November 7th, 2011
1:17 pm
@wreckmaniac really you’ve beat us once in a decade and your talking trash? Good luck vs Va Tech Thursday love to see your bunch and UGA match up with 2 losses each going into title games. Oh and have you seen the 2009 ACC title trophy around anywhere lately?
WDE
November 7th, 2011
1:18 pm
@harold I wouldn’t bet a lot of money on that if I were you, but then thankfully I’m not.
Gorilla Biscuit
November 7th, 2011
1:18 pm
We’s gwine beat da tar outta Auburn! And da dirt-dobbers too!
ARdawg
November 7th, 2011
1:18 pm
WDE
Didn’t Carolina and Georgia share the ACC title in 09?
wreckmaniac
November 7th, 2011
1:18 pm
The fact is that since the retirement of Urban Meyer, the SEC east has immediately become the worst division in college football and is a perfect candidate ( the entire division) for annexation by the Big East.
The SEC needs a new East division consisting of : Clemson (which will never go), Florida ( since they win national championships), TCU, East Carolina, South FL, and Central FL. This would be a great division.
WONDERING
November 7th, 2011
1:19 pm
WHOCARES, if GT does win, where will you be? Just WONDERING
wreckmaniac
November 7th, 2011
1:20 pm
Harold: All CMR has to do is beat Tech and get a top 5 recruiting class. Works every year.
okiemon
November 7th, 2011
1:23 pm
Chances:
Tech beats VT and wins division 45%
Tech beats Clemson and wins ACC 35%
UGA wins division 90%
UGA beats LSU and wins SEC 0%
East Alabama Gator
November 7th, 2011
1:23 pm
BobDawg,
I have to say I agree with you in regards to the Florida-Auburn game about the refs penalizing both for “failure to resemble football teams.” That was sorry football. The difference is, Auburn is a young team that is promising. I can’t say the same for my Gators. I believe Auburn will be tough to beat in future seasons.
The reason I said in an earlier comment about how you better not bet on Auburn-Georgia is because I remember back in 1999 when Georgia was supposed to roll over Auburn with a superior team only to watch former Hart County star and Auburn quarterback Ben Leard light up Georgia. That game was over by halftime.
True Dawg Fan
November 7th, 2011
1:24 pm
GT Rolls!
November 7th, 2011
12:56 pm
Hey Who Cares: If UGA wins the east, which they probably will do, it will be a sad day for the SEC. If you look at who UGA has played, only two teams, those being SC and Boise State are good, while everyone else in the east is a joke. TN = suxs, Vandy = suxs, UF = suxs, Ole Miss = suxs, New Mexico State = Really suxs, Kentucky = suxs, Miss St = suxs. Add up the combined winning records of the teams UGA has played and will play and it’s a joke. I hope UGA wins the east, as the hammering you will take from LSU or Alabama will be priceless. A must DVR game. By the way, UGA loses to GT this year. THWG!
Yea GT played some real tough teams so far this year. And just bc u were able to scrap together an entire football game against Clemson doenst mean you will be able to do it again. It was a fluke and will be proven whren VT destroys you on thursday.
As for auburn hahahahahhahahahahahahahahhahahahahhaha they have no chance. Murray will have 3 TD passes and 280 yards passing. Crowell will hit 100 yards andat least 1 TD. Then Brandon Harton comes in and rushes for 50-60 yards to cap the game! Dawgs cover 28-14
5150 UOAD
November 7th, 2011
1:25 pm
gdawgin……………..then you don’t even pay to go to UGA game! You don’t care who they play because you get to watch it on TV. Now that way I wouldn’t care either. If you had to pay and spend the money to park, party, and attend those crap games I think you might have a different point of view. The NFL does the same JOKE to it’s Season Ticket fans by making them pay for Exhibition Games. i would NEVER be a NFL season Ticket holder for that reason alone.
P_The_Ricker
November 7th, 2011
1:25 pm
Wreckmaniac,
you must be in that 1% of GT fans that didn’t actually go to school there…..b/c you’re a moron.
BobDawg
November 7th, 2011
1:27 pm
Alll Geez, Gator, why did you have to bring that up! My Son-in-Law went to Hart County and while a Dawg fan, he had a temporary day of weakness due to his buddy Ben Laird who did indeed light us up that year….
BobDawg
November 7th, 2011
1:29 pm
… and Gator, Auburn has recruited well. They print money on toilet paper… remember??? Then throw it at the trees…
True Dawg Fan
November 7th, 2011
1:30 pm
wreckmaniac
November 7th, 2011
1:18 pm
The fact is that since the retirement of Urban Meyer, the SEC east has immediately become the worst division in college football and is a perfect candidate ( the entire division) for annexation by the Big East.
The SEC needs a new East division consisting of : Clemson (which will never go), Florida ( since they win national championships), TCU, East Carolina, South FL, and Central FL. This would be a great division.
This is hilarious coming from a Tech fan. you play in thee ACC where the A stands for Average at best. Vandy, Ole miss, Miss state, and Kentucky could all compete yearly for title in your lame conference.
Yes the east is down, but all 4 of the east power houses are very young teams and will be back to form by 2013. Then the SEC will once again dominate the top 10 with 5-6 teams in the top 10-15.
Each division has 4 top teams and there 2 bottom teams, Mizzou and texas A&M will fit right in between the power houses and the cupcakes.
WDE
November 7th, 2011
1:30 pm
@P_The_Ricker after a life time of study I promise you the percentage of morons that have gone to or are currently attending Bug U. is MUCH higher than 1% . So its possible that Wreckmaniac,is a current or former Bug. That he is a moron is of course indisputable.
Zing
November 7th, 2011
1:30 pm
VT will be a challenge for GT, but I give them a decent shot to pull it off. Perhaps 40%. UGA-Auburn is going to be a good game– I give Georgia a slight edge– 55%– but that point-spread is crazy! I wish I were in Vegas right now.
If GT wins its division, you’d have to say they’re the favorites against Clemson in a title game based on the simple fact that they beat them quite soundly already. 80%.
UGA versus LSU (or, less likely, Alabama or Arkansas) would be a big underdog… but you never know. If the Dawgs get there, they could be riding a 10-game winning streak. That does something for confidence. Let’s say 15% of winning.
Oh– and UGA beats GT this year. 100%.
(Okay, I give the Dawgs about a 60% chance in non-fan-based reality).
DC
November 7th, 2011
1:35 pm
Also I will note Emory Blake was not playing in the past several games…he is a KEY part to AU’s offense..he is back and is 100%…
Summary
November 7th, 2011
1:41 pm
UGA Fans = BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH
GT
Summary
November 7th, 2011
1:43 pm
GT Fans = BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH
UGA Fans = BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH
One game at a time for both teams. You’re all a bunch of whiny little playground kids.
Delbert D.
November 7th, 2011
1:44 pm
If South Carolina loses to Florida and Clemson, I don’t think they will end up in the Top 25.
Delbert D.
November 7th, 2011
1:48 pm
Boise State has 4 games left. Lose 3 of those, and they’re down the chute, out of the BCS 25. Since I’m posting like a pea-brained troll, I should have said “loose 3 of those”.
Sec 114
November 7th, 2011
1:52 pm
So, True Dawg Fan, are we all high on Brandon Harton now that he’s almost had a 100 yard rushing game against New Mexico State? Sounds legit to me. Move over Isaiah, even better, move over Hershel!
5150 UOAD
November 7th, 2011
1:53 pm
BobDAWG………….you get the CROW bottles YET? LOL
now the ZINGER………….Auburn prints money on toilet paper?
UGA prints Diplomas on toilet paper and they can be also used a handicap parking placards.
BobDawg have fun at the game and I hope you get all the M&M you can drink. LOL
gdawginkalamazoo
November 7th, 2011
1:58 pm
5150, who makes you pay for these season tickets that you so despise? True, I get to watch the games from the comfort of my home. Airfare and hotels rental cars are more than I care to spend on that stuff. But if I didn’t like the scheduling I wouldn’t buy the tickets. I definitley wouldn’t buy the tickets pay for parking etc then complain about it unless somebody was holdng a gun to my head forcing me to do that. Either you do it for the love of your university and what is put before them or you don’t.
PO5150
November 7th, 2011
1:59 pm
And what did they print your worthless KSU degree on 5150, used toliet paper?
Old man
November 7th, 2011
1:59 pm
The worst thing Georgia Tech ever did was leave the SEC. Nothing like flushing money down the toliet.
2010 BCS CHAMPS
November 7th, 2011
2:07 pm
Hay I thanks that wez about to get beats.
Go Aubarn
5150 UOAD
November 7th, 2011
2:11 pm
gdawgin…………..they don’t force me to buy them, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a right to want better for my investment. TECH got screwed a few years back when we played VT back to back there. Now, the odd years the Home Schedule is great and the even year Home Schedule Sucks. When you add some crappy OOC games to the even year it makes it even harder to sell a Season Ticket Package. I can tell you I am far for the only tech Season Ticket holder to feel this way. To better MARKET the program I want to play very good OOC teams. I hove the H & H with Auburn, Miss St, Vandy, Notre Dame, and games like that. If you want easy OOC games you play the teams in your state not New Mexico, North Carolina, and places like that.
East Alabama Gator
November 7th, 2011
2:12 pm
BobDawg,
Just hyping up the Auburn-Georgia game. I also remember a few times when Georgia got the best of Auburn when they weren’t supposed to. That game, I believe will always be a good football game … even for us who aren’t fans of either team but enjoy the sport for what it truly is.
Scrap
November 7th, 2011
2:17 pm
Jeff, We’d better take it a step at a time. While top ten teams typically have a tough time winning games at Bobby Dodd Stadium, this VA Tech team will come in fighting and scratching and expecting to win. Likewise, if you’re buying into that 12 1/2 point spread in UGA’s favor, I would think again. Auburn won’t be laying down for anyone, especially UGA. Besides, should GT or UGA both win their games this week, they’re both ripe for an upset the next week. Especially GA Tech playing Duke who is well coached and playing pretty good football. One week at a time, but wouldn’t it be great if the SEC East champion were playing the ACC Coastal champion for the state championship on Nov. 26th?
tiger7_88
November 7th, 2011
2:27 pm
@IT Dawg (November 7th, 2011), dirty play? You mean the kind of “dirty play” we saw from your pups in Nashville this year? And the thug behavior we saw from your defensive coordinator AFTER the game? That kind of “dirty”.
You gotta hand it to Auburn though… if anything “dirty” happened, at least we had the guts to take it to one of the SEC’s big boys. thUGa? They don’t have the guts enough to take it to the SEC’s big boys… Vandy will do for them just fine. Hahahahahahahaha!
AceDawg
November 7th, 2011
2:29 pm
Auburn is a huge threat for UGA. I would in fact say UGA might face a tougher matchup than GTech since Va Tech’s offense is pedestrian. Two big games though, and I think it would be great if they both win out until facing one another.
TheTruthHurts
November 7th, 2011
2:31 pm
It’s about time for the law of averages to catch up with Auburn and dictate that their QB finally has a good game. Could be a long, sad day in Athens.
AceDawg
November 7th, 2011
2:34 pm
I also think if UGA finds a way to the SEC Championship, they would be a better matchup with LSU than Bama. While LSU has earned its number ranking, their lack of strong QB play means the UGA defense would have a chance to attack, and a good offensive line performance against the LSU defense would give Aaron Murray a chance to perform better than McCarron did for Bama. He’s the best QB LSU will have faced, and Conley and Mitchell are looking like a sweet 1-2 deep threat punch. It would be foolish to put money on UGA, but the Dawgs are good enough to tee it up and have a real fighting chance.
B5
November 7th, 2011
2:35 pm
Does being an AU fan automatically mean you’re a mouthy hole? Geez, they are an obnoxious bunch!
ole yeller
November 7th, 2011
2:36 pm
I believe it will happen. Ga. Tech vs Cemson for the AAC & UGA vs LSU for the SEC
I believe Ga Tech win the ACC & LSU win the SEC & The National NCAA champs..
Gary
November 7th, 2011
2:37 pm
I would rather play them at Auburn. We have better luck in their stadium. Anyone who thinks we will cover the spread is insane. We may win. 50/50. We will not cover 12. I predict the line to shift by at least a touchdown by gameday. As far as criticizing Georgia for their schedule, seems pretty stupid. We opened with a top 5 team and got beat, played well against SC but gave it away and have not lost since. Yes Florida and Tennessee are down, but Vandy is playing better than ever and I am pretty sure everyone thought Miss State was good until they realized how good LSU, Alabama, and Ark are. Florida lost two games to the number one and number two teams and no one is going to beat those guys. Georgia got lucky and did not have to play 1 and 2, but we are responsible for a handful of losses on teams ranked at the beginning of the year. We may have to play LSU. Doubt we could win and not sure I would want to upset the SEC streak and give OSU Stanford or Boise a SEC free title chance with and upset in the dome. Lot of ifs and buts being thrown around, but it would be real nice to get a W against Auburn after last year and their BCS* performance.
*Cam Newton
gdawginkalamazoo
November 7th, 2011
2:37 pm
5150, THEN DON”T BUY THEM! That’s how you change the market. If all five of you Tech season tickets holders could get on the same page and say we don’t wantto play these FCS teams then they will have to make a change or quit selling season tickets all together. Then you get the free cokes and hotdogs for the single game packages. Go ahead make the 5 phone calls and round up the posse! Make a change.
True Dawg Fan
November 7th, 2011
2:39 pm
Sec 114
November 7th, 2011
1:52 pm
So, True Dawg Fan, are we all high on Brandon Harton now that he’s almost had a 100 yard rushing game against New Mexico State? Sounds legit to me. Move over Isaiah, even better, move over Hershel!
No one is high on Brandon Harton hahahaha. I just like him better than Carlton.
gdawginkalamazoo
November 7th, 2011
2:40 pm
This is a very good Auburn team that we will be facing. Dyer and McCaleb will be the second best backfield that we will face this year and we didn’t do too good against the first (Lattimore).
True Dawg Fan
November 7th, 2011
2:40 pm
tiger7_88
November 7th, 2011
2:27 pm
@IT Dawg (November 7th, 2011), dirty play? You mean the kind of “dirty play” we saw from your pups in Nashville this year? And the thug behavior we saw from your defensive coordinator AFTER the game? That kind of “dirty”.
You gotta hand it to Auburn though… if anything “dirty” happened, at least we had the guts to take it to one of the SEC’s big boys. thUGa? They don’t have the guts enough to take it to the SEC’s big boys… Vandy will do for them just fine. Hahahahahahahaha!
Really going to call us ThUGA? How many players got kicked off the team for Auburn for that armed robbery?? hahahahahahahah yea we are the thugs!! Get a clue moron.
True Dawg Fan
November 7th, 2011
2:42 pm
gdawginkalamazoo
November 7th, 2011
2:40 pm
This is a very good Auburn team that we will be facing. Dyer and McCaleb will be the second best backfield that we will face this year and we didn’t do too good against the first (Lattimore).
That was game 2 and there was no Tree in the middle of the field to plug the gaps. This will be a different story. I dont see them eclipsing 100 yards and if they do it will be just barely.
True Dawg Fan
November 7th, 2011
2:45 pm
harold
November 7th, 2011
1:16 pm
GEORGIA TECH WOULD GET SMASHED IN THE SEC. UGA HAS NOT BEATEN ANYONE THE LAST 7 GAMES……IN FACT “ALL” HAVE HAD LOSING RECORDS!
UGA IS AN AVERAGE FOOTBALL TEAM WITH AN AVERAGE COACH!
IF RICHT DOES NOT WIN OUT HE IS DONE!
Switch to decafe first. and second you are not a UGA fan now go away and cry in the corner.
The Ghost of Wally Butts
November 7th, 2011
2:49 pm
Ulm….I’ll just hold off guzzling down the UGA Kool-aid, thank you very much, until I see whether or not…
1. The ‘Dream Team’ crowd can obey simple team rules, let alone the laws that apply to the rest of us; and,
2. The ‘Dream Team’ can actually win the Auburn and Kentucky games.
Instant Dawgma
November 7th, 2011
2:52 pm
All the haters need to go back in their closets. Bunch of jealous $%(*&.
Instant Dawgma
November 7th, 2011
2:55 pm
Jeff, Is SEC going to stay at 8, or go to a 9 or 10 game conference schedule now?