Bradley’s Buzz: ESPN’s Dinich now likes Clemson over Tech
According to ESPN's ACC expert, Tech won't win this time. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
Say this for Heather Dinich of ESPN.com: She’s consistent. She didn’t pick Georgia Tech to win the Coastal Division, and she’s not picking the Coastal champ to win the ACC title.
Ms. Dinich call her choice of Clemson over Tech in Tampa on Dec. 5 a “wacky prediction.” I wouldn’t call it wacky. I’d just call it misguided. You can make a case for Clemson. You can make a much better one for Tech.
Winning the ACC would put Clemson in the Orange Bowl. So where, according to Ms. Dinich, would Tech land? The Chick-fil-A? Nope. She has Georgia Tech falling behind Virginia Tech in the pecking order and landing in the Gator Bowl against a Big East opponent or Notre Dame. (I understand the Chick-fil-A might not want to have Georgia Tech for a second consecutive year, but I also understand that there would be local pressure from Jacket fans to keep Tech out of Jacksonvile.)
But … Notre Dame? Is it even bowl-eligible? And if so, is it bowl-worthy?
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339 comments Add your comment
OptionBee
November 22nd, 2009
7:32 pm
Mark: Tech has a real delimma on December 5th! We will have qualified for both the ACC and SEC (undefeated) championship game which are both played on the same day!!! Can you see what you can do to move the SEC game out another week, so we can take our rightful place!!
Technophobia
November 22nd, 2009
7:33 pm
Since when does attendance have anything to do with the quality of a football team? It’s such an idiotic argument. What’s next? Income of players parents? Sheesh talk about grasping at straws.
As for the rest of you smack talkers, if your opinion was worth anything you’d be getting paid for it………. like Bradley. I’m not worried one bit. This is what you’re gonna see in the ACC CG, just like earlier this year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WBmrrRKg-c
GT1990
November 22nd, 2009
7:35 pm
MB that explanation was about as clear as mud. What the hell is a simulated substitution?
Mark Bradley
November 22nd, 2009
7:38 pm
I believe it’s a fake substitution. You’re not supposed to be able to pretend on those. If you act like you’re going to take a man out, he has to come off the field.
I know. Goofy.
George P. Burdell
November 22nd, 2009
7:39 pm
Tg ggirf,
Get over it. Tell me one team in the entire NCAA that doesn’t use cut blocks and I’ll show you just how little you know about football. I was laughing on a play during the UGA-LSU game because the entire LSU team on a 3rd and short play dove straight for the DL’s ankles. No mention was even made of it but I guarantee you if it was Tech, they’d be going on for several minutes.
As far as Heather goes, so what. And I don’t really give a darn about her % calls on the ACC. I could get 70% right without even hardly trying, especially if you are making the calls without a point spread. She obviously has no impatiality with her reporting, not because of Tech/Clemson, but because of the way she has consistently predicted against Tech and been wrong on so many occasions. She is a never-was, hoping to be a has-been, and most likely settling for a coulda, woulda, shoulda.
GT1990
November 22nd, 2009
7:40 pm
No technophobia it’s not an idiotic argument unless you are idiotic enough to think that the politics of money doesn’t exist in college football. Teams that don’t travel well will always come up short against teams that do travel well with equivalent records. Sorry, but you are a fool if you think a 1 loss Alabama or 1 loss Florida, won’t trump us when it comes to bowl selection. Get in tune with the real world.
Technophobia
November 22nd, 2009
7:45 pm
Hey Mark, did you notice that Clemson tried the “simulated substitution” trick again vs. Miami? The Clemson receiver ran to the sideline without going out of bounds and turned facing the game as if he was no longer in it. The Clemson assistant coaches even gathered around him to make it look like he was on the sideline. They should have known by then that it was illegal. Wonder why they tried to get away with it…..
Technophobia
November 22nd, 2009
7:46 pm
Mark, ok here’s the play I was talkin about above.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYE4el3SEa4
Mark Bradley
November 22nd, 2009
7:47 pm
A word about Ms. Dinich: She’s entitled to pick whoever she pleases. And goodness knows I’ve been wrong a time or two on my picks. I just find it interesting that she keeps picking against the team that has been the class of the ACC all season. I mean, 10-1 is pretty impressive.
Technophobia
November 22nd, 2009
7:51 pm
GT 1990, no, I didn’t say that. I said attendance had nothing to do with the quality of the game. The fact that money plays such a big role is a blemish on the sport. And no, I do not see GT in the NC or deserving of being there based on what we’ve seen so far nor do I expect them to be deserving of being in the NC game. I do think a top 5 finish is well within our reach.
Dan
November 22nd, 2009
7:52 pm
Then maybe you should STFU technophobia. Your smack talk is just as worthless as the next guys azzhole. Obviously nobody is paying you for your ignorant diatribes.
Tokyo jacket
November 22nd, 2009
7:54 pm
Tom, I think you’re a tard. I’ll give it to you that Bradley didn’t propose a lot of facts in his comments. But, I’ll provide the analysis that MB did not:
National Championships: Frank Beamer (VT), Jeff Tetford (Cal), Houston Nutt (Ole Miss) = 0. I don’t think you can argue that Dabo is just as good as them. I’m not saying he’s an r-tard like you, just that he doesn’t belong in that group yet.
The WF team you mentioned as not being that good has lost 5 of its 7 losses by three points, including 2 OTs.
GT has four common opponents with the concensus number 1 Florida Gators. We beat Miss St by 9, UF beat them by 10. We beat Vandy by 25, UF won by 24. We’ll know more after the FSU and UGA games this weekend, but comparatively we’re looking about as good as UF when it comes to common opponents.
Lastly, when you say the coaches don’t play, but the players do, you sound like a fool. Technically, you’re correct of course. CPJ has had zero caries in his lifetime. However, the head coach means more in college football than any other sport, except maybe the NBA, where another CPJ dominates. Think about it: Steve Spurrier, Urban Meyer, Pete Carroll, Jimmy Johnson, and, yes, CPJ are all cut from the same cloth. They are smarter than the other guy; they win football games because they want to rip your ba!!$ off and shove them down your neck. It’s not a mystery that the same coaches win year in and year out, even as players come and go. Dabo Swinney may one day be the stuff of legends; but Paul Johnson already is. After beating UGA he will have won more games in his first 12 seasons than any other coach in college football history.
And, before you say that those games don’t count because he was a coach in Div II, wrong again. Jim Tressel won a national championship at Youngstown St and then came to Ohio St and did the same thing. CPJ won two as a head coach and one or two as an assistant coach. The dude is a winner every where he goes. That’s not chance.
Prof
November 22nd, 2009
7:56 pm
Mark maybe she is betting based on history. GT inevitably melts down at some point. The most recent being the LSU game last year. GT has 3 chances left to repeat history or overcome it. It’s not like Tech has proven it can handle success yet. It’s up to Tech to change that perception.
Technophobia
November 22nd, 2009
7:58 pm
Dan, what’s your problem son. Where did I smack talk? Being confident in your team when they are a one loss #7 team isn’t smack talk, it’s natural.
Technophobia
November 22nd, 2009
8:01 pm
Prof, when did Clemson prove it could handle success? hmm
SST
November 22nd, 2009
8:11 pm
Using your logic Tokyo Jacket, Eddie Robinson is the greatest coach to stalk a sideline. It does matter where a coach gets those wins. Jim Donnan won 1 of those NCs at Marshall and racked up tons of wins. Does that make him “the stuff of legends”? And is that Montana coach that has won all those NCs with the Griz a legend? Paul Johnson is a legend only to GT, Navy, and GSU fans, and maybe in his own mind. If there is a guy that is the “stuff of legends” it is Erskine Russell. If Russell doesn’t start the GSU program from scratch, win multiple NCs and hand Paul Johnson that program on a silver platter does anybody even know who Paul Johnson is today? Probably not.
Prof
November 22nd, 2009
8:12 pm
Not yet Technophobia. GT and Clemson are both battling history in that regard.
Technophobia
November 22nd, 2009
8:17 pm
GT vs. Clemson is usually a hard fought, close game. I expect this to be the same. But I think you play to win and you don’t fear losing. I think that’s the way Johnson looks at it too.
SST
November 22nd, 2009
8:25 pm
When Paul Johnson does what the likes of John Robinson, Tom Osborne, Darrell Royal, and Bear Bryant have done on the big stage, then he is a “legend”. Until then he is just another good coach. In fact he has a long way to go to even catch Eddie Robinson. Using your logic and your criteria there are hundreds of “legends”. Calling Paul Johnson a “legend” is an insult to all those coaches that have earned that designator.
SST
November 22nd, 2009
8:34 pm
By far the best-known sports program at Mount Union is football, led by head coach Larry Kehres (275-21-3, .929 over 23 seasons), which has won a record ten Division III national championships—all since 1993.
Paul Johnson can’t carry Larry Kehres jockstrap Tokyo Jacket. Using your logic and the level of competition doesn’t matter, Kehres must be the greatest coach in the history of the game. Paul Johnson a legend? Not even close.
YELLA JACKETS
November 22nd, 2009
8:45 pm
Bradley im thinking jackets wont make the same mistake’s as they did last time and i also think if we crush UGAg we will have higher momentum for the ACC CG what do you think
GT9
November 22nd, 2009
8:50 pm
Heather is a beautiful human being. This is America and the America that I know includes freedom of expression.
Beat UG!
600+ yards offense = GT
UK ran around the end anytime that they wanted to.
(Two UG possessions inside the fifteen = 3 points)
It’s gonna be sick, professor.
Just saying...
November 22nd, 2009
8:52 pm
I’m a Jacket girl and I absolutely love college football…there is nothing better than a fall Saturday spent watching football and eating wings. And as much as I love football, I have never played a minute of it and I wouldn’t know what it’s really like to be on the field with thousands of fans yelling at you. And as much as I love to watch and talk football, I agree that women should not be sports reporters. Men won’t believe you and certainly don’t give a damn what you say unless you report naked (and even then won’t listen) and women will think you are just trying to be a pretty piece of a$$ for their husbands to look at.
I personally think Heather Dinich is one unattractive woman and I can’t wait until the Jackets (hopefully) prove her wrong on December 5th in Tampa!
THWG!
Tokyo jacket
November 22nd, 2009
9:23 pm
CPJ’s resume at Tech is the stuff of legends, though he isn’t one yet. But he is becoming one at Tech. You’re right. CPJ isn’t the legend that those other coaches are because they won a national championship at the highest level. But, at GT, he is quickly becoming a legend. He may become the legend that got The Reverend CMR fired by this time next year.
Here are some interesting streaks that CPJ has broken:
1. 7 Consecutive losses to UGA
2. Not winning at UVA since 1990
3. (If we beat UGA as expected) at least one loss every year to an unranked team since 1990
4. Not beating FSU since they joined the ACC
5. Never beating FSU in Tallahassee…ever
CPJ’s record in big games: FSU 2-0, CLEM 2-0, UGA 1-0, UNC 1-1, VT 1-1, The U 1-1. CPJ’s record against the SEC 4-1.
One more thing. I was incorrect, they weren’t Div 2 wins, they were Div 1-AA, so they still count on the records. I’m glad you pointed out Tom Osborne because it’s his record that CPJ will break with a win Saturday. Last comment, also since you pointed it out, how did Erk Russell win those NC’s at GSU? Oh, that’s right, with CPJ as the Offensive Coordinator.
In the words of the great Red Foreman “Dumb A$$!”
sugarpikegang
November 22nd, 2009
9:23 pm
…who cares…play the games! Oh, and To Hell With UGA!
DE
November 22nd, 2009
9:45 pm
I think Tech wins but I am very scared of Spiller and Ford. 2 of the 5 best players in college football. Once was enough
Technophobia
November 22nd, 2009
9:45 pm
He also broke a streak of 43 consecutive losses to Notre Dame while at Navy. But I agree, very good coach, may be a legend in the making but too soon to tell for sure.
ESPN
November 22nd, 2009
9:47 pm
who cares who HD picks. Just go out and do your job and get it done! CPJ and his kids are not losing sleep over this. Guarantee you that.
We need to be focused on a “mad” UGA team before start bundling our nerves over a fifth of liquor on the Clemson subject.
Go Jakcets!!
Tokyo jacket
November 22nd, 2009
9:51 pm
ESPN, while CPJ isn’t losing sleep, don’t think he doesn’t notice. HD previously noted after the VT game “there shouldn’t be any more doubters as to whether or not your offense can work at the BCS level.” His response, alluding to the fact that HD consistently picks against Tech and did so that night, was “Oh, I think there’s still doubters out there. Don’t you Heather.”
He’s not losing sleep. But, if you know CPJ that motivates the hell out of him. Just tell him he can’t do something! I guarantee you that if he is motivated, his players are motivated.
Jaded Jacket
November 22nd, 2009
9:53 pm
Why doesn’t she go back to Cosmopolitan and write her article about shoes and make-up. What does she know about football? Gimme a break, Mark.
sean
November 22nd, 2009
9:53 pm
MC-More LSU fans than Tech last year? I beg to differ as I was there and most of the stadium was GT except for the area around LSU’s band. Also on National tv Tech and LSU probably look like they have the same colors.
wilma
November 22nd, 2009
9:56 pm
bradley …”you could make a better case for tech”….you didn”t? you told us what someone else said and then chickened out.
SGOD EHT KCUF
November 22nd, 2009
10:00 pm
Where is ole MC? I call him out on which team he supports because he acts like it’s some big mystery he must never reveal. Guranteed he that nasssssty man has to be an Auburn fan.
Not Disappointed
November 22nd, 2009
10:06 pm
Lets but this energy in beating Georgia and worry Clemson Next Sunday. It’s UGA that we want now. I believe they are going to play like there’s no tomorrow. I also feel CPJ will have our Jactets ready. Ramblin Wreck!
buzzzzz
November 22nd, 2009
10:17 pm
ACC Weak? That’s the only conference with more than 4 in teh top 25. 5 . . . count 5 of the top 25 are ACC.
Limelight
November 22nd, 2009
10:24 pm
Forget Clemson, for now. Let’s beat the Dawg while he’s down. As for Heather, who cares, she’s kind of cute.
GT'07
November 22nd, 2009
10:38 pm
Hey MC,
Your question: who knows who GT is outside of Atlanta (paraphrased of course)? Answer: any major company looking for a good employee. But I digress; this is a football blog.
Can't outfox a fox
November 22nd, 2009
10:49 pm
I love it when Clempsun thinks not playing at Grant Field is going to go in their favor. Well you had 80000 plus at Memorial while GT had around 4000 in 2008 and 2006 and GT won those games.
can't make this cr@p up
November 22nd, 2009
10:55 pm
Dont give a rat’s behind about Heather, she has picked GT to lose every game this season and if GT lined up against FIU Charleston Southern, Troy, N Texas, Chattanooga like Bama and UF, Heather would have those sisters of the poor winning too. There are some very good female sports reporters but she’s not one of them..Dingbat comes to mind. She could use her column to promote the ACC but instead she uses it to degrade the conference leader and would do her damnest to have GT play a sorry hack Notre Dame team if she had her way.
Newnan Jacket
November 22nd, 2009
11:47 pm
The Clemson game was the 2nd game of the season. Remember the 1st? CPJ said the worst thing that happened to Tech was that first score. He said they started to coast after that and forgot how to play with intensity. Same thing happened with the Clemson game. Only the 4th quarter rolls around and Nesbitt starts reading off the NT instead of the DE. What do you know? Tech starts going again and Clemson can’t figure out what happened.
Fast forward to the VT game: after a lackluster 1st half, CPJ changes the OL blocking scheme wholesale. VT can’t react and look like they don’t know what the heck is going on.
That’s what BOOGER and all these guys aren’t considering. Who cares about passer ratings, avg. yards per rush, and whether Wake was beat by 3 or 30 pts? The point is, Georgia Tech will win because the offense is much more flexible and reacts to the successes of the other team by turning it against them. Clemson D will have success against Tech, but then CPJ will pull them in a bit and turn things around to the point where the DE won’t know up from down, and the LB’s will wonder why the DE’s weren’t covering the QB like earlier. Pretty soon: discomboulation. It will be beautiful.
Having said that… The only team that can beat Georgia Tech the next two weeks is… Georgia Tech. We gotta take care of Georgia first, then think about the Tiggers.
I can’t wait to paint Tampa Old Gold and White. It will be beautiful.
Smilnjac
November 22nd, 2009
11:55 pm
Enter your comments here
No doubt that Clemson is improved, but then again so is Tech. Historically Tech usually plays much better as an underdog. Let’em pick Clemson. Tech will have the last laugh !
whatever
November 23rd, 2009
12:52 am
Clemson will be destroyed
Andrew Sherwin (The Dude)
November 23rd, 2009
2:37 am
Dog tastes better than tiger, at least this week. Let that tiger marinade a bit longer.
macrotech
November 23rd, 2009
3:49 am
I see the usual malcontents are tossing in their brilliant comments…. I HAVE been noticing that the ‘regulars’ aren’t throwing around the statement, ” Bank on it”. Like their team, they’ve lost their confidence. Tis understandable….as many times as these ‘prophets’ have been wrong; who WOULDN’T be a little gun shy?! uga needs to be our focus right now. Let’s beat them! Forget about some woman thinks about our team…it doesn’t play out on the field and she’s proven to be most errant, thus far. Clemson will be a challenge…they ALWAYS are! However, we need to litter Bobby Dodd Stadium with mutt butt! GO TECH!!!
George P.
November 23rd, 2009
5:30 am
None of us know who is going to win the game Saturday. Heather’s prediction is just as valid as anyone’s, given that none of them are valid.
E=
November 23rd, 2009
6:26 am
Does the word Airhead, not the candy mean anything. How about that powerhouse non-confrence schedule the SEC top teams played this week-end?
E=mcx4
November 23rd, 2009
6:30 am
Does the word airhead(not the candy) mean anything? How about that powerhouse non-confrence that the SEC played this week-end? AL vs Tn-chat, UF vs FIU now thats big time football.
jdl2
November 23rd, 2009
6:31 am
Heather is a ditz. She got to interview Spiller and went to a clemson game (guess it’s the only place they would let her in free).
Old Gold Britches
November 23rd, 2009
7:35 am
scott in acworth – if if if if if a frog had wing it wouldn’t bump it azz…………. Excuses, excuse and more excuses. Next year, next year next year!
Heather has the right to her opinion. I just think she is a sandwich short of having a complete picnic.
GTpak
November 23rd, 2009
7:38 am
Both Clemson and UGA will be fired up and we need to come ready to play and not assume we will win. After Miami spanked us, they have lost games everyone thought they would win. We barely won some games this year ourselves. We need to just take this one game at a time. UGA will be trying to avenge last year’s loss. I’m sure they have all kinds of material to motivae their players. So let’s stay focused on the dogs, and get prepared for that one.
Go Jackets!!!!