I’m thinking PJ sees a real title as bigger than beating UGA
Paul Johnson and Josh Nesbitt can still be champions. (AJC photo by Johnny Crawford)
I had this conversation with a Georgia Tech booster last night: If Paul Johnson had to pick between beating Georgia and winning the 2009 ACC title, which would have chosen?
“As fans, we’d always pick beating Georgia,” the booster said. But that’s from the fan’s perspective, which isn’t the same as a coach’s. And if I had to guess — and I don’t have to guess, but just for grins I will — I’d say PJ would take being the champion of a BCS conference. (Yeah, yeah. Even if it is only the ACC.)
I base this on something PJ said last week about beating Georgia — “Been there, done that” — and on his stated desire to win championships at Tech. “We almost did it last year,” he said, and the Jackets did. They shared first place in the Coastal Division but lost to Virginia Tech on a tiebreaker. And now the moment is here. Beat Clemson in Tampa and the Jackets will play in the Orange Bowl in Year 2 under Paul Johnson. And that’s pretty darn impressive even if they did lose to the hated mutts.
A year ago, I think PJ would have chosen the other course: He needed to beat Georgia to establish credibility among his constituency. And that had to come first lest he run the risk of turning into Chan Gailey. (Who was fired because he couldn’t beat Georgia, fired 51 weeks after he played for the ACC title in Jacksonville.) Having done the deed in Year 1, Johnson has more global goals.
Which is why, I submit, he talked down the rivalry last week. (Indeed, he came tantalizingly close to channeling Reggie Ball and saying of Georgia: “It’s just a game, dog.”) PJ said this flat-out: “I’m going to get Georgia Tech to the point where our program is bigger than one game.”
Georgia fans will crow that the ACC title game now holds no currency, but that’s not true. (The Tech fan’s comeback: “So who are you playing this week?”) Tech was the best team in its conference, which isn’t to be confused with the SEC but isn’t the New York-Penn League, either. And that was the Jackets’ stated goal from spring practice on — win the ACC.
Remember Tech’s rings from last season? They weren’t presented for beating Georgia, although they did bear the famous score. (I’m pretty sure this year’s rings won’t be engraved with “30-24.”) The rings were for tying for the Coastal title. This year GT and PJ don’t have to share a division with anyone. This year they can win the whole conference. And I’m thinking, in this coach’s mind, that was Job 1 all along.
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1,540 comments Add your comment
suwaneedawg
November 30th, 2009
4:33 pm
There was a coach at Ohio State a few years ago that said the Michigan game was “just another game” and then proceeded to lose every game he coached against Michigan except for one. Can anyone remember his name? It does not matter because he was fired with a winning record but, could not beat his rival. If the great CPJ feels the same way then the same thinbg will happen to him. Bradley has an excuse to feel this way, he is an idiot.
GT Joe
November 30th, 2009
4:33 pm
Oh yeah, Dawggirl: I wonder where UGA will be ranked after their game this weekend; oh wait, nevermind.
UGA Still Sux
November 30th, 2009
4:34 pm
ATLshirt.COM – way to go with that UGA education… selling T-Shirts! LMAO Let me guess, UGA offers a Bachelor of Arts in T-Shirt Vending. Too funny dude. I would be embarassed to list your site on a blog and then identify yourself as a Dawg fan. LMAO
ATLshirt.COM
November 30th, 2009
4:34 pm
Works ??? Try OWN
… go ahead and order yourself a tech shirt or jersey, I do carry them 
P.S. thanks for the link.. notice I do not do it
HBTD
November 30th, 2009
4:35 pm
I was surprised at how small techs team was, BUT they were slow.
30-24 GO DAWGS
November 30th, 2009
4:35 pm
HERE’S SOME RANKINGS FOR YOU.
2008: UGA- 13 GT- 22
2007: UGA- 2 GT- NOT RANKED
2006- UGA- 23 GT- NOT RANKED
2005- UGA 10- GT- NOT RANKED
2004- UGA 7- GT- NOT RANKED
2003- UGA- 7- GT- NOT RANKED
SHALL I GO ON? CRUNCH ON THESE NUMBERS GNATS. 30-24. 8-1 IN MARK RICHT ERA. 60-39 OVERALL. YOU’RE THE UGLY COUSIN WHO YOU DON’T WANT TO PLAY FOOTBALL WITH AT THANKSGIVING BUT YOU’RE FORCED TOO TO BE “NICE”
UGA Still Sux
November 30th, 2009
4:35 pm
Hey dawggirl, how do you know if someone is barking at you because of the way you look as opposed to the dog of a university you support?
GT Joe
November 30th, 2009
4:35 pm
suwaneedawg: I’m pretty sure that no coach would get fired for losing to their rival EVERY year IF he was competing for BCS appearances every year and competing for conference titles every year.
Gailey was fired because he couldn’t beat UGA, AND he wasn’t competing for titles. See the difference?
HBTD
November 30th, 2009
4:36 pm
Funny, but I did not see even ONE tech flag this morning on the drive in. Talk about a bunch of bandwagon fans. Did they forget they’re playing this weekend in the A She She chumps game?
Solid Gold Dancer
November 30th, 2009
4:37 pm
Su whiney dog, nobody cares about michigan or ohio st.
dawggirl
November 30th, 2009
4:37 pm
Yea, I think that they will be 8 or 9 as well. In what I just don’t know. Remember, going forward . . . it might be best to win at least two in a row before you start running your mouth all year. Funny, how different it is this year. I wonder what all of you would be saying if Tech won. It was just a non-conference game, it didn’t really matter. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA. Oh, it matters and you know it does.
GT Joe
November 30th, 2009
4:38 pm
hey 30-24:
Don’t forget 2009:
GT #10, UGA not ranked.
But hey, awesome season in 2007, congrats. Irrelevant nowadays, but congrats.
ATLshirt.COM
November 30th, 2009
4:38 pm
I seriously doubt that tech plays for the ACC (Almost Competitive Conference) championship next year, if you have not noticed how impressive Miami looks!!
30-24 GO DAWGS
November 30th, 2009
4:38 pm
WASN’T CHAN GAILEY FIRED FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO BEAT GEORGIA? YEAH PAUL JOHNSON, KEEP THINKING THIS GAME ISN’T IMPORTANT. THE BOOSTERS AND FANS FEEL OTHERWISE AND THEY KNOW IT, EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE TOO BIG OF COWARDS TO SAY IT.
Atlanta Gator
November 30th, 2009
4:38 pm
In all seriousness though, I live in Atlanta and follow all the college football boards pretty closely. And I’ve noticed that Ga Tech fans view the UGA vs Tech game much more important than do the UGA fans. I suppose that is because Georgia wins most of the games and always has. However, you would think Tech would hate a team like Virginia Tech or Miami much more since they are in the same conference and traditionally give GT so much trouble.
). Anyway, just wondering why GT puts so much more importance on the UGA-GT game than others. I guess it’s like Coach Spurrier always said “they only REALLY hate you when you are beating them”.
UGA people consider Georgia-Florida a much bigger rivalry than UGA-GT. In fact, of the UGA fans I’ve spoken with, GT comes in at 3rd or 4th as far a rivals go. I know when I was a kid Georgia owned Florida for decades and still holds the overall record (though the Gators have owned UGA for the past 2 decades
HBTD
November 30th, 2009
4:38 pm
Clemson will beat this bunch of clowns silly on Saturday. Way too much speed and size of the bugs to handle. 41 – 13 Tigers roll in this one.
Shane
November 30th, 2009
4:39 pm
Who cares. Paul Johnson is gone anyway and let him take his bloated face and gimmick offense with him.
He knows he can never play for the national title in the weak ACC so he is going to move on to greener pastures shortly.
suwaneedawg
November 30th, 2009
4:39 pm
GT Joe,I was speaking of the Ohio State coach who made the comment, I believe it was Earl Bruce. And he did have a winning record and a solid out of conference record as well. If Johnson does not take the UGA game seriously then he will not last. It is important to you as well as us every year.
Solid Gold Dancer
November 30th, 2009
4:39 pm
Here’s some rankings for you!
GT #10
uga#? I really couldn’t tell you, do you know?
30-24 GO DAWGS
November 30th, 2009
4:39 pm
GT JOE…. OKAY SO YOU HAVE ONE OUT EVERY…SAY 10 YEARS OF BEING A DECENT TEAM. LOL AND WE STILL BEAT YOU IN A DOWN YEAR!
The Ghost of Wally Butts
November 30th, 2009
4:40 pm
Tech fans don’t want the facts because they’re ugly…..
30-24!!!!
60-39!!!!
15-5 the last 20 years!!!!
suwaneedawg
November 30th, 2009
4:40 pm
Solid Gold Prancer, nobody cares about Tech but, we are writing about them.
GT Joe
November 30th, 2009
4:40 pm
HBTD: what’s even funnier about the flags: on Saturday, I saw NOT ONE UGA flag on a car, and I live in redneck UGA heaven, Kennesaw, GA.
Those bandwagon fans had their tails between their legs in fear.
Nice upset win, it happens in rivalry games. That’s what’s great about these games, the best team doesn’t always win.
DawgFan
November 30th, 2009
4:41 pm
SolidGold: Yes the loss to UGA did mean something. Case in point. If you had beaten UGA and then lost to Clemson, there could have still been an outside shot for you to have gotten an at large BCS bid. No more. You MUST be Clemson or you fall to the Gator, period.
The reason you didn’t fall as badly is because Georgia’s Strength of Schedule. You should thank UGA for that. They only had one team on their schedule without a winning record. So basically the BCS was saying Ga. Tech could have and should have lost to a team like UGA, so no harm, no foul. I hate to tell you, but your not falling far is a compliment to the UGA team.
dawggirl
November 30th, 2009
4:43 pm
The best team did win. No doubt.
GT Joe
November 30th, 2009
4:44 pm
Great, 30-24. You beat us in a rebuilding year. Rebuilding what, I don’t know, cause Logan Gray blows.
We beat you when you had stafford and moreno. Even?
The Ghost of Wally Butts
November 30th, 2009
4:44 pm
Dancer – Tech’s ranked 10th, but just got beat by an unranked team. Winning one of your final two games is the only way to guarantee you’ll be ranked at the end of this year.
30-24!!!! Glad it hurts so bad!!!!
HBTD
November 30th, 2009
4:44 pm
GT JOE. That was no upset. Are you kidding me?? That was a complete beatdown on an inferior club that’d be lucky to go 6 – 6 in the SEC. Take a look at techs win this year. When tech plays a big time program like an UGA, those 10 wins against weak sister in the NCAA don’t mean a thing. Truth is, score should have been a lot worse.
Solid Gold Dancer
November 30th, 2009
4:45 pm
Hey 30-24 go dawgs,
you’re the one who’s supposed to be getting under my …..right? You’ve got the stage, don’t let my silly comments cloud your boasting alright??? OK
Where's tha Luv ???
November 30th, 2009
4:46 pm
Hey Coach Richt,
Your spray tan is running and your hair is wet and all messed up…OMG…..don’t take it out on dreadlock
Pull that stick out of your ass and learn how to coach. Quit wondering how good you look so much and concentrate on the bigger picture, like the students. Good luck pretty boy.
The Ghost of Wally Butts
November 30th, 2009
4:46 pm
GT Joe – You’re right the best team doesn’t always win, but UGA has won 15 out of the last 20 times….including this year.
30-24!!!!!
Gabulldawg79
November 30th, 2009
4:47 pm
Tech hasn’t been to a BCS bowl game much less won one and you aren’t guarenteed this year. Georgia has been to 3 and won 2 of them. But all that aside this discussion is about Tech vs UGA. Jackets do you really want to know how irrelevent you are to us?…are you sure let me sum it for you…
UGA leads the series 60 to 37!
UGA has won 44 of the last 60!
UGA has won 14 of the last 17!
UGA has won 8 of the last 9 and ….
UGA won this year.!
Conclusion UGA owns Tech PAST, PRESENT and we all know the FUTURE!
Dawgs might have 99 problems but a bee ain’t one!
30-24 GO DAWGS
November 30th, 2009
4:49 pm
STAFFORD AND MORENO ARE IRRELEVANT IN THE LOSS TO TECH LAST YEAR. THE OFFENSE PLAYED THEIR HEARTS OUT. STAFF SET A CAREER HIGH 5 TD’S THAT DAY. IT WAS A COMPLETE LAPSE OF THE DEFENSE IN THE 3RD QUARTER THAT LOST THE GAME. OH, AND THE FACT WE HAD OVER 20 PLAYERS GO DOWN WITH INJURY BY THE END OF THE YEAR. BUT OKAY, YOU BEAT US, BUT IT WASN’T ON STAFFORD AND MORENO. FACE IT, ONE IN EVERY NINE IS ABOUT RIGHT.
HBTD
November 30th, 2009
4:50 pm
Gabulldawg79
November 30th, 2009
4:47 pm
Dawgs might have 99 problems but a bee ain’t one!
WELL SAID DAWG 79
ClinchPanther
November 30th, 2009
4:50 pm
Well, it is easier to say the acc championship is bigger after you already lost. if you ask him before the game he says, right now the georgia game means more than anything. but that is over so obviously the acc game now becomes the biggest for PJ.
Tech is back where they belong, number two in Georgia!!
(And sorry Bradley but it only gets worse from here on)
suwaneedawg
November 30th, 2009
4:50 pm
I think Gabulldawg79 just summed it up. If you GT fans will now step away from your computer we can have a serious talk about serious football teams most of which are in the SEC.
GT Joe
November 30th, 2009
4:50 pm
HBTD: we are an inferior club? Maybe you should tell that to the bookmakers who had us 7.5 point favorites, or the BCS that has us #10 and UGA nowhere to be seen.
ATLshirt.COM
November 30th, 2009
4:51 pm
we have to let them win one out of ten, if we win them all, they would stop playing us LOL!
ice bucket
November 30th, 2009
4:51 pm
No smiles ’till zero zero!
Awesome.
HBTD
November 30th, 2009
4:51 pm
Dang! Caleb just scored again!! 31 – 24!!! Go Dawgs
Atlanta Gator
November 30th, 2009
4:52 pm
GT Joe wrote: “HBTD: what’s even funnier about the flags: on Saturday, I saw NOT ONE UGA flag on a car, and I live in redneck UGA heaven, Kennesaw, GA.”
–
They may be so in Kennesaw, but I live in Atlanta and saw thousands of UGA flags. Almost got sick.
GT Joe
November 30th, 2009
4:52 pm
30-24, I’m not your grandma, I can see fine, so no need for the all caps.
We beat the most talented UGA team of the decade last year, and you beat our best team of the decade. Even?
dawggirl
November 30th, 2009
4:53 pm
GT Joe, you sound so sad. Cheer up, the game didn’t matter.
HBTD
November 30th, 2009
4:53 pm
GT Joe. I think the team has already spoken. That was a beating your boys took. Unfortunately for you and the rest of the tech nation, it’ll be more of the same this weekend. Clemson’s got way too much speed and size for tech to handle. As mentioned earlier, tech is small, but their slow.
GT Joe
November 30th, 2009
4:53 pm
If the SEC is so tough, perhaps UGA should think about leaving. They won’t be competing for SEC ’ships for a long time. Left behind by superior coaches.
suwaneedawg
November 30th, 2009
4:54 pm
GT Joe you just gave up like your beloved team did on Saturday.
GT Joe
November 30th, 2009
4:55 pm
dawgirl, i’m not sad. I’m happy that we are playing this weekend, along with all the other teams playing for conference titles.
I’m also happy that UGA is obsessed with us now, not vice versa.
dawggirl
November 30th, 2009
4:55 pm
Comments about Coach Richt learning how to coach? I think he taught CPJ how to on Saturday. HA HA HA HA HA
ATLshirt.COM
November 30th, 2009
4:55 pm
I have some friends who are GT Alumni, I will say that they are some of the best Engineers in thier field. All last week, they would not stop calling me to brag about how thier team was going to kick my team in the rear.. I havent heard from them since Saturday, maybe I should call them just to see if they are O.K.
HBTD
November 30th, 2009
4:56 pm
GT Joe. You’re new to the area?? Dawg have played in the SEC CG 3 times in the last 9 years and won it twice!!!