Tech’s 2010 schedule doesn’t set up for another title run
Don't look for another BCS game in the immediate future. (AJC photo by Johnny Crawford)
With a football schedule, the ideal is to have the soft games at their place and the tough ones at yours. Georgia Tech had that sort of schedule in 2009. (Road games were at Miami, Mississippi State, Florida State, Virginia, Vanderbilt and Duke. Not surprisingly, Tech won five of the six.)
The 2010 slate, released today, is rather different. At Kansas, at North Carolina, at Wake Forest, at Clemson, at Virginia Tech, at Georgia.
Tech will do well to go 3-3 on the road this time.
Tech will do well to go 8-4 next season.
Not trying to be overly negative here — as any Georgia fan will tell you, I’m the biggest Tech rooter on the planet — but Bobby Bowden, whose team the Jackets beat in Tallahassee en route to the ACC title and the Orange Bowl, always said: “To win a championship, you need a championship schedule.” (He pronounced it “SKED-yule.”)
In 2009 the Jackets had both the team and the SKED-yule. In 2010 it will have a lesser team and a tougher assignment. Every preseason poll will have the Jackets in the Top 25 and many will put them in the Top 10, but as of this date — Feb. 4, 2010 — I see the season ahead as a time of retrenching. And I see at least — at least, I say — three regular-season losses.
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340 comments Add your comment
EEJacket
February 4th, 2010
3:03 pm
Unfortunately, I agree. It wont be until CPJ’s recruits start playing before we can smack anyone around like this year, and that man loves nothing more than redshirt kids (there may be one or two Stephen Hills in this class, but that’s it). On the upside, when these kids DO start playing, we’ll have the talent and the coach on both sides of the ball to really start beating the hell outta some folks.
EEJacket
February 4th, 2010
3:04 pm
By that I mean his 2nd and 3rd year recrutis
UGA 2010
February 4th, 2010
3:05 pm
pretty much a givin
The D
February 4th, 2010
3:06 pm
can’t wait until Athens, tech’s gonna get buzzzzzzed on outta there!
Bid Factory
February 4th, 2010
3:09 pm
What do you mean we aren’t going to get an BCS Bowl Bid?
UglyOldDog
February 4th, 2010
3:12 pm
MB..the truth hurts!
nickj0321
February 4th, 2010
3:12 pm
NEGATIVITY – if anyone is going to have a bad season its the puppies in athens
Calhoundawg
February 4th, 2010
3:14 pm
Who cares?
Daniel
February 4th, 2010
3:16 pm
We should take care of SC State, Kansas, NCSU, Wake, MTSU, Duke. We drilled UNC this year and if their offense doesn’t get better, it won’t be any different next year. We’ve owned Clemson since 2004 (6-1 since Calvin introduced himself to the nation). We should beat VA Tech too. We’ve split the last four with them and but for that horrible helmet to helmet call on Cooper Taylor, it’d 3 of the last 4. We’ll see about Miami and UGA. If I had to guess, I’d say 9-3.
ACC = Anyone Can Compete
February 4th, 2010
3:18 pm
Heck, it’s the ACC so even a lousy Tech team has a chance to claim the title of the most pathetic conference in college football. They just shouldn’t brag about it because it’s kind of like being the prettiest waitress at the Waffle House.
Daniel
February 4th, 2010
3:18 pm
Apparently Calhoundawg cares…at least enough to read the posting, think of something witty to say (not surprisingly he came up empty), then post a childish comment on an entry clearly related to Tech. But whatever.
Daniel
February 4th, 2010
3:18 pm
Can’t spell second without SEC
Herschel Talker
February 4th, 2010
3:21 pm
30-24!!!! Just a reminder!!! hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Dannyboy
February 4th, 2010
3:23 pm
And that, as they say, is why they play the games…
Burdell
February 4th, 2010
3:26 pm
@Calhoun–
Obviously you do…you dip ___. You read and commented on the article. Brilliant. Typical.
Thirty Points to your Twenty-Four Points
February 4th, 2010
3:26 pm
{{{{{30-24}}}}}
Tech is going to have an awful year next year.
Those Techies who think UGA is going to have a bad year, remember please that UGA returns 10 of 11 on an offense that ran the ball down your throats on Nov 28th, 2009. And we all know the one that is being replaced is for the better!!!
Triple Option??… sure… UGA ran one of those on you!!!
Option #1. We ran the ball left
Option #2. We ran the ball right
Option #3. We ran the ball straight up the middle.
We Run This State.
JDH GT
February 4th, 2010
3:27 pm
Thank you very much, Mark! This column pretty much assures a national championship on the Flats!
Burdell
February 4th, 2010
3:28 pm
I think a season very similar to 2008 is to be expected…including the upset in cowtown (Athens that is…Clemson won’t be an upset). 9-3 heading to the bowls.
Technophobia
February 4th, 2010
3:28 pm
I’m a little more optimistic than MB but his assessment isn’t out of line and he may be right. Too many questions right now to predict with any certainty. How will the 3-4 do? How will the kicking game do? After kickoff’s, our defense usually started out around the 40. If the new guy can put it in the end zone regularly that could mean another 20 yards of field to defend which could also be huge. We’re deep at corner and seem to have guys big enough to play the all important nose guard position on the D line. If we can get our linebackers coached up we might have a pretty decent defense. The coastal is loaded this year though so it will be VERY tough to repeat.
Daniel
February 4th, 2010
3:28 pm
Surprise! Thirty points is back.
Falkor
February 4th, 2010
3:29 pm
GT will miss their key players gone to the NFL, but the coaching staff has improved so who knows. It will be very interesting to see what we have in store once PJ’s own recruits start contributing.
WE RUiN THIS STATE
February 4th, 2010
3:30 pm
Anyone heard how Mark Fox’s team is doing?
Blindog
February 4th, 2010
3:30 pm
Larry, go to work !!
JohninJax
February 4th, 2010
3:30 pm
Dang! Herschel beat me to it! Hey Tech! 30 – 24!!!
JDM
February 4th, 2010
3:31 pm
Are you taking cpj’s pic off of your night stand
JACKETfan12
February 4th, 2010
3:31 pm
North Carolina will be a tough game… Its early in the season, carolina has two weeks to prepare for us. They will start practicing against the option this summer like miami did, and with unc’s defense, im hoping al groh will have ours playing by then too. VT will be an extremely tough game. Its on a thursday night in blacksburg. Besides those two games, no others really jump out to me that would be really tough ones. Miami, but CPJ wont lose to them again, nor UGA. Clemson will be somewhat down
Daniel
February 4th, 2010
3:31 pm
The issue for Tech is getting the defense from horrible to mediocre because the offense is gonna score.
8-1 in the Last 9 games
February 4th, 2010
3:32 pm
Georgia would go undefeated with that schedule.
WE RUiN THIS STATE
February 4th, 2010
3:32 pm
Wow 8-1 can actually count…but why not make it 8-4 in the last 12 games??
bruce mac
February 4th, 2010
3:32 pm
I think Tech is 9 and 3 or 10 and 2 (another year option smarter and more of the playbook) and going to Peach Bowl or better. Ga/GaTech game determines everything. FSU and Clemson are most likely losses, defense will be much improved. I say both in state teams are 9 and 2 heading to Athens. Dawgs lose to Auburn and South Carolina and go to one of the New Years Day non BCS games.
Falkor
February 4th, 2010
3:32 pm
Funny how much UGA fans love to prop up the SEC. How many of those other SEC teams have won national titles since UGA’s way back in 1980?
Tennessee
Alabama x 2
LSU x 2
Must be a confusing kind of feeling to be boosting your own team’s ego with the successes of your own conference rivals…
Aztec
February 4th, 2010
3:33 pm
Predictions this far out is a big joke just like sorting out 5,4,3,2 star recruits
Daniel
February 4th, 2010
3:33 pm
Of course they would, 8-1.
puppydawg
February 4th, 2010
3:33 pm
WE RUiN THIS STATE, last I heard it was UGA 76, GT 66. Thanks for asking.
reebok
February 4th, 2010
3:33 pm
9-3 or 8-4. Go JACKETS!
puppydawg
February 4th, 2010
3:34 pm
…make that 73-66 but you get the picture. Now, STFU azzwipe.
WE RUiN THIS STATE
February 4th, 2010
3:35 pm
See you in the tournament then I guess…poopydawg.
1eyedJack
February 4th, 2010
3:36 pm
If you don’t want Thirty Points on your blogs then keep Yellow Fuzz off ours.
WE RUiN THIS STATE
February 4th, 2010
3:36 pm
puppydawg— Not a very tough handle for an internet tough guy!
WE RUiN THIS STATE
February 4th, 2010
3:37 pm
Or scrape the change out from under your seat and pay for a premium site that controls the fringe…
falcon 71
February 4th, 2010
3:37 pm
Thanks Mark this means TECH will win the nat championship
Falkor
February 4th, 2010
3:37 pm
30-24, yeah it worked out for you being the only positive accomplishment of the 09 season. I found it interesting that I invited 5 UGA fans to join me at the game b/c the 1st 4 didn’t want to bother going.
You should be proud though, the one who did come was so drunk he almost fought 4 people including a 75 year old woman. Still spitting out quality members of society, gotta love it. Makes the whole state of Georgia look so good….
Daniel
February 4th, 2010
3:38 pm
I wish we could, 1eye. Very annoying…
dan
February 4th, 2010
3:38 pm
I can’t gauge the ACC. There are so many one dimensional teams that it’s hard to measure which team is going to show up from week to week. Baring that in mind, I can see Tech beating some teams that they shouldn’t( i.e. Va. Tech or Miami), and losing to some teams they shouldn’t( a Wake Forest or a North Carolina). The Clemson and UGA games are a toss up at this point. I will say that I think Paul Johnson and Jim Grobe are the best coaches in the ACC, as they tend to do more with less. Miami has got the talent to run the table, but I’m not sold on Randy Shannon as a head coach. If Ga. Tech can play fundamental football and limit their turnovers, they have just as good of a shot as anyone of making it back to the ACC title game.
GoJackets
February 4th, 2010
3:38 pm
Im going to be optimistic and say 10-2. I think we lose to Miami and VT. VT wins the ACC and possibly makes a run at the MNC. I think 8-4 is worst case scenario.
i h8 leg humpers!!!
February 4th, 2010
3:39 pm
go cpj. go jackets go!!!!!!!!!
Russ
February 4th, 2010
3:39 pm
Mark are you ready to buy everyone Hot Dogs at the Varsity
Georgia will ALWAYS dominate GT!!!
February 4th, 2010
3:42 pm
((((((((((((((((30-24))))))))))))))))))
Eat it you JEALOUS NERDY FOOLS…..
Orange Bowl “LOSS” or not,
WHO’S YOUR DADDY?
Georgia will ALWAYS dominate GT!!!
Steve
February 4th, 2010
3:42 pm
Mark are you going to take a look at UGA’s schedule tomorrow? 9-3 looks about right with losses to UF, AU, and someone they should not lose to.
Up with the white and gold
February 4th, 2010
3:43 pm
We don’t play FSU until 2013.