Tech to finish third in the ACC Coastal? Sounds about right
Derrick Morgan and Morgan Burnett play on Sundays now. (AJC photo by Johnny Crawford)
I may be crazy — folks, there’s your opening — but on one issue I’m not alone in my nuttiness. Earlier this summer I picked Georgia Tech to finish third in the ACC Coastal Division. On Monday the conference media assembled in Greensboro picked Tech to finish …
Third in the ACC Coastal Division.
Like me, the ACC voters have Virginia Tech and Florida State winning the league’s divisions. Unlike me, the ACC voters had Miami finishing second in the Coastal, with North Carolina fourth. I had it the other way around. (Although Carolina now has agent issues, which is no small consideration.)
My rationale, such as it is, on the Jackets: They’ll be good, just not quite as good, and the Coastal will be better. (I see the Coastal as the roughest division in college football. This includes the SEC East and the SEC West.) Georgia Tech must visit North Carolina and Virginia Tech this fall, and those are two games the Jackets won at home en route to the 2009 ACC championship.
And the effect of the four juniors lost to the NFL cannot be overridden in one offseason. Tech was a fine team last season but not an especially deep one — except at running back; the Jackets have lots of those — and even if Anthony Allen is nearly as good as Jonathan Dwyer I see no one on this roster who can do as Derrick Morgan and Demaryius Thomas did.
But I could be wrong. Wouldn’t be the first time. (That’s yet another opening, folks.) But at least on this issue I’m not the Lone Ranger. I find this oddly comforting.
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172 comments Add your comment
Shug
July 27th, 2010
10:57 am
So you’re saying that VPI, Miami, UNC and Ga. Tech are better than Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee? At first, I thought this was insane, designed just to generate little ACC/SEC smoke. As I write it down, however, it occurs to me that the ACC Coastal may be better (or “rougher”) than any other college division. Although there’s a good chance that one or two of those teams–maybe Miami, probably UNC–will gag.
frank james
July 27th, 2010
11:06 am
Damn, Caleb is still running!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
antidog
July 27th, 2010
11:09 am
If memory serves correct GT was predicted to finish 3rd or worst last year and of course they won the ACC. Va tech will defintely be tough but the Miami qb is very inconsistent, so miami could finish 3rd.
Red Panties
July 27th, 2010
11:11 am
frank james: “Damn, Caleb is still running!”
…so is Damon Evans, right to the slammer with his fellow Dawg players. What an embarrassment UGA continues to be.
CoolBreeze
July 27th, 2010
11:12 am
I keep sayin’ it: We’re all just 2 injuries away from being Mississippi State…..
Delbert D.
July 27th, 2010
11:12 am
UNC will have a tough time winning big games due to their QB situation. Virginia Tech has a great RB, and their QB is dangerous. However, they are #110 out of 120 teams in % of returning lettermen, though. Very young on offense and defense, and light in weight in both lines. Miami, on the other hand is huge on the OL (all on the 2-deep are over 300 lbs, and the 1st line averages 318). The ‘Canes are experienced, big and deep at DT. SR All-ACC DT Allen Bailey, 6′4, 288 is at DE this year. Soph Safety Ray Ray Armstrong at 6′4 220 is the only defender with only 1 letter. If Jacory Harris cuts down on the INTs, and if Miami turns their physical advantage on defense into consistently good play, they *should* finish #1 in the Coastal. Anybody who saw the Miami-FSU game last year didn’t see much defense at all.
I’ll project that Miami wins the Coastal, with Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and UNC all in the battle for 2nd.
Dawglasville
July 27th, 2010
11:15 am
Johnson has already proven he can beat Beamer and North Carolina is such a trendy pick. I would put Tech on top until they are knocked off. Like UGA fans, Tech fans feel pretty confident that the defense can’t get any worse. The big question mark will be how much better will they be. I would have put Tech on top.
gcs
July 27th, 2010
11:21 am
It is just hilarious how all these Tech bandwagon jumping second-raters think they are so smart.
Several of them kept trying to quote Mark as saying “the Coastal as the TOUGHEST division in college football”. However, he said “roughest”.
I guess you don’t need a high English score to get into Tech. I am sure all their terrorists had bad scores.
The nerds might say it’s semantics (if they know what that means) but there is a difference between “rough” and “tough”. Rough basically means coarse or uneven. Tough means strong and durable which you are not.
So, shut up and take your beatings and then in a couple of months you can start bragging about how good you are at bouncing a little round ball and throwing it through a peach basket.
.
Dawglasville
July 27th, 2010
11:22 am
The Carolina, LSU opener I believe will go a long way in defining the early call on best division in football.
gcs
July 27th, 2010
11:23 am
Please ignore my comments above. I am truly an idiot.
Tweets that mention Tech to finish third in the ACC Coastal? Sounds about right | Mark Bradley -- Topsy.com
July 27th, 2010
11:24 am
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Cinthia Loughnane and Daniel Arlt, Connor Petloe. Connor Petloe said: Tech to finish third in the ACC Coastal? Sounds about right http://bit.ly/9fR4I5 [...]
Tech Lifer
July 27th, 2010
11:25 am
Do the web-footed inbred UGA fans have any ammunition other than “30-24″????
Hill Town
July 27th, 2010
11:25 am
You figure PJ will lose 4 of these 5:
Clemson, VT, NC & Georgia on the road
Miami, at home.
then, of course, PJ will lose the Bowl game, that’s an automatic, no good Bowl quality team loses to the triple option when they have 2-4 weeks to prepare.
So, 8-5 for Ga Tech in 2010 sounds about right.
jeremy
July 27th, 2010
11:27 am
Dawglasville,
I would agree with both of your posts above. Nice to see a logical pup fan for a change. Of course, if the LSU/UNC winner goes on to perform poorly in their league play it will say even more. My guess is that LSU is better than advertised and UNC… we’ll have to wait and see.
Glass Half Full
July 27th, 2010
11:31 am
Is it just me, or have I seen posts from the DUI lawyer?
Sea Island
July 27th, 2010
11:33 am
I’m predicting another Georgia Vs. SouthCarolina Acc Champ Game.
jeremy
July 27th, 2010
11:34 am
Hill Town,
I know you’re wishing that you’re right, but I think GT picks up wins over Clemson and UNC. The VT, Miami and UGA games might be losses, but that yields a 9-3 record with a bowl game that is unknown. (Your assumption about bowl games is obviously biased). That also sounds about like the record UGA will have this year including a third place finish in their own division. Just my thoughts, not a flame.
We Drink This State
July 27th, 2010
11:35 am
Us Dawgs have won the off-season in smashing fashion with our off-field shenanigans. Will that success translate to another winning outing against the depleted, law-abiding Jackets? I’ll drink to that.
jeremy
July 27th, 2010
11:40 am
Sea Island,
I think UGA and USCarolina will have to settle for the ‘mythical’ ACC championship possibilities again in 2010 because an SEC championship appears unlikely. I guess a ‘mythical’ victory is more satsifactory to some pup fans than the real thing using your logic.
YOU WISH BUT NOT HAPPENING
July 27th, 2010
11:43 am
hahahahahha, GT didn’t even finish 3rd in CPJ’s first year, they tied for first. Hokies are chokies, Jackets will sprain the Canes and Heels lose the deal so there you go. And yes, we will play them year in and year out and bring it on, Clemson too. Not given two mulligans like that inbred team up the road who by the way will still blow it.
Gtax
July 27th, 2010
11:43 am
Mark,
I am sorry, but you seem to be overlooking the 8 losses on the VT defense alone, and the 3 on their OL. Not only that, but Tyrod Taylor is NOT Michael Vick, he’s not even that good. He won’t take a hit for anything and his passing numbers aren’t great. Too many people are giving VT too much credit. Sure, GT lost 4 good players, but it’s not like we lost 11 starters like VT did. That is an insane amount of players to lose, yet they get better? Who’s to say that? Last I saw, they finished second behind GT and until VT proves they can beat last years GT team, they stay behind GT.
I would put Miami at #1 and GT second, VT 3rd…
Jack G.
July 27th, 2010
11:43 am
The sucess of GT this year hinges on how much Groh improves the defense, and whether or not CPJ can put in a decent passing game.
IF both of those happen, GT could be 11 and 1.
Hill Town
July 27th, 2010
11:44 am
Jeremy-
I know you and Bradley are dreaming that Tech finishes #3 in the ACC, but the 2 most accurate predictors disagree with you, and predict a #6 finish for Ga Tech.
Schedule’s too tough, Tech’s defense is too weak, and Tech’s offense is too imbalanced.
8-5, sounds about right. Still an ok year for ole’ triple option, he’ll average that, 8-5, every year for the next several, so get used to it.
YOU WISH BUT NOT HAPPENING
July 27th, 2010
11:44 am
well Clemson beat Kentucky, ever hear of them? I N B R E D S
ormewood
July 27th, 2010
11:45 am
Miami = 4th place finisher in Coastal.
old hooker
July 27th, 2010
11:46 am
The NCAA might have a say in the UNC first game. Maybe just twittered away a game suspension.
George Stein
July 27th, 2010
11:47 am
Hill Town -
Who cares what Phil Steele says?
GaTechfan
July 27th, 2010
11:48 am
What I find comforting Mr. Bradley…is that the media has always been wrong in their predictions and so have you. Even with 4 jr’s leaving, this is a deeper team a year later. TEAM will be the difference.
Not Disappointed!
July 27th, 2010
11:50 am
First of all, I have a Georgia wife, and I’m a Jacket. I pull for both when they are not playing each other. Vandy Jacket, that was cold dude.
The Jackets will play Virginia Tech at home, but we have a 50/50 shot. They lost alot on Defense. I look forward to hearing them Crank up the Music in Blacksburg, Miami is suspect at best. It should be a good game regardless.
Ramblin Wreck!
Dawglasville
July 27th, 2010
11:52 am
Tech Lifer “Web footed,” now that is fresh and funny. Unfortunately it will now be beat into the ground but kudos for your originality.
Hill Town
July 27th, 2010
11:52 am
PJ’s Bowl record at Navy was 2-3, and at Ga Tech, 0-2, so his Bowl record is 2-5.
Like I said, give a Bowl quality team 2-4 weeks to prepare for the triple option, and they usually beat PJ.
PJ loses 70% of his Bowl game sin Div 1, so add a loss every year right there.
Then add in 4 more in the season, and that’s 8-5 every year.
Huh?
July 27th, 2010
11:54 am
You mean like the past two years when CPJ lost 5 games?
Huh?
July 27th, 2010
11:55 am
The fact that Navy was even in bowl games tells you a lot about CPJ.
Buzzboy
July 27th, 2010
11:58 am
Good to have you on here “Glory Glory”. I would rather be hated than ignored.
justdhoo
July 27th, 2010
12:03 pm
Bill King, you say that people have figured out our “high school offense”, but the reason UGA won last year was our lack of defense. We scored around 33 points a game last year. Doesn’t sound like people have figured that offense out yet to me.
jeremy
July 27th, 2010
12:10 pm
Hill Town,
Using YOUR logic then the pups will have a mediocre year ahead too since UGA had a weak defense last year and an unproven QB coming in. GT has changes in defensive coaching and scheme just like UGA so who really knows what will happen for either defense? GT has some proven offensive power coming back this year including a senior QB/leader. UGA has a weapon in AJ Green but that’s the lone standout on offense and an unproven QB at the helm.
So, a question to you: If both UGA and GT end up at 9-3 which program will have best met the expectations of their fans? I think you see my point.
POAD
July 27th, 2010
12:46 pm
Sea Island how is your propert value holding up? Once proud company screwed the pooch so bad. The Cloister will/ is becoming a nice Holiday Inn. So glad my parents sold in the mid-90’s.
meh
July 27th, 2010
12:50 pm
MB- you have lost your dah blame mind if you think the ACC Coastal is rougher than either division in the SEC. Any division that contains Duke and Virginia can never be called the roughest division in college football.
BobinBuford
July 27th, 2010
2:13 pm
meh:
Substitute Vandy and Kentucky for Duke and Virginia, and the same can be said for the SEC East.
Sports Review
July 27th, 2010
2:20 pm
[...] in a BCS conference. He laughed it off nine times: the Yellow Jackets went 9-4 and tied for …Tech to finish third in the ACC Coastal? Sounds about rightAtlanta Journal Constitution [...]
Buzz Tech
July 27th, 2010
2:37 pm
It will be another long year for uga—3-4 losses, some minor bowl in december. Mark this down–Tech wins the ACC in 2010!
Cheap conference call » Archive » Tech to finish third in the ACC Coastal? Sounds about right – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog)
July 27th, 2010
3:42 pm
[...] Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) [...]
WingRider
July 27th, 2010
4:01 pm
We’ll see, but I think another year’s experience with the flrexbone and an improved D will more than offset the loss of players. The problem, if any, won’t be a drop in GT performance but possible big improvement by the other teams.
wesleywhatwhat
July 27th, 2010
4:16 pm
bradley, care to remind us where u picked georgia tech to finish in the 2009 season?
Mark Bradley
July 27th, 2010
4:34 pm
I already have, wesleywhatwhat.
(But in case you’ve forgotten: I picked the 2009 GT football team to finish 10-2 and then to win the ACC.)
SLOW LEARNERS
July 27th, 2010
5:01 pm
The critics doubted PJ’s offense prior to his first season with Tech (funny how no one expected Morgan Burnett, J. Dwyer, D. Thomas to step into stardom). Critics doubted Tech going into PJ’s second season with Tech (Who expected Tech to win the conference? No one.). Tech is now embarking on the third season under PJ, and the silly little critics still doubt Tech because critics simply don’t know anything more than who left from last year’s team. There will be new stars stepping in for Tech this year, and the critics will consume another breath trying to climb the learning curve. If Tech ever wins another National Championship, the critics are going to be throwing themselves under the bandwagon trying to catch a ride. Typical.
SLOW LEARNERS
July 27th, 2010
5:05 pm
I stand corrected; Mark Bradley was the only person on earth with the foresight to pick Tech to win the 2009 conference championship. Everyone else thought the league had figured out PJ’s offense. [show me the archives]
Mark Bradley
July 27th, 2010
5:07 pm
Here’s the prediction.
Wampum
July 27th, 2010
6:39 pm
I just hope all the other teams in the ACC will have some pity on poor ol’ Virginia and not try to run up the score on them. They have the most unheralded players of all teams in this conference but their coaching staff does have impressive individual records. Maybe that’s a plus but I’m afraid there are too many minuses to overcome——this year anyway.
P City
July 27th, 2010
6:40 pm
CPJ of Ga Tech is not on the hotseat YET.
But, it’s warming up.
Losing to Georgia, Tech going 1-8, not helping, and going .500 against top 4 rivals and losing every Bowl game with 0-2 record at Ga Tech & 2-5 Bowl game record, is not good.
If CPJ keeps it up, he’ll be on the hotseat in 2011, and fired at the end of 2012.