Will Georgia Tech be a Top 25 team in 2012? Some say yes
Here's how it ended for Georgia Tech in 2011: Utah scores to win in overtime. (AP photo)
The belief here is that Georgia Tech got good value from its season. No, 8-5 didn’t seem all that great when you consider the Jackets started 6-0, but 8-5 beat the heck out of 6-7, which is what Tech was in 2010. And now we turn to 2012, and some expect even bigger and better from the men of PJ.
Andy Staples of SI.com tabs Tech No. 25 in his lookahead, while Dave Miller of the National Football Post puts the Jackets at No. 20. That’s the good news. The bad: Similar early rankings from ESPN, CBS Sports and Yahoo! Sports do not include Georgia Tech in the Top 25.
I can see both sides. If guard Omoregie Uzzi chooses not to leave for the NFL, the Jackets will return 15 starters on offense and defense. That’s a goodly number. At the same time, I’m not sure how good those starters are. We take B-back David Sims as an example. He rushed for 698 yards in 2011. In both 2008 and 2008, B-back Jonathan Dwyer gained almost exactly twice that number of yards.
In Tech’s favor: The ACC, which had its usual dismal bowl showing, doesn’t look terribly imposing. (In a move not unlike the one made by Paul Johnson in January 2010, league champion Clemson just dumped its defensive coordinator.) That said, the Jackets have to play Clemson, Virginia Tech and Georgia on the road.
My early guess: Tech will be a better team, but the record might not reflect it. I can see the Jackets winning nine regular-season games in 2012. I’m not sure they can get to 10.
By Mark Bradley
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266 comments Add your comment
GTBob
January 13th, 2012
12:46 pm
PJ didn’t recruit Thomas, did he? Could be wrong but I didn’t think he did.
No he didn’t. He has recruited other 3 star WR’s though and even a 4 star WR. He can get recruits the same level as Bay Bay was, he just needs one to actually perform well.
Please keep PJ
January 13th, 2012
12:48 pm
JMac1220, Lol how do you think would fare with an SEC or Big 12 schedule? It would lose more than it would win, Pee wee describes ACC . 1-5 vs SEC at years end, ACC champ gives up 70 points and lose big to Big east. 2 and 14 in BCS games. Seriously playing a conference like that and going 8-5 and you think others schedules are pee wee? 5 of Techs wins vs teams that won 10 games between them. In past 5.5 decades Tech has beaten Georgia 15 times. Georgia manhandled Tech in 2011 and it will be worse in 2012.Funny how that poor game day coach averages winning 10 games a year in the nations toughest conference. Is 14-1 vs the almighty ACC.
Peadawg
January 13th, 2012
12:50 pm
GTBob
Stephen Hill wasn’t bad this year I’ll admit…when he was able to catch the ball. Getting the ball to the receiver in the air was the problem.
Wreckmaniac
January 13th, 2012
12:53 pm
I love the PJ option offense. The problems are on defense and special teams.
1 4 GT
January 13th, 2012
12:55 pm
1st–I believe GTBob to be a Georgie DWAG fan. 2nd–The Factor & JB–I have seen comments similar to yours about how vile & hateful some GT fans are on your Georgie DWAG blogs. I have checked on the truthfulness of this by reading your blogs myself on occasion & find it to be untrue. The number of you Georgie DWAGS and the hateful vileness of your side far surpasses my side. There are quite a few of you who post under numerous ID’s–this is evident by their “style” of commentary. You can verify this for yourselves if you will take the time to do so. I personally abhor such trashy posts by either side and don’t understand the thought processes behind the mindless vitriol by either. The Georgie DWAGS are too insignificant to me to care a single whit except for once a year.
Najeh Davenpoop
January 13th, 2012
12:58 pm
If you choose to run an offense that features almost no passing, you better have a dominating defense to go with it, or else you’ll never be able to mount a comeback. I don’t see how Georgia Tech plans to construct a dominating defense.
bruce mac
January 13th, 2012
1:01 pm
This is fantastic, hope Yech wins every game save one. My question is, when we beat Yech for the 4th time in a row and the 11th time out of last 12 tries and Yech is 11 and 0 at the time, did we beat anybody?
George Stein
January 13th, 2012
1:03 pm
Help us out, Najeh. Who are all these teams that come back from huge deficits?
Wreckmaniac
January 13th, 2012
1:04 pm
Top 25 isn’t much if you are in the #20-25 range. Just look at the teams that ended the season in that category.
Nom Nom Nom Chucks....Taylor or Norris
January 13th, 2012
1:04 pm
#25 is about right.
Top Dawg
January 13th, 2012
1:05 pm
Top 25 in the ACC maybe
George Stein
January 13th, 2012
1:11 pm
That makes no sense, Top Dawg.
GT Dude
January 13th, 2012
1:16 pm
With the faster and tougher QB that I expect to win the position next year…
TECH wins 9 at a minimum
burmashave
January 13th, 2012
1:16 pm
Is it offense, is it defense or is it special teams,
Which causes the Jackets to be less than we dream?
Or perhaps it’s the coaching which may be deficient,
And makes us all wonder if we have one proficient.
Or maybe it’s talent, that thing which we lack,
Not 5 stars or 4 stars for our quarterback.
Is it passing, rushing, or blocking we don’t have,
Not a D line, or linebackers, or backs who can grab.
All we know is the story of this season past,
An 8-5 record is not great but not last.
There are some teams better and many much worst,
At least we’re not Dawg fans who think they’re all first.
GT Alum
January 13th, 2012
1:22 pm
Najeh Davenpoop -
A lot of times, you’re arguments are well-reasoned, but here, you’re just buying into the common wisdom about option offenses. Tech was tied for 9th in the country in yards per play, was 25th in 2009 and 22nd in 2008. They were 5th in the nation in plays over 20 yards, and last year, they were 26th in that category (ahead of UGA’s 29th). So the perception that Tech can’t score quickly and get big gains because they don’t pass much is a myth.
bulldog steve
January 13th, 2012
1:22 pm
Tech needs to realize they are going to be like UGA in basketball. A decent year every once in awhile, but for the most part an average team. Average teams get to bowl games and lose. Average basketball teams make the dance and lose in the first round. While I would love for UGA basketball to consistently be in the upper part of the SEC, I don’t see that happening. Tech should feel the same away about football and just accept it.
Year of Vad
January 13th, 2012
1:27 pm
Vad will cure all ills
Costanza's wallet
January 13th, 2012
1:31 pm
Breaking news from NBC: They have changed the name of the hit show Biggest Loser to Clemson!
George Stein
January 13th, 2012
1:31 pm
It’s an even bigger myth that other teams routinely come back from deficits greater than two touchdowns, GT Alum. It’s also one of the things that other schools love to point out as a limitation of our offense, but they neglect the fact that no one else is doing it.
1 4 GT
January 13th, 2012
1:34 pm
I don’t recall who made the post about wishing GT had lobbied for admittance back into the SEC, but I concur. In hindsight, before Bobby Dodd died, he probably thought it would have been better to stay and fight Bryant’s recruiting tactics, which are essentially the same under Saban, from inside rather than outside the SEC. Leaving the SEC, IMO, hurt GT recruiting and started the downturn in a proud football tradition. Coach Dodd had a pretty good team his last year, 1966==9-0 ranked #3 going into the Georgie game but somehow lost to Dooley and his pupil Graves to finish 9-2. He had a good pretty good crop of frosh coming in the next year, but Bud Carson screwed things up royally. With 2 highly regarded HS QB’s–Steve Norris from Marietta HS and Charles Dudish from Avondale HS (he made a good TE out of Norris-a great HS QB) & turned a pretty good college football team into a losing team. Anyway, I believe GT would have remained in the upper echelon of college football if we had stayed in the SEC. Selah.
GTBob
January 13th, 2012
1:35 pm
1st–I believe GTBob to be a Georgie DWAG fan
Yes, I come on here ragging UGA fans every day because i’m a huge UGA fan. You found me out.
andre
January 13th, 2012
1:46 pm
if washington is going to be the stater then why do you think hes going to do something different they will go 7-5 or 8-4 with him as the qb. cpj you can only have so much loyailty and if hes the best qb on the team then what does that say about your recuriting.
Paul in NH
January 13th, 2012
2:00 pm
Peadawg
January 13th, 2012
12:43 pm
What good receiver only gets 2-4 passes thrown his way a game?
—–
Let me see – Orwin Charles, Marlon Brown, Chris Conley
Who cares??
January 13th, 2012
2:00 pm
Wow this story is getting a lot of comments!
GTBob
January 13th, 2012
2:03 pm
if washington is going to be the stater then why do you think hes going to do something different they will go 7-5 or 8-4 with him as the qb.
If Washington is the starter next year then even I will have to start questioning CPJ.
Boise Dawg
January 13th, 2012
2:05 pm
George and GT Alum… I agree that Tech should be just as capable of coming back in a game as any other team.. I see them score quickly all the time. Why does it seem PJ gets desparate with their offensive play calling when they are down? – see previous games against Georgia.
Also do you any of you Tech fans think that SOME of the struggles with the defense have to do with the offense they have to prepare against? It has to be hard to simulate a great passing team in practice. Double edge sword that Triple Option.
Also George… lots of teams come back. See LSU vs. Arkansas, Georgia. Georgia vs. Florida. Michigan St. vs. Georgia… and that is just off the top of my head. I know I saw tons of games this year with big comebacks.
Big bad Bama
January 13th, 2012
2:09 pm
They play college football in the state of Georgia? Who knew?
I would appreciate it if the dawg fans would get their arses over here and shine my latest trophy. The one from 2 years ago needs shining too. Oh. Little brother Auburn called and wanted to know if Tech could come over and shine their trophy from last year.
WNC Jacket
January 13th, 2012
2:16 pm
Everything rests on two things- the development of a true option quarterback who can pass effectively and defensive improvement. Of course, Improvement on special teams might help as well since that probably cost us two wins this year alone.
Tim
January 13th, 2012
2:18 pm
Who wins the UGA-Tech game in 2012, Mark? And by how much?
UGASlobberknocker
January 13th, 2012
2:24 pm
Hahahahahahahahahaha
In what? on campus muggings?
Tim
January 13th, 2012
2:29 pm
Just wanted Mark’s opinion of how much UGA should win by.
Missing: One large Rock
January 13th, 2012
2:33 pm
Bama fans lived under it from 1992 to 2007. If anyone sees it , pls let us know
gtfanfrom1951
January 13th, 2012
2:59 pm
Ty Webb why are you not helping customers…….Tech won ACC 2009
B- Jacket ……you have to be a dawg fan hoping all that is true.
Vad Lee will be QB at GT next year and we will win ten games!
Joe
January 13th, 2012
3:02 pm
woooo hooooo 10-1………
Georgia Tee
January 13th, 2012
3:02 pm
If Tech only wins one game in 2012 it had better be UGA game. Johnson has to understand that beating the dawgs is more important than the ACC Championship or a Bowl win!
Not a chance
January 13th, 2012
3:06 pm
Is this a make column for all the attention UGA is getting. NO WAY THE BUMBLES GET RANKED…. HAHAHA
GTBob
January 13th, 2012
3:07 pm
Johnson has to understand that beating the dawgs is more important than the ACC Championship or a Bowl win!
You have a serious case of little brother syndrome if you actually believe this.
duronimo
January 13th, 2012
3:33 pm
With this offense, Tech is going to have winning seasons. It’s on the defensive side of the ball where the upgrade is necessary. If that happens, the Jackets will hog time of possession more so than now. That is what will make them hard to beat.
@Georgia Tee @duronimo
January 13th, 2012
3:49 pm
Then Pj should put his house up for sale and start packing today. Next year will be a worse whipping than 2011.Duronimo, better take a look at what the PJ offense does against good defenses, not many points being scored.
Emil R Dawg
January 13th, 2012
4:11 pm
Ga’s going to beat tech again like a rented mule. Ga’s loaded and tech will have trouble even getting a first down on this Dawg D–which may be the best at Ga in 25 years. Dawgs roll to the SEC!!!
RedandBlackDAWG
January 13th, 2012
4:48 pm
14 GT,
GT Bob is no fan of UGA either. He is simply a troll and likes to cause disruption no matter what blog he is on. He claims at least on the UGA blogs to have graduated from tech. so you can’t push him off on us. I suspect he is really just a young kid, enjoying stirring up the pot, and the closest he ever got to a football, was at a sporting goods store.
Technically Correct
January 13th, 2012
4:54 pm
Let’s see, we won’t have a WR who has caught a pass in a college game and, if Vad Lee is the QB, we won’t have a QB who has thrown a pass in a college game and, since we have graduated 2/3 of our D-line, which couldn’t mount a pass rush this year, we’ll likely have a weaker pass rush next year and, if we were eaten alive by any QB who had time to throw last year, they’ll likely have more time to throw next year and, since we are playing our toughest games away this year (UGA, VT, Clemson, UNC) and if places like Vanderbilt, much less UGA, continue to out-recruit the heck out of us, tell me again what knucklehead thinks we will be a top-25 team next year…
Really?
January 13th, 2012
5:00 pm
LOL LOL LOL LOL Thanks MB that was the best laugh I had all day.
Really?
January 13th, 2012
5:03 pm
gt bob is the spokesman for bug nation
The Grinch
January 13th, 2012
5:04 pm
At some point, yes.
At season’s end, no.
1 4 GT
January 13th, 2012
5:08 pm
RedandBlackDawg….I think you could be right. I just see phony all around GTBob. He is a pot calling the kettle black in your opinion. I have thought him to be another variety of headley, WnE, Jason Marcus myself at times.
1 4 GT
January 13th, 2012
5:11 pm
Really? is a version of headley and his little boy “harem”!!!!
Garyl
January 13th, 2012
5:11 pm
Mark, you’ve got to be out of your mind !!!! With PJ’s last centurys offense, we will never beat the Georgias, VPI’s, Miamis or any bowl oppenent !!! Yes, the Dukes, Kansas, UNC’s and afew ACC schools, but thats it. And our defense under Dinosaur Groh will never amount to a top defense like Georgias. Im a Tech grad and with PJ’s recruiting, its getting embarrasing now, especially against Georgia.
GTBob
January 13th, 2012
5:15 pm
He claims at least on the UGA blogs to have graduated from tech
I am a graduate of GT and I love my school.
GTBob
January 13th, 2012
5:17 pm
RedandBlackDawg….I think you could be right. I just see phony all around GTBob. He is a pot calling the kettle black in your opinion.
I am whatever you want me to be so make up your own story.