A long, strange trip: Tech is headed for the ACC title game
"Really? We're going to the ACC championship game? How'd that happen?" (AJC photo by Johnny Crawford)
Updated 9:55 a.m.
A team that wasn’t sure until Saturday night that it could play in a bowl is now bound for the ACC championship game. Georgia Tech learned this morning that Miami has decided to forgo postseason play, thereby handing the Coastal Division to the Yellow Jackets, who started 1-3 in league play and who still might finish the regular season 6-6.
It’s a stunning turn for a program that was reeling only six weeks ago. The Jackets had lost two ACC games in overtime after blowing late leads and been hammered at home by Middle Tennessee of the middling Sun Belt. Two days after his team lost at Clemson to slide to 2-4, Paul Johnson moved to fire Al Groh, his defensive coordinator of 2 1/2 years.
At that point the season seemed all but lost, but the Jackets steadied — well, after another home thrashing, this at the hands of BYU — and the schedule eased and events coalesced. (Virginia Tech lost to Florida State in the final minute; Miami lost at Virginia in the final seconds.) And here, wonder of wonders, the Jackets are. They’ll play Florida State on Dec. 1 in Charlotte for the right to represent the ACC in the Orange Bowl.
A cynic would say that Tech backed into the title of a weak division, but that would, at least at the moment, be only half-true. At worst, Tech will tie for first place. True, Miami held the tiebreaking edge over the Jackets, but a Duke victory over the Hurricanes on Saturday would hand Tech the Coastal title outright. (There’s a chance North Carolina can also tie for first place, but the Tar Heels have long been ineligible for the postseason due to NCAA penalities — and the Jackets beat them anyway.)
As for the weak division … no arguments. At this moment, only two of the four remaining Coastal teams — not counting Miami and North Carolina, who aren’t going anywhere — are bowl-eligible. The two best ACC teams by far have been Florida State and Clemson, and both reside in the Atlantic Division, and Tech didn’t have to play the Seminoles. (Then again, Georgia won the SEC East without having to play any of the four best teams in the West. Stuff happens.)
It would be wrong to suggest that Tech has had a great year. Johnson himself conceded as much after his team beat Duke on Saturday, saying: “Has the season turned out the way we wanted? Not to this point.” But this strange season will leave the Jackets playing for the ACC title, which they’ve done only twice — losing to Wake Forest in 2006 in the worst game ever played, beating Clemson in 2009 in a victory since vacated by NCAA sanctions — since the conference split into divisions in 2005.
Oh, and since you asked: Even if the Jackets lose both to Georgia and Florida State, they’ll almost certainly play in a bowl. The loser of a conference championship game can petition for bowl acceptance even if it’s under .500, and Tech expects that the granting of its petition would be a formality. UCLA lost the Pac-12 title game last season to fall to 6-7 but faced Illinois in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. (It lost that game, too, setting the stage for Jim Mora, of all people, to ride to the rescue.)
We can’t yet call this Tech season a triumph. Only twice before in Johnson’s 16 years as head coach had one of his teams — Navy in his first year there, Tech in 2010 — lost five regular-season games, and these Jackets were widely considered the second-best team in the Coastal Division when play began on Labor Day in Blacksburg, Va. They lost to Virginia Tech that night, which augured badly: The Tech-Tech winner had taken the Coastal title every year there has been a Coastal Division. Not this time, though.
The road wasn’t straight or smooth, but somehow Georgia Tech has found its way to Charlotte, which was the idea all along. As quarterback Tevin Washington said Saturday: “We still have all our goals on the board.” And sure enough, it’s still possible for the team that lost at home by three touchdowns to Middle Tennessee to …
Beat Georgia for the de facto state championship.
Beat Florida State for the ACC title.
Win the Orange Bowl.
Not saying any of the above will happen, let alone all of it. But it wasn’t so long ago — 16 days, to be exact — that Georgia Tech was under .500 and guaranteed of nothing beyond a 12th game. Now it gets to play a 13th and a 14th. Now it gets a chance, as the late great Ernie Johnson Sr. used to say of the Braves, to give us a finish.
Further reading: Our weekly Heat Check – Hot ‘Dogs face a warm swarm of Yellow Jackets.
And further still: Can Tech ruin Georgia’s season? It’s possible. But probable?
And, not to say I told you so: Pigskin pickin’ — Tech wins its division; Georgia takes the SEC.
By Mark Bradley
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134 comments Add your comment
GSU Eagle
November 19th, 2012
8:46 am
First!
Mark Bradley
November 19th, 2012
8:47 am
Kudos, GSU Eagle
GSU Eagle
November 19th, 2012
8:47 am
Where’s the talk about Georgia Southern, the best football program in the state? Mark, you’re a failure.
HUH?
November 19th, 2012
8:48 am
GO NOLES!!! Two ugly losses (UGA being the other) will end the Tech season
GO JACKETS
November 19th, 2012
8:49 am
WE REALLY NEED ORWIN SMITH HEALTHY, NEED AN UPDATE ON HIS ANKLE. CPJ SHOULD THINK ABOUT UTILIZING JAMAL GOLDEN AT THE A BACK POSITION AS WELL IF ORWIN IS OUT,, JAMAL IS SUCH A PLAY MAKER
Kane337
November 19th, 2012
8:50 am
I hope Tech ruins UGA’s season.
Greg
November 19th, 2012
8:51 am
GT started 1-3 in league play. Not 1-4
They finished 5-3.
Ted M
November 19th, 2012
8:53 am
Who would be a likely opponent in Orange Bowl?
btgt69
November 19th, 2012
8:53 am
just beat uga thugs,,, another uga player arrested (baseball),, what a great tradition in the trailer park
Greg
November 19th, 2012
8:53 am
Mark do you think the fact gt will play in the acc champ game, that that will mean a better bowl? Cause all i see is the belk bowl as projection.
Greg
November 19th, 2012
8:54 am
Louisville Ted m. Ugh Have fun w that fsu!
Weyman C. Wannamaker Jr. (A Great American)
November 19th, 2012
8:56 am
If I were Mark, I’d take back those kudos.
ramblingbuzz
November 19th, 2012
8:57 am
we’ll win one of the 2 games, don’t know which one. I too hope smith is avaiable but if not someone else will have to step up, Godhigh, Days, Zenon?
Hairy Dawg
November 19th, 2012
8:58 am
Congrats to Tech. We need to beat ‘em to sleep on Saturday.
come on
November 19th, 2012
9:00 am
we got a chance to resurrect a season in shambles. Take the opportunity and go as far as we can with it.
Jacket Fan
November 19th, 2012
9:02 am
For a fan base that kind of (unfortunately) gets used to bad news, this is stunning. Its not like anybody else in the Coastal deserves it more than us.
Now the big question for Coach Johnson (not to belabor an overworked point) – Vad has a much greater chance (not to say he will) of defeating these teams than Tevin – much better arm, and much faster. Will Coach go for the win with everything he’s got?
GT fan forever
November 19th, 2012
9:03 am
how bout that Jackets! on to Charlotte
tooltime234
November 19th, 2012
9:04 am
Agreed Go Jackets, without Orwin, we have no chance in either of these games.
Paul
November 19th, 2012
9:06 am
When Ohio State beats Michigan next Saturday, this whole college playoff season of invitational and official bowls becomes one gigantic asterisk. =P
btgt69
November 19th, 2012
9:07 am
Coach should continue to alternate the first 4 series,,, then pick the best,,, Vad did not look comfortable against Duke,,, Tevin did not look comfortable in the NC game,,,, let CPJ coach the team
Snoozer
November 19th, 2012
9:07 am
Shows just how far the ACC has fallen. GT wouldn’t have been in the conversation with any other major conference.
GT George
November 19th, 2012
9:07 am
Without a doubt this is the most highly anticipated conference championship game in NCAA history!
FSU Class of 96
November 19th, 2012
9:07 am
Is Tech bowl-eligible if they lose both of their remaining games? One win against Presbyterian and five wins against FCS teams. Is it possible they can go to a bowl if they are 6-7?
Ted M
November 19th, 2012
9:08 am
Thanks Greg…sounds right too.
G
November 19th, 2012
9:09 am
Another indication of the mediocre ACC
Mark Bradley
November 19th, 2012
9:10 am
Tech would be bowl-eligible at 6-7. Same as UCLA was after falling in the Pac-12 title game last season.
Jack
November 19th, 2012
9:12 am
Mark, I apologize for my GSU Eagle co-hort above. Believe me, most of us Eagles fans would not accept kudos and then insult you.
If we do get deep in the playoffs, we would appreciate a small mention. Thanks for the great work you do.
Herschel Talker
November 19th, 2012
9:12 am
Nerds,
FSU 55, GT 12.
Enjoy your thumping.
HT
NERDS!!! NERDS!!! NERDS!!! NERDS!!! NERDS!!! NERDS!!!
Ted M
November 19th, 2012
9:12 am
I guess it could be Rutgers too. Neither one of those two have played anybody tough. Tech could beat them they just need a miracle against FSU.
GTT
November 19th, 2012
9:13 am
Fire Herschel Talker!
Jekylldog
November 19th, 2012
9:17 am
There’s a Southern Georgia?
Jekylldog
November 19th, 2012
9:17 am
Enter your comments here
LOL
November 19th, 2012
9:36 am
What a crock of horse manure!! ACC champs by default!! Thats good stuff!!
Ted M
November 19th, 2012
9:39 am
If Maryland leaves the ACC do the remaining schools split that $50 mil exit fee?
Steve
November 19th, 2012
9:40 am
BEEEEP BEEEEP BEEEEP, that’s the Ga Tech football team backing in to Charlotte. If this happened to UGA, I would be quite embarassed. I wonder how many Tech “fans” will make the trip? Maybe a few thousand? Can’t wait to see what bowl Tech ends up at after finishing the season 6-7.
LawDawg
November 19th, 2012
9:43 am
From the GT blog: “Tech has since remained perfect in the league, defeating Boston College, Maryland, North Carolina and Duke with a loss to BYU mixed in.”
I wouldn’t exactly be bragging about making the title game.
Under The Bleachers
November 19th, 2012
9:45 am
Congratulations to Tech, I guess. Anytime a team plays in “playoff” game which it really is for FSU.
I have no doubt that FSU will beat Florida in Tallahassee this weekend, which will give FSU a little more computer clout.
As for Tech, getting into the title game does not resolve the lingering issues, lack of fan enthusiasm, lack of interest in the program, lack of drawing the big name available talent that a FBS team in the south playing in a big conference, in the 4th or 5th best state for High School talent.
The program WILL see some changes, when those will come will depend on the New AD and what his vision and level of competition he and the adminstration want it to be. Time is working against Paul Johnson and his type of program, the writing is on the wall whether he wants to read it or not. If Tech loses to UGA, FSU, and their bowl game, one can expect the heat to turn up on the ‘option” at GT.
But congratulations to Tech and their players for competing hard to even get the option to play in the ACCCG.
Festus
November 19th, 2012
9:46 am
Beating Florida State is more important than thumping THuga. So far the Poochies have played two teams: South Carolina and Florida. So they are 1 and 1. With luck THuga will have 3 loses going into the Viagra Bowl.
Class of '98
November 19th, 2012
9:49 am
on Stubhub.com, SEC Championship game tickets start at $300. ACC Championship game tickets start at $6.
That’s all you need to know about the two conferences.
Steve
November 19th, 2012
9:52 am
Festus, such good points! Amazes me that you nerds don’t like to go by facts still. Strength of schedule through Saturday, Tech #65, UGA #46. I love how you people every year come on here saying how Tech will beat UGA. I mean 10 losses in 11 years? WOW.
Bucky
November 19th, 2012
10:00 am
Hey Mark,
Were you not calling for CPJ’s head a few weeks ago? You are a fair weather journalist… and a BUM.
Next time I see an article of yours ill just skip it.
gt45
November 19th, 2012
10:00 am
Wow! Dog fans are amazing. Let’s look at the mighty UGA body of work. How does a team that gets pasted 35-7 wind up number three? Especially, when the 7 was a last minute score against the third string. So, that leaves one enormous victory over the prestigious Florida Gators. You know, the ones that somehow escaped the wrath of La-Monroe, and blew out Jacksonville. That leaves UT, UA, Ole Miss, Missouri, UK, and who else I am sure I am missing. Do any of those have a winning record? I hope, but I’m not sure. So beat your chest, and tell us how good you are. We shall see!
GFF
November 19th, 2012
10:02 am
Another asterick?
Steve
November 19th, 2012
10:06 am
HA HA HA. GT45, another jealous one. Again, current strength of schedule, Tech #65, UGA #46.
GTBob
November 19th, 2012
10:11 am
HA HA HA. GT45, another jealous one. Again, current strength of schedule, Tech #65, UGA #46.
Its pretty shocking that they are that close. I thought UGA played in a tough conference.
Tom Stewart
November 19th, 2012
10:13 am
Nice remarks about Ernie Johnson, Sr., Mark. A great man he was, a true class act. I’m old enough to remember he and Milo Hamilton calling the Braves game in the early to mid-seventies. Many a night listening on a transistor radio to them…
dbc
November 19th, 2012
10:14 am
How embarrassing for the ACC…
Buzzzed
November 19th, 2012
10:15 am
@ Bucky, I don’t recall MB calling for CPJ’s head. Do you have a quote?
Bandie
November 19th, 2012
10:17 am
I’m just glad I get to see my Jackets play in 12 of their 14 games this season. When we beat u(sic)ga the victory will be even sweeter knowing that I’ve clipped their hedges yet again. And when we beat f$u, I’ll throw my oranges at their heads.
GTBob
November 19th, 2012
10:18 am
Im proud of our guys for hanging in there and getting to a bowl game. The ACC championship game wasn’t really earned but it gives us one more meaningful game to play against a really good team, which isn’t a bad thing. If we found some way to win either of our next two games then we had a decent season. I never thought we would be able to possibly say that.
Buzzzed
November 19th, 2012
10:18 am
Booking tickets to ACCCG!
Don’t count Tech out against FSU or UGA. This team is developing a chip on their shoulder.
BOY THAT DAWG IS UGLY
November 19th, 2012
10:18 am
Herschel Talker….did you even go to UGA? For the record, Tech’s reputation is about more than 12 Saturdays a year but then Tech has 4 national championships to UGA’s 1. The last being more recent (1990) than UGA’s only one (1980). Now for a program to be so mighty wouldn’t there be more? Well yes, since 1980 Vols have one, Bama has FOUR, LSU has two, Auburn has one and Gator have two. Feeling a little deflated after that perspective. Here’s another….removing the Gators and Cocks winning percentages (Cocks humiliated the Dawgs and Gator beat themselves) the “yawn” teams up to GSU Saturday had a slightly better than a 30% winning percentage. More hype from Athens….it’s an annual “look in the mirror how pretty I am” thing.
gt45
November 19th, 2012
10:22 am
46? Really? Lmao. I even thought it would be better than that! What if we go to a BCS bowl this year, and you don’t? Sweet poetic justice?!!
Gator Nation
November 19th, 2012
10:22 am
It’s ACC VS. SEC Week.
The ACC should be favored in two out of three of the games (the toss up is the Clemson/South Carolina game).
I think these two conferences should play up this match up more than they do. Atlanta and the southeast is the only region of the country where you have such considerable overlap of two major conferences. It is a rivalry that benefits both conferences.
GO GATORS and GO SEC!
Gorilla Biscuit
November 19th, 2012
10:25 am
Back on in. Back on in.
BOY THAT DAWG IS UGLY
November 19th, 2012
10:26 am
Herschel Talker….still living in the glory days 32 years ago. Here’s some status both past and present. For a mightly program to have won only one national championship says something and it’s not that it’s a mightly program. Tech has 4 plus a great academic reputation. Mention UGA outside of Georgia and the response will be about 12 Saturdays a year. Still proud? A mighty program in the SEC should produce national championships more than once every 32 years? They have: Bama – 4, LSU – 2, Gators – 2, Auburn – 1 and Vols – 1 all since 1980. Remove Gator and Gamecocks from discussion (Gamecocks embarrassed you on national T.V. and Gators beat themselves) and your “yawn” schedule opponents have a 30% winning percentage going into the GSU game. Still mighty? I think not….Hype…I think so.
What will really be funny...
November 19th, 2012
10:28 am
…is if UGA beats Tech and then loses to AL, while Tech beats FSU -
That would mean Tech (with a 7-6 record) gets the BCS Orange Bowl and its $14-$20mil payout, while UGA (with its 11-2 record) gets the Outback Bowl and it’s $4-6mil payout, since either UF or LSU will get the BCS Sugar Bowl bid and its $14-20mil payout…
Gorilla Biscuit
November 19th, 2012
10:39 am
What will really be funny…is that Tech, just like Georgia, must share those payouts with the rest of their conference brethren.
Uh, Gator Nation...
November 19th, 2012
10:41 am
…are you saying that Tech should be favored over UGA, and FSU over UF, while 9-2 USCe might be favored over 10-1 Clemson?
Steve
November 19th, 2012
10:42 am
I still don’t get why Tech fans, every year, says how they are going to win against UGA on these blogs. Do you not go by facts? I mean 1-10 over the past 11 years. Does that not tell you something? I mean you guys returned a few thousand tickets I assume knowing the loss is coming? Do you realize you will end the season with a 6-8 record? Be proud!
Uh, Gorilla Biscuit...
November 19th, 2012
10:42 am
…DUH…
it is what it is
November 19th, 2012
10:42 am
yeah you dogexcrements have so much to be proud of….that big win over LSU, oh wait..I mean that major upset over Bama, oh that’s right you didn’t play them either…okay how about South Carolina, I know you played them…oops nevermind that one…then Ky and TN, don’t matter their seasons were so godawful their coaches are already fired and we won’t even mention Auburn…too bad for Chizek the Memphis transcript scandal was discovered, guess he is on his way out too, no use to Auburn anymore..yeah that SEC so much to be proud of…
GTBob
November 19th, 2012
10:45 am
I mean you guys returned a few thousand tickets I assume knowing the loss is coming?
From personal experience, being in Sanford Stadium is one of the worst possible experiences for an opposing fan. If GT was favored by 50 points I wouldn’t even consider attending.
drew
November 19th, 2012
10:46 am
Not sure Tech deserves it, but hey, it’s the ACC Coastal, where even a mediocre team can win the division. Thank you ‘Canes…we’ll take it! Congrats to Tech for staying tough when they could have folded.
And while an ACC title and a BCS bowl would be great, it would pale in comparison to the satisfaction gained from busting the Dawg’s bubble this Saturday. Tech will need some help to win (i.e., turnovers), but I expect it will be closer than most predict. Tech can play loose…they have nothing to lose. All the pressure is on UGA…we’ll see how they handle it. Should be a good game.
And oh yeah, Hershel Talker is an ass/troll.
Steve
November 19th, 2012
10:46 am
By Jerry Palm on cbs.sportsline. Sun Bowl? Ha
Oh crap Georgia Tech — you have games left with Georgia and Florida State. You have a very good chance of finishing 6-7 and not going to any bowl at all.
The Yellow Jackets and Miami become ineligible, leaving my bowl projections with only 67 eligible teams.
Fortunately for Georgia Tech, they get to be a fill in team at 6-7. The NCAA’s new method for dealing with a shortage of eligible teams gives the Jackets a chance to go bowling, so they would play in the Sun Bowl, which is the floor in the ACC pecking order for the conference title game loser.
However, if there are enough eligible teams otherwise, Georgia Tech is out. There are no more “waivers” for teams that finish 6-7 after losing a conference title game, like UCLA received last year.
Uh, it is what it is...
November 19th, 2012
10:47 am
…that is a tired “put down” – like Tech played anybody any better than UGA played, while still managing to lose to a directional school and a religious school, and a probationary school (which is, I think, what Tech is , too) while beating the likes of another religious school that has 1700 students…yeah, Tech has really much better reasons to feel good about being 6-5 right now…
www
November 19th, 2012
10:48 am
“Beat Georgia for the de facto state championship.
Beat Florida State for the ACC title.
Win the Orange Bowl.”
ALL of these goals are still attainable, despite all of the poorly educated haters. i’m proud of this team and look forward to more wins in 2012.
Steve
November 19th, 2012
10:48 am
Great point GTBob! Because Tech’s high school stadium, surrounded by crime and getting to tailgate in a parking lot is a blast! Not our fault you are scared of Athens.
juice sourcer
November 19th, 2012
10:49 am
Georgia Tech going to the championship game is a huge embarrassment to the ACC.
Put in Timeout by Ken Suguira,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned by Bill King, Chip Towers & only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
November 19th, 2012
10:50 am
This could all be a mute point if Duke beats Miami this weekend. Tech would be going even if Miami didn’t decide to take the Bowl ban.
But, still, GTBob...
November 19th, 2012
10:54 am
…is that really a reason for returning even more tickets to UGA than GSU did? I mean, there are a lot of people who think Tech guys are real nerds, and you guys continue to give them ammo with those “we are wimps and are not gonna let those UGA thugs intimidate us cause we will show them by not buying tickets and going to support our team because we may get laughed at, or even beat up”…
C’mon – I am a Tech season ticket holder and take my life in my hands 6 Saturdays a year going to GT games and getting harrassed by panhandlers on the walk from the V to the game, and harangued by “Bible thumpers prosletysing on the way to the game”…while dodging the GT police as they do nothing while supposedly directing the non-existant traffic that is not at GT games…
Put in Timeout by Ken Suguira,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned by Bill King, Chip Towers & only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
November 19th, 2012
10:54 am
STEVE is wrong as usual but hey he like to act like he knows something.
The NCAA’s Board of Directors on Thursday approved a new selection process for bowl games that includes a possibility for teams that finish 5-7 to be selected to bowls.
Under the new measure, if there are not enough bowl-eligible teams, or if a bowl cannot be filled by its conference affiliations, the open spots would be filled through a six-tier tiebreaking process.
The 5-7 teams, if they have a top-five score on the Academic Progress Rate, can enter at the bottom of the process.
Ordinarily, teams need to finish with a minimum .500 winning percentage with at least six wins — five against other Football Bowl Subdivision teams — to be bowl eligible. A sixth win against a Football Championship Subdivision team only counts if the FCS school meets scholarship requirements.
Now, first consideration will go to 6-6 teams with a win against any FCS teams, regardless of scholarships, then 6-6 teams with two wins against FCS schools.
A team that finishes 6-7 and loses in a conference championship would be next, followed by 6-7 teams that normally play a 13-team schedule, such as Hawaii and its home opponents.
Then bowls could then invite FCS teams making the move to FBS, if they have at least a 6-6 record.
Finally, a team with a top-five APR that finishes 5-7 could be selected.
GTBob
November 19th, 2012
10:54 am
Not our fault you are scared of Athens.
Not scared, disgusted. After personally watching cars get vandalized, women and children getting drinks thrown at them and being ridiculed, countless attempts to start fights, and just pure drunken behavior that would get you arrested anywhere else in the country, im not too keen on going back there anymore. When your fan base matures I might consider it.
www
November 19th, 2012
10:57 am
uga is overrated and georgia tech is underrated.
of course, uga still has more talent but we’ll see if they can put it together saturday.
the dwags didn’t looked very impressive against florida or south carolina.
if tech’s d can get a few stops early, it will be a close game in the 4th.
GTBob
November 19th, 2012
10:58 am
is that really a reason for returning even more tickets to UGA than GSU did?
If you can’t understand the difference in a meaningless FCS game and the UGA/GT game then I cant help you.
juice sourcer
November 19th, 2012
10:58 am
And just think of the ACC’s complete humiliation after Tech gets stomped by Georgia and heads to the ACC championship game at 6-6 and then by some miracle they beat Florida State and represent the ACC in the Orange Bowl.
Steve
November 19th, 2012
10:59 am
HA HA. GTBob everything you just mentioned I have seen at Tech as well by Tech fans. You crack me up little boy.
www
November 19th, 2012
11:00 am
“Don’t count Tech out against FSU or UGA. This team is developing a chip on their shoulder.”
TRUE!
www
November 19th, 2012
11:02 am
steve, there is a reason why athens is known as the cesspool of the south. how many tons of trash gets left behind after every game? not counting your date, of course. she’s no more than a 1/4 ton, i’m guessing by the way you troll.
gt45
November 19th, 2012
11:02 am
Amen, Bob!
DIT
November 19th, 2012
11:03 am
Good Job Tech. I hope y’all destroy Free Shoes U in the Championship game. Nothing personal, but I hope you win that one and not the one this Saturday. How awesome would it be for both of our programs playing in BCS bowls. Good luck.
gt45
November 19th, 2012
11:05 am
little boy?
GTBob
November 19th, 2012
11:06 am
HA HA. GTBob everything you just mentioned I have seen at Tech as well by Tech fans. You crack me up little boy.
Ok Steve. GT has just as many drunk, violent, and obnoxious fans as UGA. We all believe you.
Bulldogs for Muschamp Lifetime Contract
November 19th, 2012
11:10 am
Georgia needs to get ready for a fired up bunch Saturday. Tech’s defense or lack thereof will be the difference. I originally thought 63-21 but now I think 49-33 UGA
GT can beat FSU. That would be great for Georgia from a schedule perspective. If we could somehow face the Bama giant in the eye without blinking and win, that would be SEC and ACC Champs from Georgia
That would be pretty cool considering how much grief we have taken from bordering states lately
Uh, speaking of "cesspools", www...
November 19th, 2012
11:12 am
…what is the that rank smell I experience each week at Tech games as I pass the Wardlaw building going to Gate 1 to go to my seats to watch Tech play? Smells like raw sewage to me, and that is in front of the Tech Stadium., on North Avenue, just down from the Coke building…
And, evidently, GT Bob...
November 19th, 2012
11:15 am
…if you have to “beleive” Steve, then obviously yo9u have not been to frat row before a Tech game, nor have you sat in the student section at a Tech game, nor have you sat close to the “club seats” in the east stands that are usually disguised as gold seats during the Tech game when the actual ticket holders, mostly former letterment at Tech, refuse to watch the game but imbibe quite heavily under the stands in the “comforts of the Tech tradation of drinking their whiskey clear”…
www
November 19th, 2012
11:34 am
my new favorite bulldwag mascot:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tech_(mascot)
of course, even bulldwags named tech are still inbred and dumb enough to die of heat exhaustion regularly so enjoy the next “tech the bulldwag” while you can!
Keepin' It Real
November 19th, 2012
11:40 am
Time to Sting the mutts. 22 years since their last title is not much to brag about.
Jacket and Dawg lover
November 19th, 2012
11:47 am
I like both Tech and UGA…I don’t understand the childlike insults and bickering that goes on between the fans of both teams…let’s grow up, people!
Jacket Man
November 19th, 2012
11:47 am
First mission – win the ACC Coastal Division – CHECK
Second mission – beat Georgia
Third mission – win ACCC
Fourth Mission – win Bowl game
Alex
November 19th, 2012
11:52 am
Great column Mark. I’ve been living in central Texas for 8 years now after having grown up in Atlanta rooting for the braves, jackets, and falcons (and hawks too, but I became more of a spurs fan pretty quick…) and I’m thankful to be able to keep up with the hometown perspective online. Your blog is always a pleasure to read. Keep up the good work.
yawn
November 19th, 2012
11:54 am
you are all so tough
Boise Dawg
November 19th, 2012
12:05 pm
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t just a little nervous about the Tech game. Classic trap game and you just never know when facing the Triple Option. That being said, the same BYU team that gave Tech their home thrasing, just lost to San Jose State. Ouch!
Glenn
November 19th, 2012
12:06 pm
I could careless about the ACC title game or Georgia Tech . That however would change if they join the B1G like Maryland . Word has it they might . Good stuff .
PreyDawg
November 19th, 2012
12:06 pm
GTBog and gt45. I am not going to get into a poop throwing contest with two monkeys. Just be men enough to show up back on the boards on Monday. That is all I ask.
beebee
November 19th, 2012
12:15 pm
Hey GTBob oh buddy!
I agree that at this point the ACC title game isn’t earned. However, should Duke beat Miami, Tech wins the Coastal and the trip is earned, in my view.
bee
P.S. I’m looking forward to your next rips on UGA!
Mike
November 19th, 2012
12:16 pm
Ga Tech would be #15 in B1G and this could be a good fit with each other.
Glenn
November 19th, 2012
12:19 pm
I’m starting to think the B1G is luke warm on Rutgers which would make GT 14 . Good payday if they could pony up the buyout .
MC
November 19th, 2012
12:26 pm
This is absolutely hilarious if not an outright farce. This team will probably get 50+ hung on them Saturday and then repeat that again in the ACC Championship game. And they’d have the total lack of pride as to petition for a bowl? COME ON MAN!
Rick James
November 19th, 2012
12:26 pm
@GTBob
Im proud of our guys for hanging in there and getting to a bowl game. The ACC championship game wasn’t really earned but it gives us one more meaningful game to play against a really good team, which isn’t a bad thing. If we found some way to win either of our next two games then we had a decent season. I never thought we would be able to possibly say that.
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Recently on the Georgia blog you said that Tech may be one of the worse football teams in the country.Dont leave that out..
@eidsonb
November 19th, 2012
12:30 pm
Way to go CPJ…sorry he still is the man for the job…this year was just to set up the talent we have coming in next year…Lots of Red Shirts….who da thunk we could have 9 wins if we win out…not me…
GTBob
November 19th, 2012
12:30 pm
Just be men enough to show up back on the boards on Monday. That is all I ask.
Don’t worry. I will be here. I won’t be phased by the results of the game whether we win or lose.
DDT
November 19th, 2012
12:37 pm
UGA’s D will push you guys around like little girls. Wait till those LBs tee off on your QB. He’ll be lucky to leave the game standing upright.
DERP
November 19th, 2012
12:45 pm
Kudos for hanging in there…hopefully if you upset FSU, we won’t find out you cheated AGAIN.
Rick James
November 19th, 2012
12:46 pm
@GTBob
From personal experience, being in Sanford Stadium is one of the worst possible experiences for an opposing fan. If GT was favored by 50 points I wouldn’t even consider attending.
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I dont understand why the only fans who complain and playing in Athens are Tech fans.Why is it that there are not massive arrests or reports of bad behavior by UGA fans when the they playTech in Atlanta? My bet is that there wont be 2,500 Tech fans at the ACC championship game nor the Orange Bowl should you make it.Whats the excuse for Bobby Dodd not selling out regularly? Most Tech fans are like you Bob.They call themselves supporters in the blogs and watch the games at home..
GTBob
November 19th, 2012
12:54 pm
Most Tech fans are like you Bob.They call themselves supporters in the blogs and watch the games at home..
Sorry, but I have been to every Tech game this season. I probably wouldn’t go if the UGA game was at home this season though.
www
November 19th, 2012
1:00 pm
gtbob, what’s your deal with obsessing over/trolling uga? let it go man.
GTBob
November 19th, 2012
1:07 pm
gtbob, what’s your deal with obsessing over/trolling uga? let it go man.
Nah, its hate week. I am probably going to be worse than normal.
JB
November 19th, 2012
1:07 pm
Will the rope off half the stadium for the ACC title game to save money on clean up?
JB
November 19th, 2012
1:09 pm
How does Gtbob afford to go to the games being a full time blogger? Just a thought.
The Auditor
November 19th, 2012
1:10 pm
What kind of Asian is Vad Le? Good thing you will have an Asian QB leading your primarily Asian fan base haha
1990_Champs_GT
November 19th, 2012
1:24 pm
ACC Championship (and bowl eligibility) just means two more loses for CPJ and this terrible GT squad. No chance against the mutts either.
This shows why the ACC is getting ditched by teams like sorry @$$ Maryland. Let’s hope the new AD has sense enough to cut Johnson off at the knees during next season and get us on the road back to the SEC!
Seriously!
November 19th, 2012
1:28 pm
Good for Tech, bad for the ACC. It just shows how far down the ACC has fallen. A 6-6 team (after a loss to UGA on Saturday) and going to the Championship game. Pales in comparison to the SEC Championship game that will probably be sending the #2 and # 3 ranked teams in the nation to the game.
Seriously!
November 19th, 2012
1:31 pm
Maryland is dropping out of the ACC? Who will enter? I bet a team from the FCS Southern Conference is on their way. Georgia Southern, App. State?
1990_Champs_GT
November 19th, 2012
1:32 pm
But it is insane that both UGA and GT are playing for they’re championships in the same year. Of course the beat downs both will suffer will be about the same…
35-10 FSU over Jackets and 38-17 Bama over Dawgs.
1990_Champs_GT
November 19th, 2012
1:36 pm
Ha! “Their” not “they’re”. Common Bulldog mistake, lol!
dick eskew
November 19th, 2012
1:43 pm
let’s see how many bulldogs get arrested this week. it could have a big influence in the upset.
The Auditor
November 19th, 2012
1:57 pm
Given that Atlanta police have a lot more crime to worry about on the Tech campus, I’m gonna say that UGA alcohol-related arrests have a little more to do with the fact that Athens/UGA police have no real crime to worry about to go along with the fact that these arrests are a huge part of their income (outside of UGA, Athens is dirt poor). Police simply turn a blind eye to the alcohol-related issues at Tech (which is not necessarily the worst thing). College kids are going to be college kids regardless, so if you think that UGA student-athletes are really just “criminals and thugs” you are just plain mistaken or ignorant.
Can Tech ruin UGA’s season? It’s possible. But probable? | Mark Bradley
November 19th, 2012
2:08 pm
[...] changed Monday morning. With Miami’s decision to exclude itself from postseason play, Georgia Tech won the ACC Coastal Division outright. So now, for the first time, Tech and Georgia will meet with both having, to borrow Paul [...]
Jacket Man
November 19th, 2012
2:16 pm
Directly from the NCAA website:
Currently, there are 30 other bowl games that contractually tied to the FBS conferences. To become bowl eligible a team must have a winning record, which may include one win against a FCS opponent, or win their conference and the team must not be on postseason probation. The NCAA allows one victory per season over a FCS team to count toward an FBS team’s bowl eligibility, so long as the FCS team has supplied financial aid for football averaging out to at at least at 90 percent of the 63 scholarships allowed over “a rolling two-year period” that can include the current season.
http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/public/NCAA/Championships/Postseason+Football/Overview
Jacket Man
November 19th, 2012
2:17 pm
Last Updated: Oct 8, 2012
35-7
November 19th, 2012
2:19 pm
Both Teams have opportunities…. both will miss out………
Jacket Man
November 19th, 2012
2:23 pm
The NCAA’s Board of Directors on Thursday approved a new selection process for bowl games that includes a possibility for teams that finish 5-7 to be selected to bowls.
Under the new measure, if there are not enough bowl-eligible teams, or if a bowl cannot be filled by its conference affiliations, the open spots would be filled through a six-tier tiebreaking process.
The 5-7 teams, if they have a top-five score on the Academic Progress Rate, can enter at the bottom of the process.
Ordinarily, teams need to finish with a minimum .500 winning percentage with at least six wins — five against other Football Bowl Subdivision teams — to be bowl eligible. A sixth win against a Football Championship Subdivision team only counts if the FCS school meets scholarship requirements.
Now, first consideration will go to 6-6 teams with a win against any FCS teams, regardless of scholarships, then 6-6 teams with two wins against FCS schools.
A team that finishes 6-7 and loses in a conference championship would be next, followed by 6-7 teams that normally play a 13-team schedule, such as Hawaii and its home opponents.
Then bowls could then invite FCS teams making the move to FBS, if they have at least a 6-6 record.
Finally, a team with a top-five APR that finishes 5-7 could be selected.
Jacket Man
November 19th, 2012
2:26 pm
So, if there aren’t any 6-6 teams eligible for Bowl games, then Tech WOULD go to a Bowl game even if they lost the next 2 games.
GT
November 19th, 2012
2:52 pm
Strange team, Georgia may be the first team that should beat Tech, on paper that they have played this year. Looking back Va.Tech was not as advertised, Clemson was pretty good by we led going into the 4th, surely you think we would beat Middle Tenn. if we played them again and if Miami, overtime, had known they were caving at the end you think they wouldn’t have played that hard. The game I cannot figure out is BYU that team was just better but we did some really stupid stuff, like having trouble getting plays into the game and not reacting to their speed up offensive. I think no one reacted worse to 50 plays a half than us, and against BYU our offense didn’t bail us out. First team of Johnson’s to never to score a touchdown in a whole game, here at home where they suddenly don’t play well anymore.
GT
November 19th, 2012
2:54 pm
First Tech team coached by Johnson not to score a offensive touchdown.
Ellijay
November 19th, 2012
2:57 pm
@GT:
You just successfully explained every loss. Gtu should be undefeated right now based on your excuses.
Put in Timeout by Ken Suguira,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned by Bill King, Chip Towers & only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
November 19th, 2012
3:57 pm
dWag fans…..Bobo & MURRAY are 3-9 against top 25 teams but somehow those 2 are going to almost double that win total in 2 games to win the BCS MNC? HAHAHAH………………….Bet the HOUSE……..Take it to the BANK………….or is it more like WAIT TIL NEXT YEAR again?
PTCFlyer
November 19th, 2012
4:07 pm
C’mon “Steve”…..Talk about backing in a conference championship game, UGAg did not have to play Bama, LSU, A&M, Miss State! Are you kidding me?
And GT did not play...
November 19th, 2012
6:33 pm
…FSU, NC State, Wake Forest or BC, so what’s your point? That is just the luck of the draw for having new teams join a conference as far as UGA is concerned…
Wal-Mart Retards
November 19th, 2012
8:40 pm
“this strange season will leave the Jackets playing for the ACC title, which they’ve done only twice — losing to Wake Forest in 2006 in the worst game ever played”
AMEN to that! Good grief, that was a horrible game.
playmeortrademe
November 19th, 2012
9:33 pm
This ACC Championship will set RECORDS for lowest attendance ever. Tech fans won’t travel to Charlotte to see them get clown-stomped by F$U. And F$U fans won’t travel up to the cold to see F$U when they can take a trip to Miami in a month for a better game. RECORDS. I bet Swofford is peeing his pants knowing how bad the game will look on TV.
On another note, Tech is about to be the southern most school in the ACC again. FSU will bolt to the SEC or Big 12, (whoever calls first), Clemson will follow FSU. Miami will be isolated and looking for a way out, may join USF to the Big 12. The ACC will truly be a basketball conference after they go get the remains of the Big East: UConn, Louisville, Temple (yes), Georgetown (football ready in 2015), and UMass. Carolina and Duke must be giddy….
His Jackets pull a no-show, and Paul Johnson is not pleased | Mark Bradley
November 24th, 2012
9:05 pm
[...] two snippets of good news for Georgia Tech on an otherwise wretched Saturday: The Jackets still get to play for the ACC Championship, and the Georgia Bulldogs will be occupied [...]
His Jackets pull a no-show, and Paul Johnson is not pleased
November 26th, 2012
10:39 am
[...] snippets of good news for Georgia Tech on an differently unlucky Saturday: The Jackets still get to play for a ACC Championship, and a Georgia Bulldogs will be assigned [...]