This nutty Tech season could yield a truly hilarious ending
Believe it or not, both of these teams could land in Miami come New Year's. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
Georgia Tech could wind up in the Orange Bowl, or it could grace no bowl at all. At this moment, the Jackets are bowl-eligible; come Saturday night, they might not be. Got that?
“It’s been a different year,” Paul Johnson said Tuesday, which is an understatement on a par with, “Bill Gates isn’t hurting for money.”
After a full regular season, Tech is neither a winning or a losing team — but it might yet be a conference champion. Generally speaking, when serendipity takes a hand it lifts a good team to greater heights. Somehow serendipity seems to have taken a shine to these middling Jackets, who lost by 21 points to Middle Tennessee and by 32 to Georgia.
The Jackets have played 12 games, losing half. They have beaten one team (North Carolina) that finished above .500. Carolina was one of three teams that tied for first place in the ACC Coastal Division, but the Tar Heels couldn’t play for the conference title because the NCAA won’t allow it, and Miami decided not to play for the ACC championship for fear of what the NCAA might do. Ergo, Tech to Charlotte.
“You want to be playing for your conference championship,” Johnson said. “Would you have dreamed it would be with this record? Probably not.”
Should the Jackets lose to Florida State — they’re a two-touchdown underdog — they’ll be 6-7, which would render them bowl-ineligible after they’d moved heaven and Earth to get bowl-eligible. Tech people absolutely believe the Jackets will be afforded a postseason berth even with a losing record; neutral observers are less sure. “You guys (meaning the media) are having more fun with that than might actually be,” Johnson said, though “fun” mightn’t be the proper word.
The coach’s Tuesday briefing wasn’t nearly as acidic as his post-Georgia address, but he didn’t miss the opportunity to hammer home a Talking Point. “This is the third time in five years these players have finished with the best record in their division,” he said. (Not incidentally, five years is how long Johnson has been in place.) “To hear some people talk, you’d probably think the sky is falling. But that’s probably better than they’ve done here in a long time.”
True. Before Johnson arrived, Tech had finished first in the ACC or the Coastal three times: In 1990, the UPI national championship season under Bobby Ross; in 1998 under George O’Leary, and in 2006 under Chan Gailey. But it’s also worth noting — and here we risk being included on a list of “some people” — that Johnson’s Jackets are 21-20 since Thanksgiving 2009, and that the biggest victory of that span (the ACC championship over Clemson) was officially vacated, and that their last game marked the second-largest margin of defeat of Johnson’s five years.
Loading ...Even with Tech playing for the ACC title, it’s impossible to call this season a smash. (Though, as Johnson said, “If we can win the conference championship, it’d be hard to say they underachieved.”) It would also be impossible to characterize the program as being in the prime of health. That said, it would be utterly in keeping with this crazy-quilt season for Tech to topple Florida State and break its bowl losing streak, which stands at seven years, in a BCS game against a true heavyweight like … Kent State?
As Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports has outlined, if Kent State beats Northern Illinois for the Mid American Conference title on Friday and finishes in the top 16 of the BCS rankings, and if the Big East champion is ranked below that, the Golden Flashes would almost surely land in the Orange Bowl, which gets last choice in this year’s BCS rotation. (Dodd also calls a potential Tech-Kent matchup “a game you wouldn’t pay to see in September.”)
The Golden Flashes lost to Kentucky by 33 points, and Kentucky didn’t win an SEC game and fired its coach. (And just hired Mark Stoops, the Florida State defensive coordinator. Small world, huh?) And to this outlandish possibility, we say: Why NOT?
Nothing else about Tech has made a lick of sense, so why not go the full Monty? Upset Florida State, beat Kent State and stick around afterward to help welcome the Georgia Bulldogs to Miami. See, the Orange Bowl will be staged at Sun Life Stadium — the home field of the Miami Hurricanes, whose step-aside put Tech in in the ACC title game — on New Year’s night. Six days later, the BCS title game will be played at the same place. Could this strangest of Tech seasons reach any more suitable end than to have both Jackets and Bulldogs take their respective talents to South Beach?
Further reading: Heat Check — Destiny’s Dogs? No-bowl Jackets? Whoa, Nelly.
By Mark Bradley
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209 comments Add your comment
Browndog
November 27th, 2012
5:44 pm
Defense has always been the problem for CPJ. If the D was just average GT would win 8+ games a year. The O controls the clock and if the D makes a few stops each game GT would have a chance in every game. Same was the case for UT. Any D on their part this year and Dooley would still be at UT.
GTBob
November 27th, 2012
5:45 pm
The point is, you can recruit at these academic institutions.
The only problem with that is that you are assuming that recruiting at Stanford and Vandy is tougher than GT which it isn’t. Just because they are quality schools doesn’t mean they have the same restrictions. I wonder how many Stanford commits get coaches putting calculus books in front of them as negative recruiting. Im guessing not many.
Mike S.
November 27th, 2012
5:45 pm
@Pitbull – the good part about the 4 team playoff is automatic qualifiers appear to be going away. There will be no more getting forced to take Kent St. or the Big East winner. Bowls will have conference tie ins just like they did before the BCS.
The bad part about the 4 team playoff is its just going to be the same old issues. 4 teams is still not enough, especially now that ND has crashed the party. Look at this year, imagine Ohio St eligible which they will be when the 4 team playoff begins, and try to pick 4 teams. Even if you go with just conference winners, you have an odd man out (ND, SEC winner, OSU, then either the Pac 12 or Big 12 winner).
Mike S.
November 27th, 2012
5:49 pm
Vandy is recruiting from the same talent pool as Ga Tech and is competing against the same SEC and ACC schools for most of their recruits. Im sure the PAC 12 schools dont play nice with each other on the recruiting trail either. They are dealing with the same crap. It might be worse for Stanford when a USC or UCLA coach takes recruits on a tour of the campus.
There is nothing unique about Ga Tech’s situation vs these other schools. We sit in a hotbed talent state on top of that with Florida only a few hours away.
abby normal
November 27th, 2012
5:49 pm
I’ve been a Tech fan for over 50 years, but there is no way this team should go to any bowl game, let alone the Orange. There was a time when going bowling meant something, but now is like the NBA playoffs; if you’re breathing, you’re in.
MariettaMike
November 27th, 2012
5:53 pm
The sky is not falling. If GT beats FSU, they indeed deserve to go to a bowl game. A BCS bowl? Hell no! This GT team is the worst since 1996. Erratic offense and horrible defense have doomed this team. However, GT is one good quarterback and a great defensive coach from an 8 to 9 win season next year. Does this mean they beat Georgia at the end of the year? No, they will still be two touchdown underdogs. GT fans will always live in the shadow of Georgia. If GT loses to Georgia, GT fans see the season as a failure which is crazy. The ACC is not the SEC. The top tier teams in the ACC have been crushed by the SEC for the last 5 years. The GT fan base needs to re-evaluate its goals. To quote former GT President Dave Braine, “Georgia Tech can expect to win 7 or 8 games a year”. The GT fan base hates Paul Johnson, but the GT fan base does not support GT athletics at all. Maryland’s athletic department was broke because alumni did give the school any $$$. GT games only have have 35K or 40K fans at the games. These are Conference USA and Mid America Conference numbers. UVA, UNC, NC State and Boston College had better attendance. The only games that come close to sell outs are Clemson, Virginia Tech, Florida State and Georgia. These games are filled with 60 to 70% fans from the other team. I went to the Va Tech game in 2011 where my Hokies won. If you are a GT fan, you should be ashamed. I hope when my daughter and nephew graduate GT, they continue to support GT athletics. I read that a large percentage of GT graduates are millionaires. Apparently they like to bitch a lot and not go to games. Hey GT fans, put up $$$ or shut up!
GTBob
November 27th, 2012
5:53 pm
There is nothing unique about Ga Tech’s situation vs these other schools.
Aside from lack of majors, lack of academic exemptions, calculus requirements, and lack of women. The baseline requirements may be higher at GT also.
GTville
November 27th, 2012
5:58 pm
First off, UGA looked great last week. GT missed some big opportunities and could have made a very good game. The difference in making things happen and not making things happen is why GT may not go to a bowl game.
Simply put, beat FSU and go to the Orange Bowl. No appeal will be needed. SEC is clearly the dominant conference right now as evidenced by FSU, GT, Clem, and WF all losing.
GT fans need to shut up about changing coaches, they lost a very good recruiter and coach in Gailey and will likely lose one in Johnson. GT has never been a consistent 10 game winner and will not ever be if we keep switching coaches. Let them make adjustments and accept that GT will only win the National Championship or share thereof once every 25 years like they did last century.
Bill Stanfill
November 27th, 2012
5:58 pm
Good god almighty!
You’re headed “down to Charlotte to see us beat FSU”? “Successful end to the season”? “If we had a better defense”?
Tech fans have apparently gone insane. The team has 6 losses, lost by 3 touchdowns to Middle Tennessee State, just got walloped by UGA for the 11th time in the last 12 years, etc.
The whole conversation is insane. Tech fans should be talking about how this kind of mediocrity is unacceptable; Tech fans need to be putting the pressure on the admin. to move on and put a new coach in (at minimum, it needs to be made clear that he has one more year to show significant improvement.)
I find it hard to believe (just because of a freak series of events they wind up playing in the conference championship game) that Tech fans are settling for such mediocrity. And with the kind of recruiting classes Johnson is bringing in, there is little hope that next year, or the year after, is going to be much better.
Mike S.
November 27th, 2012
5:58 pm
Come on GTBob. That 15 pts per game includes the garbage time scores like the TD against UGA. If you want to get better than 6 or 7 wins, these are the games you have to start winning. Not Duke and UNC. It doesnt matter how much yardage you pile up if you cant put points on the board. Also, you would need Alabama’s defense to win those games averaging only 15 pts. We lost the Va Tech game giving up only 17 pts in regulation.
OldGold1964
November 27th, 2012
6:00 pm
Been a fan, and followed GT since 1964. But for even me, this 2012 season is over.
De-certify 50% of the current Bowls, and form a standard season of 11 games (pre-season invitational kick-off classic can be excluded). Only teams achieving record of 7-4 or better are allowed to participate in bowl games.
Athens Campus Ninja
November 27th, 2012
6:03 pm
Like your scenario, Mark…except for the “stick around afterwards and help welcome the Georgia Bulldogs” part. UGA will not be making that trip.
Mike S.
November 27th, 2012
6:06 pm
Gailey landed a top 20 class in 2007. The 2008 class was projected top 20 until he was replaced by Johnson and the pro style recruits ran for the hills. It wasnt a fluke. he showed recruits they could come here and hit the next level with guys like Calvin Johnson, Wheeler, and Choice. Tenuta played an attacking style of defense that appeals to athletic recruits as well. It payed off and he started winning the recruiting battles over UGA, Clemson, FSU, and others. Ga Tech does not have to settle for rosters full of 2 and 3 star players.
alltech
November 27th, 2012
6:10 pm
tech can beat kent state—they are overrated and play in a weak conference! tech 30 kent 20
GTBob
November 27th, 2012
6:14 pm
If you want to get better than 6 or 7 wins, these are the games you have to start winning.
If we had any defense at all we would have won more than 6-7 games this year. You are completely out of your mind if you think our offense is our teams major problem.
GTBob
November 27th, 2012
6:15 pm
Gailey landed a top 20 class in 2007. The 2008 class was projected top 20 until he was replaced by Johnson and the pro style recruits ran for the hills.
How about his other classes?
beezit
November 27th, 2012
6:29 pm
For a minute there I thought I was reading a sports journalism column…Nice to know there are places on the interwebs to go immerse oneself into a world of fantasy and fiction…
Marion Hulsey
November 27th, 2012
6:30 pm
Can you imagine a bowl committee considering Teck with their following? At Saturdays game in Athens the Teck band out numbered the fans. What a joke. Here is a road game 60 miles from their campus and they bring less than 100 fans. Absolutely no school spirit or enthusiasm.
DAMN GOOD JACKETS
November 27th, 2012
6:34 pm
I like the new athletic director (Griffin) already..he says we’re playing in the Orange Bowl and so that’s that. Whewwwwwwwwwwwww…..go Jackets!!
gt
November 27th, 2012
6:42 pm
if college football went back to ending in ties, GT would be in decent shape..I try to remember they did take Miami and VT in OT although they definitely should have beaten VT…
yellowfever
November 27th, 2012
6:43 pm
I’m a long time TECH fan, please do all of us a favor and just say NO.
you can't fix stupid or Democrats or bulldogs
November 27th, 2012
6:53 pm
Some of those CEO’s need buy out CPJ contract and give Tech a Christmas present.
Chris
November 27th, 2012
7:01 pm
As crazy as this season has been, we can still finish 8 and 6 and ACC champions! It could be worse. By the way John Swofford, how bout we make the ACC game a home and away like the PAC 12. That would solve the sellout problem and create some enthusiasm! Don’t give up Tech fans!
RT
November 27th, 2012
7:06 pm
I am pulling for GT to beat Florida St and then win the Orange Bowl. It will look good for Georgia to have thoroughly beaten a team that has won their Conference and a major Bowl game. Go Dawgs and beat Bama
kingster
November 27th, 2012
7:24 pm
Mark, I like the way you up wrote this, but honestly, I don’t think Tech has a ghost of a chance to turn their season into a seccess, the only way to make it right is Fire Paul Johnson and get a good coach before other teams collect them all, but thanks again Mark for the positive spin (lol)
Burma Shave
November 27th, 2012
7:29 pm
The Tide will be rolling
They’ll be at their best
While the dawgs fart around
Bama passes the test
BURMA SHAVE
Reggie Ball
November 27th, 2012
7:48 pm
NERDS NERDS NERDS!!! We got tossed around like rag dolls to those talented DAWGS!! Just Body SLAMMED. We’re smaller in size, tallent, & coaching. We dont stand a chance against FSU! Maybe we can get back to El Paso on a bowl waiver & get beat by an eighth grade quaterback like we did last year! What down is it?
Chris
November 27th, 2012
7:50 pm
Hey, UGA was 6-7 in 2010. If we finish 8-6, we can turn this thing around.
Nativebird
November 27th, 2012
7:50 pm
Can anyone honestly believe this Tech team, coach, season and program isn’t anything other than an absolute joke? 6-6 and playing for a conference championship by default? Johnson hasn’t earned anything other than a first class ticket back to the sticks he came from.
ylojkt
November 27th, 2012
7:54 pm
Count me in as saying the offense is just fine. We move easily up and down the field, we’ve seen more looks coming with our offense as players learn the system, some nice passing plays this year so far to go with the run. It just so happens that we got stripped on the one on a running play that was going for a score, and we threw a couple of bad passes to end drives in scoring territory. Most of our red zone attempts were successful this year, except when we had to involve the kicking game. Tanner has stepped in admirably, but we will have to get a kicker who has a long drive soon.
I’m happy with Paul Johnson’s offense, it’s his defense and special teams that need improving. He thought he had something in Al Groh, but obviously all AG did was confuse his players, and they seemed to have gone without a quality scheme by which to play all this year. You could see the potential in flashes, but it didn’t materialize a whole lot until later in the year.
Here’s to continued improvement, and beating the semenholes.
BCS here we come.
Flounder
November 27th, 2012
8:00 pm
This bears repeating::
“Paul Johnson is an idiot. It doesn’t matter where or when, if it’s 4th down then he goes for it. Someone should inform him that 99.99% of the broadcasters, sportswriters, fans, players & coaches who witness his patented “4th and Whatever” decisions consider him to be a coaching buffoon.
You DON’T have to go for it on every 4th down…Especially when you’re not moving the ball effectively in the fist place. This is not a insignificant detail. It represents a much larger coaching flaw that resides within Paul Johnson.
It’s so eerily similar to that of Chan Gailey. He is old & stubborn. He doesn’t learn from mistakes. He only does things “his way” and so must everyone else. When asked about game situations and decisions, he quips little one liners that GT fans & alumni have to live with for years. He got the big contract and his personal performance nosedived. He’d rather be fishing than coaching football.
Chan Gailey The Hated set Tech Football back a decade. Al Groh The Useless put our defense behind by 3 years. Paul Hewitt The Moocher put our BB program behind by a decade. Now Paul Johnson The Fustercluck has completely ruined GT Football from recruiting on up to the fan & alumni bases.
No wonder Radakovich headed for the backwoods of SC…..Much of this was done on his watch.”
Iluvnutella
November 27th, 2012
8:16 pm
The people running the Athletic dept have no sense of shame. We have NO business playing for the conference title, much less going to a bowl. One more year of this foolishness and Fish-fry willbe shown the door. Get a young up and coming coach keep him as long as you can, then hire another up and coming coach, rinse and repeat. such is life we have now on The Flats. All it takes is a good AD to keep the plates wpinning.
Iluvnutella
November 27th, 2012
8:17 pm
*spinning…..circus metaphor
m
November 27th, 2012
8:23 pm
You are not a journalist. You are a sarcastic a–hole.
hind tit
November 27th, 2012
8:26 pm
It’s hard to believe that the Orange Bowl was the bowl every team worked all year to play in. Now it’s the welfare bowl.
DawgFan
November 27th, 2012
8:30 pm
Amazing that on a Tech blog more people have wished ill will toward the Dawgs than good will toward their own pathetic pack of losers. Tech fans are the problem. If this season is just slightly below avg as GTBob says then why is support dead and interest at an all time low. The lack of crowd Tech brought to Athens was embarrassing. The defensive effort was beyond embarrassing and the talent gap very obvious. If Techsters want a good football team they need a new coach and some new fans that care.
NtheNo
November 27th, 2012
8:38 pm
Tech is in shambles – not sure they could win the GHSA state championship much less play with FSU. This program needs to really consider stepping down a level to play with the Georgia Southerns of the college football world. Its out of control and the powers that be clearly are asleep at the wheel. Truly a shame. Recruits are the lifeblood and its clear GT’s recruiting is at a very low point. I wouldn’t go to the so called ACC championship game if they gave me free tickets and delivered me to the gate. Too bad that FSU is in this position.
JASon
November 27th, 2012
8:44 pm
“‘It’s been a different year,’ Paul Johnson said Tuesday”
They went 6-6 in 2010
They are 0-4 in bowl games under johnson
They are 1-4 against uga under johnson
So for him to act like this team is not used to failing is laughable.
dawgfan
November 27th, 2012
8:49 pm
Tech gave up on the season a long time ago because they are quitters. Unless they are playing a UNC or some other joke ACC team neither the players, coaches, nor fans are all that interested. This is the most half azzed joke of an effing D-1 football program that you will ever come across. They are going to get drilled by FSU. They’ll take a charity bowl berth to keep the streak alive, which nobody else cares about, and get their azzes kicked.
Despite this pathetic state of affairs, none of it will stop Tech fans from incessantly running their fat mouths about anything and everything UGA. All they know how to do is talk tough and flap their gums. It almost never works out well for them on the field but they do it anyway. Tech fans have to be some of the thickest people around.
Golden Tornado
November 27th, 2012
9:17 pm
Bobo, you are spot on. Further truth: Talk about offensive and defensive schemes is less important than inability to recruit against Georgia. Maybe it’s a sourpuss coach’s fault, but, as an old guy, I guess I’ve never gotten over Tech’s leaving the S.E.C. after 1963.
Movin On
November 27th, 2012
9:22 pm
As a Tech fan the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. My insanity is bying season tickects for 30 years and expecting something different. I think i’ve learned my lesson!
4 Nat'l Chmpshps
November 27th, 2012
9:33 pm
@Bobo – I also think you’re comments are spot on. Agree that we have to put massive focus on Defensive recruiting…..I like MB suggestion of Ellis Johnson as D-Coord…..assuming he can recruit. We need a recruiting coordinator who can go out and get em….that’s not what any head coaches are doing, it’s all the recruiting coordinator (whatever that is – maybe that’s the guys that gives money to the AME Church’s).
Disappointed, surprised by lack of fight against Clarke County correctional thugs, but still a fan. Go Jackets!
the red herring
November 27th, 2012
9:38 pm
let’s let PJ take the jackets to a bowl game and set the record for consecutive bowl losses. maybe then we can send him packing. his offense is high school/junior college material—good for 7 wins max in a premier season. only when they can keep the ball 3/4 of the game clock do they have a chance to win —especially with the defensive effort this season. tech’s defense can’t stop a decent offense and tech’s offense can’t control the clock well enough to keep the defense off the field. fsu by 21 and i’m a long time tech fan.
Bobo
November 27th, 2012
9:43 pm
Golden Tornado
That’s dang right. If we had the kind of talent Nebraska did back in their heyday with Tom Osborne, the triple option would probably be as trendy as the spread or the pistol right now. Nebraska, however, won with that because they always had an insanely good defense and ball control combined with the best D-line in the country was a deadly combination.
Teams with talent like Bama have used the 3-4 pretty successfully, but you can see how disastrous that scheme is when you don’t have incredible linemen or big backers. It was the wrong scheme for us, completely, but TALENT, or lack thereof, was the bigger issue.
The next coach (or Johnson if his stubborn butt will turn it around) has to draw a line in the sand and make whatever promises he needs to make to settle for no less than 8-10 guys who rate 4 stars every single year. Georgia gets upwards of 15-20 of those and they also pull in 5 star guys. I’m not naiive enough to think we’ll get a 5 star guy (Calvin Johnson is the only one we ever got), but we can certainly stop signing 2 star players that EVERY high school has at least 2 to 5 of on their roster. You generally tend to get what you settle for.
Glory Glory To Georgia
November 27th, 2012
10:07 pm
Goldenrod,
Get over it. GT should graciously bow out of any bowl game. I understand the rule was changed about 5 months ago to make it very difficult for sub 500 teams to make a bowl game. One factor that will affect this is the number of bowl eligible teams, which exceed bowl slots.
Go play World of Warcraft instead. You will be happier. Oh yeah,.,good luck litigating this case. Can you say summary judgment?
Smitty
November 27th, 2012
10:12 pm
I am a Dawg fan but I hope Tech beats FSU…..would make my day
Smitty
November 27th, 2012
10:14 pm
I am tired of the FSU whinners
GA YECK TELLOW CRAPETS
November 27th, 2012
10:29 pm
If no bowl—–I smell a lifetime movie in the works. Crap blocks and all.
Dacusville Bill
November 27th, 2012
10:41 pm
I am putting my prize bull in my new shed—since Pitiful Paul is spouting the same old bull, he can have my old shed for his old bull and now we have had enuff bull shed for one night–Fire that sucker, and hire Joker or that Motorcycle Rider from R can Saw–
KJ
November 27th, 2012
11:39 pm
At this point, the only thing to be done is to merge the top half of the ACC and Big East to form a new BCS conference, and demote the rest to FCS. Still not sure which group the gnats would fall under.