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Ranking Georgia Tech’s football schedule from top to bottom. Part 2 – Jeff Fann of All About Sports

Friday, August 27th, 2010

Wow just a few days until the start of the college football season. I can’t wait! In Part 1 we looked at the Jacket’s 6 easiest games. In part 2 we get to the meatier games on the schedule. These are the matchups that could make a good season a great one, or turn a great season into a mediocre one.

1. at Virginia Tech 11/4

This may be the game of the year in the ACC. The Thursday night game stuff in Blacksburg is overrated. UNC went in there last year on a Thursday night and won. The real reason I favor the Hokies is the running ability of RBs Ryan Williams, Darren Evans, and QB Tryod Taylor. Like with Georgia, the Yellow Jacket defensive line is still suspect until I see different. The Jackets nearly won at Virginia Tech 2 years ago. It’s possible, but I’m not counting on it.

Georgia Tech Chances of winning: 25%

2. at Georgia 11/27

Physically this is probably the worst matchup on Georgia Tech’s schedule. The Bulldog’s offensive line simply owned the line of scrimmage last year, and Georgia’s O-Line might be better this year. Too early to say if Al Groh’s 3-4 defense will make a difference in this one, but my gut tells me if the Jackets are to win they’ll have to outscore Georgia. That’s always a risky proposition.

Georgia Tech Chances of winning: 35%

3. at Clemson 10/23

This game is always competitive. The Clemson\Georgia Tech rivalry is one of the most underrated in the country. The Tigers have circled this game on their schedule. They haven’t beat Georgia Tech since 2006, and believe me, Clemson fans are a little irked by the recent Jacket dominance. I give the edge slightly to Clemson because the game is in Death Valley.

Georgia Tech Chances of winning : 49.9%

4. at North Carolina 9/18

A nightmare is unfolding in Chapel Hill. A dark horse ACC Title contender before the season, there were allegations of agents involved with players and now during that NCAA investigation there were reports of academic misconduct. Early in the season either the Heels rally around each other and play great in this one or continue a season headed towards disaster. The Jackets will be fine. This one depends on UNC’s mindset coming in. You see what I think.

Georgia Tech Chances of winning 60%

5. Miami 11/13

Paul Johnson doesn’t like to be embarrassed, and Miami dominated the Jackets in their 2009 game. I know because I went to the game, and the game wasn’t as close as the 16 point 33-17 loss would indicate. It certainly was the Jackets poorest game of the year. It won’t happen again. They’ll play much better and I believe they’ll win.

Georgia Tech Chances of winning 65%

6. at Wake Forest 10/2

Wake Forest nearly derailed Georgia Tech’s ACC Title dreams last season in a 30-27 OT loss in Atlanta. This is probably one of the biggest trap games of the season for Georgia Tech. You know Jim Grobe will have the Deacs sound fundamentally, but longtime QB Riley Skinner is gone. The Jackets can’t overlook this one.

Georgia Tech Chances of winning 75%

If the season goes as I’m predicting, then the Jackets will go 9-3 (6-2) in the regular season. One of the knocks on Paul Johnson is that the Jackets are 0-2 in Bowl games. I’d like to see the opponent first, but I have a feeling Johnson finds a way to debunk another myth of the triple option, that teams with a month to prepare have a better chance of beating Georgia Tech. 30 wins in 3 seasons, yup I think Jackets fans will take it.

For more articles about Georgia Tech, the ACC, and other sports topics visit my blog at

All About Sports

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Ranking Georgia Tech’s football schedule from top to bottom. Part 1 – Jeff Fann of All About Sports

Friday, August 20th, 2010

Georgia Tech enters the 2010 season set to defend their ACC Title. The Jackets will still be a very good team. Quickly, here’s why. QB Joshua Nesbitt returns. He’s the catalyst to the Tech’s triple option offense. Anthony Allen will fill in nicely for Jonathan Dwyer and of course Paul Johnson is still coaching.

On defense Al Groh and his 3-4 defense will be an upgrade at defensive coordinator over previous assistant coach Dave Wommack. Despite some personal losses like DE Derrick Morgan and S Morgan Burnett this unit will be better. The schedule is a tough one. Let’s take a look at it in Part 1 with teams 6-12.

7. at Kansas 9/11

The Jayhawks are coming off a 5-7 season where they won only 1 Big 12 conference game. Turner Gill takes over from Mark Mangino at head coach. If you haven’t followed the Jayhawks they’ve suffered season ending injuries and player dismissals to at least 4 players on the defensive side of the ball. Georgia Tech is better than Kansas, but going on the road is always tricky.

Georgia Tech Chances of winning: 80%

8. NC State 9/25

Frankly Tom O’Brien has been very disappointing as head coach of the Wolfpack. This season may be his last if he doesn’t turn NC State around. NC State quarterback Russell Wilson may be able to challenge a Georgia Tech defense that will still be adjusting to Groh’s 3-4 defense. With the game in Atlanta, the Jackets should win.

Georgia Tech Chances of winning: 85%

9.  Virginia 10/9

The Cavaliers have a new coach in Mike London, but Virginia is short on talent. Two years ago I was at the Georgia Tech \Virginia game when Marc Verica looked like a future All-ACC quarterback and beat a favored Jacket team. He’s back at starter and the Cavs usually give the Jackets trouble, but not this year.

Georgia Tech Chances of winning: 90%

10. Middle Tennessee 10/16

This is a tougher game than it looks on paper. The Blue Raiders won 10 games last year. I saw Middle Tennessee play Clemson last year. The Blue Raiders couldn’t handle the Tigers at all upfront, but they feature a very exciting player. Dwight Dasher is one the best dual threat quarterbacks in the country. If he gets loose this game could be closer than expected.

Georgia Tech Chances of winning: 90%

11. Duke 11/20

Nobody respects what David Cutcliffe has done at Duke more than me. Sean Renfree is going flourish at QB under his system, but this is a game Georgia Tech should be able to win. They simply have more athletes and better depth.

Georgia Tech Chances of winning: 95%

12. South Carolina State 9/4

South Carolina is a dangerous FCS school. They are top 20 team at that level. To hear one of my SC State co-workers tell it, Georgia Tech better be ready. I’ll be honest. I don’t know a tremendous amount about the SC St. Bulldogs, but if Georgia Tech loses to them, they may need to consider passing on the rest of the season.

Georgia Tech Chances of winning: 99%

For more articles about Georgia Tech, the ACC, and other sports topics visit my blog at

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Georgia Tech welcomes back Safety Cooper Taylor.

Friday, August 13th, 2010

The ACC is looking forward to having some great defensive players return in 2010. Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich is back after his bout with cancer. He did suffer a setback this week when doctors had found he had broken his foot. He hopes to return by BC’s first game on September 4th. North Carolina State linebacker Nate Irving is returning after a serious car accident last summer. The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets have their own star defender Cooper Taylor back on the field after missing almost all of 2009 with Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome, a condition that affects the heart.

Taylor had strong freshman season in 2008. He had 69 tackles, and his season was highlighted by one of the most important plays of the Paul Johnson era. Florida State was down 31-28 and inside the Georgia Tech 10 yard line. With under a minute left, FSU running back Marcus Sims takes the handoff and is running for the winning score. Taylor laid a picture perfect helmet to football hit on Sims, that knocked the ball loose. Tech defender Rashaad Reid recovered the fumble and the rest is history. It was probably the single most heart stopping play of the last 2 years for Jacket fans. In a blink of an eye the game went from a gut wrenching loss to complete elation and a win, thanks to Cooper Taylor and Rashaad Reid.

Taylor is a 6-4 223 pound safety with good fundamentals and solid instincts for the ball. He’s also surprisingly fast. Taylor is one of the faster players on Georgia Tech’s team. Taylor’s size and speed make him one of the most versatile defenders on the Jacket’s defense. For a defense that struggled last year, Taylor is a welcome addition back for defensive coordinator Al Groh and his new 3-4 defense.

For more articles about Georgia Tech, the ACC, and other sports topics visit my blog at
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What needs to happen for Georgia Tech to repeat as ACC Coastal Division Champions? – Jeff Fann of All About Sports

Saturday, July 31st, 2010

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are your defending ACC Champions, but the consensus is that they won’t repeat. Most critics feels the losses of RB Jonathan Dwyer, WR Demaryius Thomas, DE Derrick Morgan, and S Morgan Burnett are too much for the Jackets to overcome. I’ve read some predictions that have the Jackets finishing as low as 4th in the Coastal Division. Don’t write this team off so fast. Remember the guy coaching the Jackets, Paul Johnson, is one of the most successful coaches in the business.

Johnson has been a winner everywhere he’s been and that’s not going to stop. In addition QB Joshua Nesbitt is back. It will be his 3rd full year running the triple option. Nesbitt is as clutch a quarterback as there is in the ACC, as evidenced by some of his late game heroics last season.

Some things need to happen for Georgia Tech to repeat as ACC Champs though. Virginia Tech, Miami, and North Carolina are going to be very stiff competition so the path to the title will not be an easy one. Ok…What needs to be done?

1) Win at Virginia Tech.

The road to the ACC Coastal Division Title always goes through Blacksburg. The two times the Jackets have won the Coastal Division they’ve beat Virginia Tech. The Hokies won’t lose more than 2 ACC games and a loss there is a two game swing. You can win in Blacksburg.  Just ask North Carolina, they did it last year.

2) Learn Al Groh’s 3-4 defense quickly

Georgia Tech’s offense will be good, but it may not be as explosive as it was last year. They can’t be expected to outscore opponents like their 49-44 victory over Florida State. The defense was mediocre last season, and this year it has to be better.

3) Joshua Nesbitt must stay healthy

With all do respect to the likely backup Tevin Washington, this team can only go as far as Joshua Nesbitt can take them. He’s the engine on the offense that makes it go. If Nesbitt is out, Washington simply doesn’t have the experience to lead the Jackets to a Division Title. Washington has good athletic ability and will be a fine QB one day, but Nesbitt has to stay on the field this year.

4) Hold Serve at Home

The Jackets have a fairly soft home schedule this season with NC State, Virginia, Duke and Miami coming to Atlanta. Outside of Miami, the Jackets should be heavy favorites in each. They can’t afford to lose any of their home games, including Miami, or they have no chance to win the division.

If each of these things happen, the Jackets may find themselves in Charlotte playing for an ACC Title.

For more articles about Georgia Tech, the ACC, and other sports topics visit my blog at
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Are you ready for some Georgia Tech football?

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

This isn’t a Georgia Tech football preview post. I’m not going to look at how they match up with the rest of the ACC. There’s plenty of time of for that. What I want to write about is how we are just about 2 months away from the start of the college football season, and I’m starting to get that feeling. You know that feeling. The one where the anticipation for those fall Georgia Tech football games begin.

Georgia Tech has been a competitive program for over 10 years. They haven’t missed a bowl game or finished under .500 in the ACC since the mid 90s, but while the start of every season brought hope, it’s different now on the flats. With Paul Johnson at helm, you get the feeling anything is possible at Georgia Tech. That includes a national title. I don’t mean this season most likely, but one day.

Even during George O’Leary’s best years, you just got the sense as good as his teams were that he was reaching a ceiling, especially after Ralph Freidgen left. It’s didn’t take long for Chan Gailey to prove his ceiling was usually a 7 win season with a loss to the Georgia Bulldogs.

Georgia Tech lost several very good players to the NFL draft. RB Jonathan Dwyer, WR Demaryius Thomas, DE Derrick Morgan, and S Morgan Burnett are all gone, and most “experts” have the Jackets going anywhere from 7-5 to 9-3 in 2010. My head says that is also the case, but the Georgia Tech fan in me says otherwise. Hey, if you don’t think your team can do better than predicted you probably aren’t a fan.

When Paul Johnson came to Atlanta some of those experts had the Jackets winning 3 or 4 games. He won 9 and beat the Georgia Bulldogs. Last season, they said opposing defenses would catch on. He won 11 games and an ACC Championship. Johnson has made a living on proving his critics wrong. He made the coaching hire of the off-season getting the well respected Al Groh to coach the Jacket’s defense.

I can’t wait to see Paul Johnson go to work this season and try to defend the Jacket’s ACC Title.

For more articles about Georgia Tech, the ACC, and other sports topics visit my blog at
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I’m happy with Georgia Tech in the ACC

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

Unless you haven’t watched ESPN in the last 2 months, all the talk out there is conference expansion. The Pac 10’s attempt to raid the Big 12 and expand to 16 teams, the Big 10 picking up Nebraska, the Mountain West getting BoiseSt, and who knows what the other major conferences are planning. What about the ACC and Georgia Tech specifically?

Georgia Tech’s Dan Radakovich last month stated, “If the landscape changes, we have to do what’s best for Georgia Tech. That’s our job.” I don’t think anyone can predict what is going to happen, but a handful of developments are starting to make me think  the ACC will stay in tact.

ESPN reported on June 12that the SEC was not planning to add Georgia Tech, Clemson, Miami or Florida State. Miami and Virginia Tech both have said they are very happy in the ACC. Those are only verbal statements, but if you remember, Nebraska or Colorado never made much statements. If the conference stays in tact, the likelihood of Georgia Tech going anywhere remains low. It was relief that the SEC said they would not attempt to add 4 of the ACC’s bigger football programs.

Personally I am pleased with the recent developments and hope this is direction. Since I have been watching Georgia Tech, they have always been in the ACC. As far as I’m concerned, their times in the SEC, while prominent in Georgia Tech history, it is not where Georgia Tech is now.

The Yellow Jackets have much in more common with like-minded academic schools in the ACC. Georgia Tech would be at a competitive and recruiting disadvantage competing with the likes of Florida, Alabama, and LSU in football. I have full confidence in Paul Johnson, but it’s becomes that much more difficult selling a recruit on academics when they can play in a 100,000 seat stadium in Tennessee. Just ask Vanderbilt the difficulty of being the SEC’s signature academic school and competing on the field.

The ACC is still very much a viable conference. Their television contract, while not the size of the SEC, is quite reasonable, and Georgia Tech has built now just about 30 years of history in the ACC. It seems the ACC teams are making a commitment to each other and the conference, and I hope Georgia Tech remains in ACC.

The next few weeks will be wild with expansion news changing virtually every hour.

For more articles about Georgia Tech, the ACC, and other sports topics visit my blog at
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So far 2010 has been good to Georgia Tech Sports

Monday, May 24th, 2010

Sometimes during the course of a school’s sports year, we forget there are other sports being played besides football and basketball. These players put in endless hours of practice without the fanfare of the other major sports. Thus far in 2010, Georgia Tech has succeeded not only in football and basketball, but in several other sports as well.

It started in January of 2010. The Yellow Jacket football team coached by Paul Johnson played in the Orange Bowl as champion of the ACC. They lost the game 24-14 to Iowa, but Georgia Tech’s 11 win season was their best since the 1990 National Championship year.

The Georgia Tech basketball team made it to the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 2007. They won 23 games and made it to the ACC Tournament finals where they lost to the eventual national champion Duke Blue Devils. Georgia Tech’s successes don’t end there.

The golf team finished the regular season ranked in the top 20. They placed 3rd in the NCAA’s Southeast Regional. This qualified them for the NCAA Championships finals to be played the first week of June.

Georgia Tech women’s tennis team won the ACC Tournament. It was their fourth ACC title since 2005. They qualified for the team NCAA tournament but lost in the 2nd round to Ole Miss. Irina Falconi will enter the women’s NCAA tournament as the overall number one seeded female.

The women’s basketball team won 23 games and reached the NCAA tournament for the 4th straight year.

It’s been a good season for women’s softball team. They entered the NCAA tournament as the #8 overall seed. Unfortunately, it ended Sunday with a 4-3 loss to the Oregon. The Lady Jackets won 51 games, and senior Jen Yee led the nation in home runs.

Georgia Tech’s best chance at a National Title might be their baseball team. The Yellow Jacket baseball team finished the regular season with an impressive 44-11 record. They will be seeded number 3 in the upcoming ACC tournament where they will face off with number 6 seeded Virginia Tech. Regardless of the result of the ACC tournament, the Jackets are virtually a lock for the NCAA tournament.

Congratulations to all the Georgia Tech sports teams that have helped get 2010 started off on the right foot.

For more articles about Georgia Tech, the ACC, and other sports topics visit my blog at

All About Sports

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Georgia Tech’s Spring Game notes and other Jacket tidbits. – Jeff Fann of All About Sports

Friday, April 30th, 2010

The Yellow Jackets had their spring game on April 24th. Two things were evident from the game that was stopped at halftime due to the weather.

1) Tevin Washington has firmly established himself as the backup to Joshua Nesbitt. He was 6 of 7 passing for 122 yards. That’s darn near Peyton Manningesqe for the Georgia Tech Triple Option offense. He also ran for the 3 TD’s and threw for another.

2) Jonathan Dwyer’s and Demaryius Thomas’s positions RB and WR looked to be filled by ready replacements. RB Anthony Allen had 15 rushes for 91 yards.  Last year he ran for 618 yards at nearly 10 yards a run. I really think the drop off from Dwyer to Allen will be insignificant. 6-4 WR Stephen Hill caught a 70 yard TD in the spring game. I’m telling you Hill is going to be a big part of the Georgia Tech offense in the fall. He will be the man at WR, and nothing from the spring game has changed my opinion from previous posts. He is a star in the making.

How about the new 3-4 defense installed by former Virginia Coach Al Groh? It’s far too early to say, but according the AJC, the players are raving about how much fun the defense is having.  The white team led by Washington won the game 27-7 over the blue team.

In other Georgia Tech news, hot basketball recruit Marcus Thornton still hasn’t decided where he will play. He and his family are giving no indication who he is favoring either. They’ve been very complimentary of every team they’ve visited.

Yellow Jacket fans can feel good about the baseball team. Georgia Tech swept hated the Georgia Bulldogs in 3 games, 6-5, 25-6, and 6-4. They outscored the Dawgs 37-15. Wow I’m sure Paul Johnson will take that score in November! Keep an eye on the baseball team. Coach Danny Hall has had top 20 teams before, only to fall flat in the post-season. Could this year be different? The Jackets sit 34-7 on the season.

For more articles about Georgia Tech, the ACC, and other sports topics visit my blog at

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Georgia Tech is your ACC Coastal Division winner!

Sunday, November 15th, 2009

This is truly becoming a special season on the flats. Saturday the Yellow Jackets dismantled a decent Duke Blue Devil squad 49-10. The win enabled Georgia Tech to clinch the ACC’s Coastal Division Title and secure a spot in the ACC Championship game. The Jackets improve to 10-1, and might be the country’s best one loss team.

Quick, name me 4 other offenses in college football as good or better than Georgia Tech’s offensive attack. I didn’t think you could either. This offense rolled up 519 yards of offense against Duke. When you think all the Jackets can do is run, Georgia Tech goes and throws for over 200. QB Josh Nesbitt threw two touchdowns passes of over 30 yards, and RB Jonathan Dwyer had  another 100+ yard rushing game. Paul Johnson has his offense scoring points and running up yards like it’s a pinball machine. The concern for Tech has always been its defense. Saturday they showed up.

Against Duke’s potent passing attack, the Jacket’s held the Blue Devils to 10 points and 281 total yards. That’s only 20 points given up by the Jacket’s defense the last 6 quarters. Not to shabby for the much maligned group.

Now the Yellow Jackets get a BYE week to finally rest after playing non-stop games since September. I am sure the players will enjoy the break. They’ll need the rest time, because after the BYE week comes the two games that will truly define the Jacket’s season. The Jackets will play archrival Georgia in 2 weeks, then likely the Clemson Tigers in the ACC Championship for the right to represent the ACC in the Orange Bowl.

In two years Paul Johnson has taken a program mired in mediocrity and turned them into the ACC’s best team. Yellow Jacket fans thank their lucky stars everyday that Johnson came to coach at Georgia Tech.

For more articles on Georgia Tech, the ACC, and other sports topics please visit my blog: All About Sports.

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With Division Title on the line, Georgia Tech won’t take Duke for granted.

Monday, November 9th, 2009

If you’re Georgia Tech, this is what you’ve been preparing for all season a chance to win the Coastal Division Title. It’s right there for the Jackets. All they have to do is beat the lowly Duke Blue Devils, but this version of the Blue Devils isn’t the same as previous ones.

Duke is 5-4 and 3-2 in the conference. They are two games from being bowl eligible. When was the last time you could say a Blue Devil team had any chance at a bowl game in November. Their passing offense is ranked 11th in the country, while the Jackets are ranked 98th in the nation in pass efficiency. The Jackets have struggled in pass defense all year. Come on your saying it’s Duke for goodness sakes!

The Jackets did not play especially well Saturday picking up numerous penalties. One penalty negated a touchdown by WR Stephen Hill. In every great season though, you are entitled one get of jail free card, and the Jackets used it against Wake Forest. They didn’t play well, and they still won. Paul Johnson going for it on 4th and 1 in OT was either crazy or brilliant, but fact is it worked and the Jackets sit 9-1. They’ve now moved to number seven in country in both polls, and everything the Jackets have worked for can be had with a win over Duke.

I don’t see the Jacket’s underestimating Duke. Duke Head Coach David Cutcliffe has quietly done a tremendous done with them and they will have Georgia Tech’s full attention. Paul Johnson and Georgia Tech know what’s at stake in this one.

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