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.

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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%

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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.

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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.

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Paul Johnson Interview Part 1

Paul Johnson Interview Part 2

Paul Johnson Interview Part 3

Paul Johnson Interview Part 4 

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Hicks isn’t the second coming of Derrick Favors. He looks like a project, but the Jackets needed size badly. This is a nice pickup this late in the recruiting season. Hicks is also a likely 3 or 4 year guy. In addition, Brad Sheehan appears to be sticking around. He provided quality minutes last year.

Hicks signing and Sheehan returning doesn’t mean the Jackets are NCAA bound. The frontline has virtually no playing experience. Daniel Miller, Hicks, and Kammeon Holsey have never played a college game. Sheehan has never played more than spot minutes, but you can’t teach size. Let’s face it- if the Jackets are going to have a decent year next season, it will depend on their guards.

The guard play will have to carry the team, but at least now, Hewitt has a little frontline depth to play with.

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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.

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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.

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The Jackets next year will have a front line short on depth and experience. I felt at the end of the 2010 season that there was a possibility, even with the losses of Gani Lawal and Derrick Favors, that Tech could be better next year. That was especially with a backcourt that will have another year under their belt. Now it’s hard to see the Jackets being more than an NCAA bubble team.

With the apparent departure of Brad Sheehan, the Jackets will have only 2 players taller than 6-6. I expected Hewitt to finish stronger during the recruiting season, but he couldn’t pull any frontline players in. The Jackets signed 1 player explosive 6-4 guard Jason Morris.  

There is some good news for Yellow Jacket sports. The baseball team was selected to host an NCAA regional. This is the first step to getting to Omaha and playing in the College World Series. Alabama, Mercer, and Elon are also in the bracket, but the Jackets are heavy favorites to move on.

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

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.

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