AJC > Sports > Tech > Blog > Archives > 2008 > November > 17 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USThoughts from the Off Weekend
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
TAMPA: The Jackets are still in the mix for a trip to Tampa. Sure…the odds are long, but there’s still something to play for in the ACC. The Miami game looms large and there is no reason to slack off or play it safe in preparation for the rivalry game at the end of the month. A 5-3 ACC record going into the upcoming weekend would be huge and would put immense pressure on conference rivals to also take care of business.
FOCUS MIAMI: The Hurricanes are playing well and are sitting on a five game winning streak. And yes…three of those five wins were against UCF, Duke, and Wake Forest…just don’t forget that Miami has recently defeated a pair of teams from the state of Virginia that comprise two of the Jackets’ three losses.
The ‘Canes needed overtime to defeat Virginia and barely nicked the Hokies 16-14 but that’s better than the Jackets did against those two opponents.
The ACC Coastal is INSANE: Maryland and Miami lead their respective halves of the ACC with 4-2 records right now. If Tech defeats Miami this coming Thursday night, then we’re looking at five ACC Coastal teams….five…that have three ACC losses going into the weekend.
With a win on Thursday night all GT fans will become defacto supporters of NC State (playing UNC), Clemson (playing UVA), and Duke (playing Virginia Tech). It would serve the Jackets well to see UNC and UVA pick up conference losses before the final weekend during which the Jackets would then pull for UVA to defeat the Hokies.
That turn of events would give UVA, UNC, and VT their fourth conference losses while GT would own the tiebreaker against Miami head to head…thus resulting in a trip to Tampa.
The SEC is Struggling: The SEC East is comprised of Florida and UGA…with Vandy a distant third. Florida is dominant right now but Vandy is just happy to be bowl eligible at 6-4 while UGA is winning close games with smoke and mirrors after blowout losses to Bama and Florida.
Speaking of Bama…they dominate an even less impressive SEC West that features LSU a distant second at 7-3 after narrowly coming back to beat…Troy!
Consider that only four teams in the entire SEC have a record better than 6-4 right now…Tennessee and Auburn are woeful and aren’t even bowl eligible. They are a combined 8-13 this season.
This is the worst SEC performance in recent history but UGA has been unable to capitalize…letting Alabama and Florida relegate them to the kiddie table with LSU and Vandy.
Hoops is here! I honestly have no idea what to expect from this season’s squad. Losing Clinch to academics and Bell to injury removes a significant veteran presence and means the Jackets will only have about eight scholarship players available for much of this season.
The next game will be on the road at Mercer…who recently took Alabama to the wire in a 72-69 loss. This isn’t a game that the Jackets can sleep on. Its likely to be a tough game against a team that knows it can play with the big boys.
Wear White for Miami! I picked up my white sweatshirt at Tailgater’s Alley this past weekend. Have you? UGA and FSU lost when they had their “black outs”. Just remember…good guys always wear white!
Go Jackets!
THWG!
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Comments
By The Big Bug
November 18, 2008 12:40 AM | Link to this
OK, I’ll go first. Whose idea is this White Out? Seems stupid to me. It leaves us open to ridicule by our rivals if we lose, and rightfully so. It’s just plain tacky and SECish.
By addicted
November 18, 2008 12:45 AM | Link to this
It seems to me the ATL crowd gets all their news from the AJC. Big Bug, Penn St. has been doing a white out for years, before UGA even learnt to spell the word blackout…
Yeah, so if we lose, we lose. The color of our shirts don’t make a difference. On the other hand, it is a fun thing that most students, and positive Tech fans are excited about. There is no reason to take it too seriously. Just wear white, and show up…
By tmac
November 18, 2008 12:55 AM | Link to this
SELL OUT THE FREAKIN STADIUM….THIS IS JUST GETTING RIDICULOUS!!!! IT REALLY IS EMBARRASSING TO HAVE LESS THAN 50K IN A HOME GAME ON A THURSDAY NIGHT WITH A SHOT TO GO TO THE ACC CHAMP……IF YOU ARE A FAN WORTH A DARN GET TO THE STADIUM AND SUPPORT THE JACKETS…..AND MAKE SOME NOISE FOR CRYIN OUT LOUD. ITS OK TO STAND UP OLD ALUMS. THIS SHOULD BE A CRAZY ATMOSPHERE IF ITS DONE RIGHT…..GO JACKETS!!
By The Big Bug
November 18, 2008 1:11 AM | Link to this
addicted, Our opponents may take this as waving a red flag (ref Al/GA). PSU may be able to White Out a Thursday night game but we will not. We don’t need gimmicks. We can stand on our own two feet.
By King of Sandy Springs
November 18, 2008 6:43 AM | Link to this
Big Bug, Do you tuck it? Jeez, “we can’t.. it’s dumb…” You sound more like Big Baby. Just wear white, you’re watching student athletes who may have had a hand in this white out. It’s our seniors last home game, give ‘em a little something back. Sack up!
By gtforever
November 18, 2008 7:38 AM | Link to this
Good Grief….. It’s not that hard! WEAR WHITE!
By reebok
November 18, 2008 7:49 AM | Link to this
Wear white. It’ll look cool on ESPN. If Nesbitt isn’t 100% we’re in serious trouble. Jaybo’s good at running the offense, but Nesbitt is the far better athlete. And with our OL depleted, our QB will be running for his life all night. At least we’re getting our best DB back. GO JACKETS!!!!
By Doug
November 18, 2008 9:42 AM | Link to this
UGA’s “smoke and mirrors” will pick your secondary’s bones like hungry vultures.
By GT45
November 18, 2008 9:51 AM | Link to this
Thankyou, tmac!
By Huh?
November 18, 2008 10:08 AM | Link to this
What is up with the Techies SEC obsession? I mean you guys usually have a major inferiority complex about it but its out of control this year. Relax. The ACC will have its chance to shine against the SEC.
Georgia v. Georgia Tech: Should be a snap right? I mean Tech has had so much success against these guys and all..
Florida v. Florida State: Maybe Florida will be looking ahead to the SECCG and FSU can stay within two touchdowns of them. Big moral victory for the SEC.
South Carolina v. Clemson: Does Clemson still have a football team?
And don’t forget the usual SEC v. ACC bowl games. The ACC will have its chance to prove how overrated the SEC is. You don’t have to go running your mouth about it on the internet. It will be decided on the field. Good luck. God knows you’ll need it.
By You're kidding, right?
November 18, 2008 10:25 AM | Link to this
Mr Boggs…
It is funny to me how you always take a jab at UGA/SEC each column you write. It is funny how you avoid just how mediocre the ACC is this year, and for that matter year in and year out. All the teams are equally sub-par, and while that makes the conference race interesting, it makes the ACC’s play on a national level boring, and makes us question why they have an automatic BCS bid. The “top” tier teams of the ACC float around the 20-25 spots and they seem to rotate teams in these rankings.
I will be the first to say that the SEC has had a down year, and I am let down by the Dawgs performance this year, and they have not played with heart b/c they didn’t reach their goal. But don’t relish in the downfall of UGA’s year, and boast about your bronze medal in the Special Olympics.
Stop enjoying in the success of other teams (Ala/UF) beating UGA, until you actually show some stones and stop that 7 game win streak holmes.
By Stan R.
November 18, 2008 10:36 AM | Link to this
What does it say about a conference when the ACC #3 gets matched against an SEC #9? It says pizzant conference when you have to get down to a #9 so the ACC is evenly matched.
By SEC
November 18, 2008 10:40 AM | Link to this
I bet area homeless shelters will be saturated with all the Tech paraphernallia that will be hurled from car windows and littering the streets of Athens after the trade school suffers its 8th straight beatdown at the hands of UGA.
By Huh? Huh?
November 18, 2008 11:32 AM | Link to this
Who is obsessed with who. You are on the Tech Fan blog and your post is the first to mention the SEC (besides one comment of the white-out being an SEC-like thing to do).
Seems SEC fans are the ones that always start this topic (where is ACC Stinks today??). Are they feeling a little down this year, and needing to talk down the ACC a bit to make themselves feel better?? Seems the myth of SEC superiority is gone.
By Ernie
November 18, 2008 12:11 PM | Link to this
All one has to do is look at the top 25 and the ACC will speak for itself. By the way, I don’t see Tech there.
By THWG74
November 18, 2008 12:27 PM | Link to this
Dear Huh? — If FSU can stay within two TDs of Florida they will be doing much better than the criminals from UGa. This coming from a fan of the team that let Auburn score 13 on them is really sad. Poor Georgie fans. Guess that No.1 ranking at the beginning of the season seems like a very distant memory now…
It is a sad, sad day when a Georgie fan is trying to brag about what a quality team South Carolina is. We all know that even though you beat the Old Ball Coach this year…he has your freakin’ number.
I find it hilarious that Georgie fans (and their beloved St. Mark) will spout off that “a win is a win” when you beat such quality teams as Kentucky or Tennessee or Central Michigan or Vandy or LSwho but when the “Techies” get a win we somehow aren’t as deserving. Poor puppies, wait until the Saturday after Thanksgiving before you come over here running your mouths.
Believe me, we didn’t expect the season that we have had, just as you guys didn’t expect the season you have had. Only difference is, we have been pleasantly surprised rather than disappointed…
By CW
November 18, 2008 12:30 PM | Link to this
The white out is really not a big deal. My guess is that the students are excited about it, so why complain about it. Wear white if you want to, don’t wear white, whatever…
I think the problem with attendance is also not that big of a deal. Attendance was great towards the end of O’Leary’s stay at Tech and started falling off the last few years because the team was just painful to watch. Even when Tech won, the games were often just ugly. Blame Gailey, blame Ball, blame Nix for making our offense pedestrian. These problems didn’t impact attendance overnight and Coach Johnson’s hiring isn’t going to all of a sudden lead to sell-outs.
Some of you guys are preoccupied with this and I CAN TELL YOU THAT POSTING PLEAS IN ALL CAPS FOR EVERYONE TO COME TO THE GAME REALLY HAS NO IMPACT AT ALL.
Tech is on the cusp of having a really exceptional season. I expect even better things from the team next year. More wins, better attendance, these things will come in time.
Regardless of how many people are in the stadium, I know it’s going to be a great time Thursday night.
By David L.
November 18, 2008 12:35 PM | Link to this
It’s that time of year again. The going gets tough and Tech folds like an accordian. Same ole Tech.
By 8straight
November 18, 2008 12:44 PM | Link to this
By THWG74
November 18, 2008 12:27 PM | Link to this
Dear Huh? — If FSU can stay within two TDs of Florida they will be doing much better than the criminals from UGa. This coming from a fan of the team that let Auburn score 13 on them is really sad. Poor Georgie fans. Guess that No.1 ranking at the beginning of the season seems like a very distant memory now…
This coming from someone about to watch the trade school lose their 8th in row to UGA. By the way. How’s the rapist Tarrant doing these days? Rueben Houston still keeping your team high for each and every game? Any ODs lately?
By Reggie Ball
November 18, 2008 12:46 PM | Link to this
Tech winning more than 7 games in a season seems like a very distant memory now.
By Matt Stafford
November 18, 2008 1:31 PM | Link to this
Hello GT fans-
You better look out for me and my boyz next weekend…Joe Cox and I have been conducting some serious spooning sessions in our off week so we can be extra prepared for the GT game. We rounded up Soulja Boy and “But Cut” Richt and headed down to the Athens jail to bust some of our players out for the game next weekend. Coach Richt and I have been doind some extra preparation on his But Cut hairdo to get ready for the big game. I told all the fast food restaraunts in Athens to let there employees have the day off so we should have a big crowd for the game. Look Out, we might even bust out some Soluja Boy on the loudspeakers and wear some carzy red or black jerseys. It’s on..
By THWG74
November 18, 2008 1:48 PM | Link to this
8 straight — When your football team has less than 8 arrests each season come back and talk smack.
Funny how whenever Tech fans talk about how far your team has fallen this year all you can do is bring up the couple of arrests and one tragic death that we have had out of our team in the last few years. You guys rack up more arrests each year than we have had in the last couple of decades. Soon they will have to rename the Fulmer Cup the Richt Cup. Keep talking. It is hilarious.
I just found this great website that some of your Georgie faithful put together http://www.firemarkricht.net/ — check it out…
By the way, stay classy.
By 8straight has gone too far!
November 18, 2008 2:00 PM | Link to this
8straight, I hope you rot in hell for that comment you made on the kid that overdosed. That is a young mans life and he has family and friends that will never see him again. Yet, you think it has something to do with a rivalry. You are scum of the earth man. Give me a time and place to meet you in Athens on the 29th and I promise you I will be there to kick the living sh!t out of you. Seriously give me a time and place!!!
By TexasBuzz
November 18, 2008 2:06 PM | Link to this
Chris:
After GT wins Thursday night, the Coastal Division will have several teams with 3 conference losses, each having at least 1 win and 1 loss to one of the other 3-loss teams. Wouldn’t that make head-to-head comparisons irrelevant? What is the tie-breaking scenario?
Thanks……
By GoodWord
November 18, 2008 2:18 PM | Link to this
TexasBuzz, TheACC website provides this as their tie-breaking policy.
http://www.theacc.com/sports/m-footbl/fbtiebreaker.html
By 8straight
November 18, 2008 3:38 PM | Link to this
By 8straight has gone too far!
November 18, 2008 2:00 PM | Link to this
8straight, I hope you rot in hell for that comment you made on the kid that overdosed. That is a young mans life and he has family and friends that will never see him again. Yet, you think it has something to do with a rivalry. You are scum of the earth man. Give me a time and place to meet you in Athens on the 29th and I promise you I will be there to kick the living sh!t out of you. Seriously give me a time and place!!!
Maybe if GT’s farce of a drug testing program had been even semi functional that kid would be alive today. As for kicking the “living sh!t” out of anybody, my guess is that you can’t JO without changing hands you dried up little wuss. Big talk from from another tech girl. STFU girly boy!
By StepOnABug
November 18, 2008 3:42 PM | Link to this
THWG74, for someone whose team has lost 3 games to also recieving votes, YOU talk a lot of smack about a team the has lost 2 games to the #1 and #3 teams in the country. GT should change it’s name to Catfish U seeing as how you ladies never seem to be able to back it up on the field or finish the drill. 7-5. LMAO!
By DC
November 18, 2008 3:50 PM | Link to this
GT’s non-existent drug testing program is just another sneaky way to keep Reuben Houston’s customer base eligible and on the field. Like it or not, bugs, GT has become the cesspool of the ACC.
By Raid
November 18, 2008 3:56 PM | Link to this
DAYUMM!! You ladies sure do get sensitive and your little panties all in a wad when someone like 8straight hits you right between the eyes with the truth. But that’s alright girls, you should be sensitive about rapists, felony drug dealers, and heroin overdoses. If you had any type of institutional control over there on North Avenue, you might not have had that OD.
By Jack G
November 18, 2008 4:46 PM | Link to this
IF IF IF——what a wonderful little word.
By Wramblin' Rack
November 18, 2008 5:43 PM | Link to this
White Out. What out? I’m travelling all the way from TX to support my team but won’t be wearing white. So sue me. It will be 28 degrees and my GORTEX isn’t white. I’m not Fergie!!
Nesbitt isn’t playing. And if he does, the ice cold weather won’t help him much.
By THWG
November 18, 2008 8:16 PM | Link to this
Everyone needs to head over to http://www.coachoftheyear.com and vote for the good guy, CPJ. He’s currently in first, above Saban, Richt, Meyer, JoePa, and the rest. Keep voting!!!!
By desertdawg
November 18, 2008 9:56 PM | Link to this
thwg74—HAHHHAHAHAHAHAAHHAAH 8 straight
By desertdawg
November 18, 2008 10:02 PM | Link to this
Hey Matt S—its getting old little boy—the same posts on the blogs. Get your hands out of your pants and come up with an original thought. For the love of humanity —-8 straight little BBBBBIIIAAATTCCCHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
By Tech82
November 19, 2008 8:38 AM | Link to this
Raid - I will have to yield to you as the authority on campus criminal activity. After all, UGA currently has the patent on campus crime. Is it up to 10 arrests now since last season? I’ve lost count.
Kidding (and others) - As for your reference to the ACC being mediocre this year, some may call it mediocrity while others call it parity. All I know is the ACC is currently ranked ABOVE the SEC in the Sagarin conference rankings. Facts can be so inconvenient, can’t they?
As for the “White Out” - It’s a stupid idea for several reasons. First off, the stadium isn’t going to be sold out so unless the seats are painted white (they aren’t) we won’t get the desired effect. Also, there is a large Miami following in Atlanta and history tells us they will turn out for the game. Having Tech fans in white will only serve to highlight the number of fans wearing green. Lastly, it just makes us look like we’re trying to copy UGA. We are above cheap marketing stunts that only serve to sell more merchandise.
Go to the game – wearing any color you want to (I will be wearing my gold sweatshirt) – but go to the game. Our first priority needs to be filling up the stadium rather than trying to coordinating fashion.
GO JACKETS! THWG!
By Too Easy
November 19, 2008 8:48 AM | Link to this
Better paint the seats white to get the full effect. Wigs on the nancies in the end zone gonna be white, also? Buzz, too?
By Too Easy
November 19, 2008 9:01 AM | Link to this
Tech82: Did you say you are above cheap marketing stunts? Hot dogs and Cokes with tickets? Insects crawling across my computer screen on the ajc website? Bloggers begging for people to show up?
By TexasBuzz
November 19, 2008 2:24 PM | Link to this
To GoodWord:
Thanks for the link. That answered my question.
By Spike
November 19, 2008 4:06 PM | Link to this
This column tries to make something interesting out of something that is not. Yawn.
By Jon
November 19, 2008 7:44 PM | Link to this
Please , Please, someone fill up our crappy ban box of a stadium and put on your best white for our awesome football team. We may not be able to beat Georgia in, baseball,football, basketball, alumni contribution, Rhode Scholars, or even fan support, but we can make make fun of UGA fans for not being able to spell; right? But hey at least we can beat those guys at WOW and an egg roll making contest!