Tech looks to get ‘some respect for ACC’ vs. SEC

It was Blaise Pascal who said that “the heart has its reasons that reason knows nothing of.”

While it’s unlikely that Pascal, a 17th century French mathematician, was much of an ACC football fan, he could probably understand Vance Walker’s stance.

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Johnny Crawford/jcrawford@ajc.com

A-back Greg Smith, who had to two carries for 5 yard against Virginia Tech on Saturday, said last week: ‘When next week comes, we’re definitely going to be focused on getting some respect for the ACC.’

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The Georgia Tech defensive tackle standout was asked if he could concede that the SEC, which has won the last two national championships and made history this week by becoming the first league in the history of the Associated Press top 25 poll to put five teams in the top 10, is superior to the ACC.

He could not.

“I’m not going to say that,” said Walker, playfully. “At least not while I’m playing.”

With a game against Mississippi State Saturday, Georgia Tech will take its turn carrying the ACC banner. It’s the Jackets’ first game against an SEC opponent other than Georgia since 2005, when the Jackets beat Auburn in the season opener.

“Especially watching ESPN and stuff, all that talk about the SEC and how great the SEC is” grows tiresome, redshirt freshman A-back Roddy Jones said last week. “When next week comes, we’re definitely going to be focused on getting some respect for the ACC.”

Sophomore B-back Jonathan Dwyer is equally ready to mix it up.

“We’re all schools in the South and it’s a lot of teams we were recruited by,” said Dwyer. “We just want to represent the ACC, represent Georgia Tech.”

Last year, the SEC was 6-3 against the ACC. This season, the SEC is 3-1 against the ACC. In probably the most publicized meeting, then-No. 24 Alabama humbled then-No. 9 Clemson 34-10 at the Georgia Dome Aug. 30.

Dwyer watched the Clemson-Alabama game and rooted for the rival Tigers against the SEC, as did Jones.

Said Dwyer, “I was like, they should have made that play, should’ve made that play, should’ve made that play.”

Said Jones, “It made me feel like the ACC’s not holding up their end of the bargain.”

Jones, like Walker, won’t call the rivalry in the SEC’s favor.

“We’ll see,” he said. “We’ll see at the end of the year how everything shapes up. It could be an ACC team winning the national championship, and then who’s to say who’s stronger?”

Guard A.J. Smith believes the ACC stands up to the SEC.

“I think we’ve got great teams in our conference,” he said. “I think we’ve had the most [NFL] draft picks, over 100, in the past three years, so it’s a great conference.”

Smith’s math is correct. The ACC has had 115 players chosen in the past three years, followed by the SEC with 112.

Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom said his own players will want to take up the cause, also.

“I’m sure that’ll be a big issue all week,” he said. “We take pride in being an SEC football team.”

Roddy Jones, who was recruited by Georgia but not offered a scholarship, said that reality adds to the animosity.

“Most of the guys are from the Southeast,” said Jones, who is from Stone Mountain. “The ones that weren’t recruited by SEC schools will definitely have a chip on their shoulder and go out and play a little bit harder against those teams, to show that we belong with the best in the nation.”