The Win Column: Sacrificing Labubus at Georgia Tech

Hey, y’all. I’m back from a lovely vacation that included my 6-year-old going to the ER not once but twice (hit us with the classic “bust the chin open on a restaurant table,” then added an “allergic reaction to the adhesive on the fancy bandage” twist, just for kicks).

No man on the moon just yet, but “Star Trek” hit the airwaves. People were actually excited about giving their kids the measles vaccine. And you could still buy a home for roughly 35 dollars.

With the current iteration of the Jackets matching the feat, sitting at No. 7 in the AP poll and eyeing an ACC title, I decided to head to campus to see just how much of a tizzy the future rocket surgeons are in — and how much they’d be willing to sacrifice for their team to keep rambling and rumbling toward a spot in the College Football Playoff.

The Yellow Jackets, of course, are cozied up at the heart of one of college football’s wildest seasons in recent memory.

We’re already at nine in-season coaching changes (with Auburn, Wisconsin, Kentucky and who knows how many others still possible). Vanderbilt (Vanderbilt!) is sitting at No. 10. The only unbeaten teams are Ohio State and Texas A&M … plus BYU, Indiana, Navy and Tech.

The latter’s current ranking speaks to a certain level of respect. But David Hale — a former drinking buddy who just so happens to cover college football and the ACC for ESPN — said the Jackets are “clearly under the radar” for most folks.

Relatedly: David says ACC teams not named Miami likely have little wiggle room if they want to make the playoff. Tech’s Week 3 win over Clemson was big, but the Tigers faded fast and the Yellow Jackets’ strength of schedule (currently ranked 72nd) is “going to be held against them.”

What does that mean? To avoid leaving playoff prospects completely at the whim of committee voters, the folks on the Flats better win the games they’re supposed to — and then beat Georgia or win the conference title game.

The latter offers an automatic bid, of course. But otherwise, two losses may be too many.

Sinani Kperogi, a fourth-year Tech student from Kennesaw, said she’d take drastic steps to avoid such a fate.

📣 More reaction from campus here. In the meantime, I want to hear from Tech fans: What would you sacrifice to the football gods in order for the Jackets to continue their run?

Send me your best (or funniest) ideas.

The new-look Hawks start their regular season against the Raptors tonight at State Farm Arena (7:30 p.m. on FanDuel Sports). With Jalen Johnson healthy, Dyson Daniels and Zaccharie Risacher looking to take leaps in their second seasons in Atlanta and the addition of guys like Kristaps Porzingis, expectations are high for Atlanta.

One NBA scout told our friend Ken Sugiura that fans should be “a hell of a lot more optimistic than … worried.”

📈 Which is nice to hear. What does Vegas think, though?

My AJC colleagues are believers in this Hawks team, as am I. And while that number doesn’t leave a lot of wiggle room for 1) injuries or 2) the early growing pains that often come with a reconfigured roster, I’m all-in on the over. Call it 50 wins and a shot at a conference title.

📈 More linkage: Now or never for Trae Young; 5 keys to the season; 5 big home games in the first month

Beat writer Doug Roberson put together a fun list of potential candidates to replace him (anyone interest in bringing Tata Martino?), but I was also curious:

🤔 What, exactly, might the Five Stripes be looking for?

Translation for my fellow soccer casuals: It’d be difficult to ditch struggling high-priced players like Emmanuel Latte Lath, Miguel Almirón and Alexey Miranchuk, so best to focus on finding a manager who can get more out of them.

And for what it’s worth? Doug also writes that history provides reason for optimism.

⚡ As for the Braves manager search: still radio silence. Elsewhere, former Atlanta catcher Kurt Suzuki appears poised to get the Angels job. Three-time MVP Albert Pujols is apparently making interview rounds, too. If the Bravos don’t end up promoting from within, the options are seemingly endless.

⚡ The Falcons released wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud, who had been away from the team for undisclosed reasons in recent weeks. We’ll reserve further comment until more details surface, but it’s a tough look for the already flub-prone coaching staff. Silver lining: Sunday’s opponent doesn’t exactly have things together either.

⚡ The Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame inducts its newest class on Saturday. Inductees include Kirby Smart (Bainbridge High), former Auburn/NFL star Cam Newton (Westlake) and ex-Georgia Tech/Falcons linebacker Keith Brooking (East Coweta). Also included: Walt Frazier, who slung the pigskin around for Atlanta’s segregation-era Howard High before embarking on a legendary basketball career.

I was going to use this space to rant again about the Georgia defense, which head coach Kirby Smart admitted may well fuel another loss at some point.

But with the fifth-ranked Bulldogs enjoying a bye week before heading down to Jacksonville, Florida, for an alfresco beverage or three, it felt more appropriate to explain how the transfer portal works these days — and why any Gators looking to jump ship after coach Billy Napier’s firing will have to wait.

🤔 DawgNation’s Connor Riley has more on what Florida’s coaching change means for Georgia. But here’s the real question: Can the Bulldogs get Napier on the payroll as a (wink-wink) analyst for about 10 days?

Bald guys pretending to be other bald guys: Always funny.

Thanks for reading to the bottom of The Win Column! Questions, comments, suggestions? Email me at tyler.estep@ajc.com.