Should Georgia Tech manage to return to the ACC Championship game in December, the Yellow Jackets likely won’t be doling out thanks to the conference scheduling authorities.
Tech’s schedule, released Monday by the ACC after a lengthy delay, gave Tech officials and fans plenty of material to gripe about.
Primarily, the Jackets will have one of their two open dates on the second week of the season, will play Virginia Tech on five days’ rest and will play four Coastal Division games in consecutive weeks.
As the league compiled the schedule, Tech’s wish list to the ACC included a bye week after its Oct. 12 game at BYU. Tech officials figured that request might go unfulfilled since acting athletic director Paul Griffin was told that, due to the schedule this year containing two open dates, teams playing Thursday night games would play them with an extra week’s rest. Griffin had been alerted that Tech was being considered for two Thursday games, at home against Virginia Tech and at Clemson.
As it turned out, not only was Tech not given an open date after its two-time zone trip to Provo, Utah, but the Jackets will play North Carolina Sept. 21 and then play on the 26th against the archrival Hokies in a Thursday night game.
Virginia Tech, too, will play on a short week, and has the added burden of traveling to Atlanta to play, although the Hokies have a non-conference game against Marshall on the 21st.
Tech’s first open date will be Sept. 7, a week after opening against Elon Aug. 31. The Jackets are one of three teams with a bye that early. The other two, Pittsburgh and Florida State, are receiving them because they’re playing in the annual Labor Day game in the first week.
Tech’s other open date will be Nov. 9, the week before it plays at Clemson Nov. 14 on a Thursday night, the Tigers’ first Thursday night home game since 2002. Tech requested to play consecutive road games at Death Valley to flip Clemson to the home schedule for even-numbered years.
The Sept. 14 date for Duke will be the earliest the two teams will have met since Tech joined the ACC in 1979. Conversely, the Jackets and Tigers will be the latest they’ve met (Nov. 14) since 1945.
Of Tech’s eight ACC opponents, only Syracuse and Virginia will play a league opponent in the week prior. Two others, North Carolina and Clemson, will have an open date. The other four, Duke, Virginia Tech, Miami and Pitt, play nonconference opponents. Interestingly, Pitt faces Navy, which runs a similar offense to Tech’s. It could provide an advantage similar to what Georgia gained in 2012 by playing Georgia Southern prior to Tech.
It will be the fourth time since coach Paul Johnson’s hire prior to the 2008 season that the Tar Heels will have an extra week of preparation for the Jackets. UNC is 1-2 in that situation in the first three games.
Tech finishes with Georgia at Bobby Dodd Stadium Nov. 30.
Aug. 31 Elon
Comment: First football meeting between Jackets and Wes Durham's alma mater
Sept. 7 open date
Comment: The calendar grants two open dates for 2013; Tech would have preferred the first to come later, or at least before a Thursday game
Sept. 14 at Duke
Comment: First time Tech has played Duke in ACC opener since 1994, second time ever
Sept. 21 North Carolina
Comment: Jackets have won seven in a row at Bobby Dodd Stadium against Tar Heels
Sept. 26 Virginia Tech (Thursday)
Comment: Hokies will also have short turnaround (and will have to travel to Atlanta), but prior game is nonconference against Marshall
Oct. 5 at Miami
Comment: Jackets have lost four in a row to Hurricanes
Oct. 12 at Brigham Young
Comment: Tech's two longest road trips of season back-to-back, a combined 4,342 miles.
Oct. 19 Syracuse
Comment: Orange's first-ever visit to Bobby Dodd; Tech had requested this week as an open date
Oct. 26 at Virginia
Comment: Jackets have won just twice in Charlottesville since 1990
Nov. 2 Pittsburgh
Comment: Panthers will be Tech's eighth game in a row. Tech is the only ACC team to play both ACC newcomers at home
Nov. 9 open date
Nov. 14 at Clemson (Thursday)
Comment: Tech going to Death Valley back-to-back years to even out schedule; latest Tech-Clemson has fallen on calendar since 1945
Nov. 23 Alabama A&M
Comment: First time Tech has played a nonconference game before Georgia since 1996 (Navy)
Nov. 30 Georgia
Comment: 108th meeting between Jackets and Bulldogs
