Aug. 31, vs. Elon, noon
The nation at large will pay little note to this victory, coming as it does against the off-brand Phoenix on a day when Alabama plays Virginia Tech two miles away in the Georgia Dome, but Georgia Tech fans will be stoked by the performances of new quarterback Vad Lee and the defense under new coordinator Ted Roof. Then again, it is only Elon, which opened its 2012 season by losing to North Carolina 62-0.
Yellow Jackets win.
Sept. 14, at Duke, 3:30 p.m.
If you’re the Jackets, you hate to waste a bye week on Duke, but that’s the way this curious schedule falls. If you’re Tech, you also hate to play the Blue Devils so early. Twice in the past three seasons, the Jackets have beaten Duke in the regular season’s penultimate game to get bowl-eligible. Still, there’s something to be said for getting to 2-0 without straining.
Yellow Jackets win.
Sept. 21, vs. North Carolina, TBA
The first true test arrives, although memories of last season’s game — Tech scored 68 points against the Tar Heels, who managed 50 themselves, in Chapel Hill — might make you wonder how testing this will be. But Larry Fedora is seen by some as a rising star among coaches, and the ACC media did pick Carolina third in the Coastal Division, one spot ahead of Tech. Ergo, upset alert!
Yellow Jackets win.
Sept. 26, vs. Virginia Tech, 7:30 p.m.
It was hard to know what to make of the 2012 Hokies, who had to beat Virginia in the regular-season finale to get to 6-6. For the first time in more than a decade, the men of Frank Beamer looked ordinary. Was it a reflection of a new normal or just a one-off? I’m going with the former. I’m also thinking that Tech, which has lost three in a row — each in excruciating fashion — to the other Tech, is way past due to beat the Hokies again.
Yellow Jackets win.
Oct. 5, at Miami, TBA
How’s that for a snappy start? The Jackets are 4-0 overall, 3-0 in ACC play. Is world domination at hand? Not quite. The Jackets travel to a stadium in which Tech under Paul Johnson is 0-for-3 (counting an Orange Bowl loss to Iowa in January 2010) to face an opponent that is demonstrably more talented and has, not incidentally, beaten Tech in each of the past four seasons. The undefeated dream ends here.
Yellow Jackets lose.
Oct. 12, at BYU, TBA
The second-worst loss of 2012 — after Middle Tennessee State, which was the worst loss Tech had suffered in three decades — was the 41-17 home defeat inflicted by the Cougars. The return match should be much closer, but flying cross-country to face a solid team that plays outstanding defense (third-best nationally last season) after suffering your first loss isn’t optimum scheduling.
Yellow Jackets lose.
Oct. 19, vs. Syracuse, TBA
In another bit of odd schedule-making, the Jackets will face both ACC newcomers at Bobby Dodd Stadium in the span of 15 days. (Nothing like old rivalries to stir the ticket-buying masses, huh?) The Jackets themselves won’t mind a bit. They’ve just fallen from 4-0 to 4-2, and they’re in need of victories. Fun fact: When last Tech played the Orange, the Jackets won 51-14, and Reggie Ball was crowned Champs Sports Bowl MVP.
Yellow Jackets win.
Oct. 26, at Virginia, TBA
This one could be tougher than it looks. The Cavaliers went 4-8 in Mike London’s third season as coach, and another 4-8 might prompt a change. But London has recruited pretty well, and the then-unbeaten Jackets of 2011 traveled to Charlottesville and got smacked across both lines of scrimmage. These Jackets, however, should be made of stouter stuff.
Yellow Jackets win.
Nov. 2, vs. Pittsburgh, TBA
This also involves a degree of difficulty. Under first-year coach Paul Chryst, the Panthers were a strange 6-7 — defeating Virginia Tech and nearly defeating Notre Dame but losing to Youngstown State and Connecticut. As a rule, teams under new management tend to stabilize in Year 2. But enough to win at Tech? Surely not. The Jackets move to 7-2, which isn’t bad at all.
Yellow Jackets win.
Nov. 14, at Clemson, 7:30 p.m.
Tech’s second Thursday-nighter of the season comes in a more difficult setting. The Tigers enter 2013 considered the class of the ACC and a possible BCS championship contender. It would be hard for the Jackets to win at night in Death Valley in any season, and even Johnson’s best bits of scheming won’t be nearly enough this time. The days of dominating Dabo Swinney have reached an end.
Yellow Jackets lose.
Nov. 23, vs. Alabama A&M, TBA
Will an eight-win regular season be enough to placate those Tech fans who are growing antsy? Will it be enough to convince new athletic director Mike Bobinski that the trajectory of his inherited program is onward and upward? Maybe so. Maybe not. Either way, this is where the eighth victory arrives. But will routing one team nicknamed the Bulldogs prepare the Jackets for another team nicknamed the Bulldogs? Uh, no.
Yellow Jackets win.
Nov. 30, vs. Georgia, TBA
Johnson’s first two losses against the hated mutts came by a total of 14 points (and half that margin came when Johnson allowed Georgia to score near the end of the wild 2010 game). The past two meetings have seen the Jackets lose by an aggregate score of 73-27. That gap would not appear to have closed in any appreciable way. A mostly sunny regular season ends with another thumping loss to the old enemy.
Yellow Jackets lose.
About the Author
