With that speculation aside, let’s focus on more important speculation. What does this mean for the Jackets? The Jackets seem unlikely to join or in that case be invited to the SEC, given the history of the school and the conference. A second notion is to dip into the Big East again with West Virginia and Cincinnati as prime candidates. This would be favorable since Syracuse was a candidate in 2004 along with BC, Virginia Tech and Miami, so the thoughts of a Big East – ACC mega-merger have been percolating for a few years. Another reason the Big East scenario looks more likely has to do with the SEC toying with the idea of raiding the ACC of Miami, FSU, Clemson, and Virginia Tech if it doesn’t get its way with the powers of the Big-12. Tech’s future opponents could then include West Virginia, Cincinnati, Pitt, and South Florida. Not to mention the possibility of Louisville, Syracuse and Rutgers.

The conference arms race in college football has its launch pad in South Bend, Indiana. All of the shuffling and realigning and speculation is a direct result of Notre Dame refusing to join a conference. If Notre Dame would have simply made the, what would seem like obvious, decision to join the Big-10, it would have solved several fringe issues with college football. 1) It would have given the Big-10, which actually has eleven teams, a twelfth member, making the conference eligible for a championship game. A fact that always comes up in the discussion of national title contenders and how much of a factor the thirteenth game of the season has for teams with a conference title game. 2) It would affiliate the school with a conference and put an end t0 individual contract negotiation. Part of the reason conference expansion has become a hot topic has to do with television rights and ratings in bigger markets. The Big-10 formed its own network, the SEC partnered with ESPN to provide its own network of programming last year and all of this was an attempt to achieve the level of proliferation Notre Dame receives with their contract with NBC. A Big East – ACC merger would bring in the coveted NYC market, the number one entertainment market in the nation. 3) It would have helped the case for finally getting a playoff system in D-1 college football. Notre Dame has an agreement with the NCAA and the BCS that gives them an automatic BCS bid if they win nine games in a season. The rules for BCS eligibility are winning a conference championship or being ranked in the top 12-15 (the last few spots have changed over the years) of the BCS poll, unless you’re Notre Dame. This has always caused a problem with proposed playoff situations because when a bracket style format is in place how could you legitimately award a spot in an eight team playoff to a team that didn’t play a championship game and had possibly a three-loss season?

Whether the tectonic plates of college football shift this season or not, several things will always remain the same no matter what initials are printed on the field.

Someone in the SEC will be overrated and then cry about not being “taken seriously.”

Notre Dame will under achieve.

Boise State will play one meaningful game.

and THWG.

III,

George O’ Leary, the man who brought Tech out of the dark ages of a single-win 1994 season, left to pursue greener pastures in 2001. O’ Leary led the Jackets to the 2000 Peach Bowl and the 2001 Seattle Bowl.

Chan Gailey, the offensive coordinator of the Miami Dolphins, was hired to bring a structured Pro-Style offense to the Flats in hopes of bringing top talent and victories to a once dominant institution. The talent came but questionable management and lack of leadership led to under achievement. The seven win seasons would have been a welcome sight in the floundering years following the National Championship of 1990 but Tech had enjoyed eight, nine and ten win seasons under O’ Leary and also appeared in two Gator Bowls. Gailey earned a trip to the team’s first ACC championship game in Jacksonville Florida but the loss was the second of three straight to end the season and Gailey failed to build upon that success the following year. Other than the 2007 Gator bowl, the Yellow Jackets under Chan Gailey played in the dregs of the bowl system. Chan Gailey coached the Jackets in their last bowl victory, a 51 – 14 trouncing of Syracuse in the Champs Sports Bowl.

Paul Johnson was no stranger to the state of Georgia. He won two D-IAA National Titles at Georgia Southern as an offensive coordinator and two more as the head coach. After tenures in Hawaii and the Naval Academy, where he ended the Mid-Shipman’s 43 year losing streak to Notre Dame, “Coach” Johnson was hired to install his ground-based, spread-option offense and bring fire and passion back to what had become a mellowing Bobby Dodd Stadium. In his first two seasons he went 9-4 and 11-3 respectively while leaving the idea that this would be a “boring” offense in the dust. He followed a nine win season in which the Jackets ended a seven year losing streak to the hated Bulldogs, with an eleven win season where the Jackets won their first outright ACC championship since 1990. The Ramblin’ Wreck also received their first trip to the BCS and their first Orange Bowl bid since 1967.

The 2000’s had its share of games and faces and here are my favorites from the last ten years.

Best Game:

Oct. 28th 2000 Georgia Tech 31 – #4 Clemson 28 (O’Leary)

Best Player: Tie

Greg Gathers (O’Leary) A shortened career will always cloud what might have been a very bright future.

Calvin Johnson (Gailey)

Frustrating Moment:

Reggie Ball 2003 – 2006  (Gailey)

Breakthrough Moment:

Nov. 1st 2008 Georgia Tech 31 – FSU 28 First victory over the Seminoles in the ACC.

The Numbers:

81 – 48 – 0 (.642)

National Titles – 0

Conference Titles – 1

Consensus All-Americans – 5

(Chris Brown OT, 2000: Calvin Johnson WR, 2005,2006: Durant Brooks P, 2007: Michael Johnson DE, 2008: Derrick Morgan DE, 2009)

III,

I Bee-lieve in Paul Johnson.

I Bee-lieve the Jackets are not a fluke.

I Bee-lieve beating Georgia is the most important thing in the world.

I Bee-lieve I want another shot at the Hurricanes.

I Bee-lieve Josh Nesbitt’s TD in the fourth quarter of the Virginia Tech game is the play of the year.

I Bee-lieve Jonathan Dwyer will lead the league in rushing for a second consecutive year.

I Bee-lieve Demaryius Thomas leads the league in receiving yards and yards per game.

I Bee-lieve Josh Nesbitt leads the league in scoring.

I Bee-lieve Climpsun lost to Maryland (2-9)

I Bee-lieve I’m sick and tired of underachieving and letting the brass ring go by without taking it. I’ve had enough of hearing about how ACC teams can’t achieve great things and to be happy with our season no matter what. The season is not over yet and I won’t be happy until the three yards and a cloud of dust settles.

13-1 2009 ACC Champions and 2010 Orange Bowl Champions

Are you ready to Bee-lieve?

III,

This is the moment when these Jackets will define themselves for years to come. This team has the opportunity to accomplish more than 2009 team goals but something even more important. It can establish relevancy and hope on the flats. Paul Johnson and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are not in unfamiliar territory, historically speaking the Jackets have won conference championships and national titles before but recently the expectations for programs that fit the Jackets profile have dipped. The BCS and mass media have limited the rare air of serious national prominence to state universities with big budgets, television deals and some could even argue conference privilege. Success stories for schools outside this bubble are labeled “quaint” and “pat on the back” seasons but are rarely given the moniker “contenders.” Even the mighty Va. Tech Hokies when the number four team in the country were considered a long shot. Wins and losses meant a lot in the past now they are becoming more marginal by the season, now there are style points and quality opponents and most importantly it would seem, quality post season match-ups to consider.

The Jackets have the opportunity to have the first undefeated November since 2000. A year when the Jackets also enjoyed their last seven game winning streak, a streak the 2009 team can surpass, was also the year that a two loss team meant a trip to the peach bowl. Two losses and a January bowl game is a hope and a dream. Now almost a decade later and we’ve seen a two-loss national champion. Wins are still wins and if the Jackets win out in November, despite what happens above them in the polls they will play in a BCS bowl and more importantly they would have thrust themselves into the national spot light. With the confidence and tactical knowledge on this team growing exponentially and given the amount of talent in key positions only getting stronger the 2009 Jackets are in the favorable position of not only achieving success for themselves but also to help the 2010 Jackets achieve success. A strong showing in the final two ACC games (Wake on Nov. 7th and Duke on Nov. 14th) a regular season capper against UGA (Nov. 28th) and a defining performance in the ACC championship will allow the Jackets prime time coverage in at least the last BCS game before the title game. This is a chance for the Jackets to make next season even more exciting than this one (unbelievable?). Championships are won in November, for Paul Johnson and the Jackets the Championship maybe a year in the making but that road begins Saturday.

III,

The first month of college football is behind us and as Dylan would say, the times they are a changin’. The general theme of the first 30 days of college football was chaos. Rebuilding teams are looking like giants, (Iowa) teams carrying expectations are looking at the least not as solid as they seemed in August (Ole Miss) and at the most like this schedule may not have been such a good idea. (Florida State)

For the boys on the flats the early hype may be lost but the talent we thought we had might sill be there. The Miami Hurricanes in their haste to do away with four years of dominance by the Jackets may have fallen into the Clemson curse of 2006. That year the Yellow Jackets were 5-1 going into Death Valley to face a 6-1 Tiger team who had fumbled the game away in 2004 and failed to convert on fourth down in 2005. The Tigers pulled out all the stops and the purple uniforms for the ESPN cameras and crushed the Jackets 31-7. The loss would be the only ACC loss for the Jackets who went to the conference championship game against Wake Forest, another team the Tigers beat. The Tigers fell on their face losing to Virginia Tech the following Thursday and Maryland the following Saturday. The point being Clemson played that season to beat the Jackets and then lost focus, the same may be said of the Hurricanes when the story of this season has been written.

When the collective powers of the ACC met with Boston College, Miami and Virginia Tech about expanding the conference and then proceeded to carve up the ACC in the most bizarre, money making configuration possible, the football side of the equation was always to have FSU and Miami in the title game. The plan has yet to bear any fruit other than a marquee match-up on Labor Day. This has led to the proposition that the media, the nation and the ACC need FSU and Miami to be good in order to be a top product on the sports market. Not only is this a slap in the face to Virginia Tech who has won three league titles in five years of conference play but other than the “Big East 3” the next newest member of the ACC is Florida State. Florida State does get credit for owning the conference since joining but Miami was a nobody on the college football landscape until 1984, hardly a traditional power. The Hurricanes dominated the 1980’s no doubt with five national titles and a 58 game home winning streak. They took the 90’s off and put up one more championship in 2001 before being hosed by Ohio state. Why would the savior of the ACC be a team whose prime happened in an age of excess and overt showmanship by a team that wasn’t even associated with the conference at the time? The answer of course is because the Hurricanes won, a ton, and at the end of the day everyone loves a winner, especially a team who knows how good they are and can sell the ACC brand. Putting the success of the ACC on a national scale on the shoulders of two teams in Florida is either a slap in the face of the charter members and teams who have carried the banner for a longer period of time, or a stunning survey of the ACC to date.

The sad fact is that the other schools have done nothing to take back their conference from FSU. Maryland and Wake Forest are the only two teams to win outright ACC titles since Florida State joined the conference other than the Hokies. With no team either willing or able to step up and take the reigns of the always wide-open ACC and make a national name for themselves it’s no wonder why the media turns to ratings savvy Miami. The truth is that the conference has not reached the stage where teams expect to go undefeated. No matter what they say confidence wise in the preseason banter you can tell by watching the ACC teams in action that the majority don’t know how to handle an undefeated season and usually find someway to meltdown to an underdog. The problem is not in losing it’s in the relief felt by not being under the spotlight. The ACC has had plenty of one-loss teams but few undefeated teams. Many believe that ONLY Virginia Tech has the chance to represent the conference in the BCS and yet half the teams are one-loss teams, including the Jackets, and no team other than arguably Alabama has looked like a top five team this season. This season is open for the taking and it looks probable that at least one if not both BCS championship contenders will have a mark in the loss column. Is it possible for an ACC team to win out and have a shot at more than the Orange Bowl? Maybe. They’ll have to have confidence, attitude, swagger and a killer instinct. Like that team from the 80’s, who were they again?

III,

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. — Jacksonville State quarterback Ryan Perrilloux has been suspended for the season opener at Georgia Tech for violating team rules.

The infraction was not the result of “any legal circumstances and is strictly a violation of the strict guidelines he came here under,” coach Jack Crowe said Friday in a statement.

Perrilloux transferred to Jacksonville State before last season. Once one of the nation’s top recruits, he had been kicked off LSU’s national championship team for a string of issues that included skipping classes, missing a team meeting and arriving late for conditioning workouts.

Go Jackets! THWG

III,

This season presents an interesting aspect to the main concern following the “Debacle in the Dome,” mainly, the schedule. Georgia Tech’s 2009 away opponents were a combined 38-34 last year while the home opponents compiled a 40-22 record. The fact is, excluding FSU, Tech plays every marquee match up at home this season. When researching this first post of the 2009 season I found that every time I calculated a flaw or pothole in the season, the risk was severely reduced when it was discovered to be a home game. Making the possibility of an ACC championship and dare I say BCS game a distinct possibility. The discoveries that stick out most in my mind deal with my feelings towards two Jacket opponents, both are rivals and both are perceived vastly different by the media than by me going into this season. FSU and UGA. Florida State is not favored to do more than make noise in the ACC Atlantic Division mainly due to the number of distractions facing both the coaching staff and the players. The truth is they are still Florida State, they still have a good quarterback in Chris Ponder and they will still host Jackets. UGA on the other hand, in spite of losing key offensive players and continuing to plug holes in a defense that struggled at times last season (26-point third quarter anybody?) is being ranked as high as #13. I refuse to believe that that team can be that successful with no returning starters in key positions.

The 2009 Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket’s Season Prediction

Jacksonville State – [Home] It will take more than Perriloux and the Jackets are perennial opening day A-Gamers. (Win 1-0)

Clemson – [Home] Clemson lost its leading rusher, receiver and passer. C.J. Spiller is all that’s left of the Dashing Duo and the only QB other than Cullen Harper to see action last year, (Willy Korn) may not even start. Clemson is a tough natural rival but they will need to find out who they are very early and I don’t know if Middle Tennessee State is much of a barometer. (Win 2-0)

Miami – [Away] The hurricanes are giving Randy Shannon one last chance. Unlike Clemson, Miami does have a barometer week one, FSU, a good showing in that game could spell trouble for the Jackets. Outside of confidence, there is nothing here to suggest that this is not a winnable game for the Jackets. (Win 3-0)

UNC – [Home] I’m going to use a huge sweeping generalized statement and say that depending on how the season plays out, this could be ACC game of the year. I think other than Virginia Tech who is the sexy pick to win the ACC, no two teams have higher expectations than UNC and Georgia Tech. Two ACC opponents under the Jackets belt versus the Tar Heels who are opening conference play on the road in the Dodd after playing the Citadel, Uconn and East Carolina. The first true test for a championship contending team. (Win 4-0)

Mississippi State – [Away] Constant rebuilding is the name of the game in Starkville although no road game in SEC territory is easy and this is the first of two for the Jackets. It will take more than mojo from the second oldest D-1 stadium (the Dodd being the first) to stop the Jackets. (Win 5-0)

FSU – [Away] Florida State has one of the most interesting non-conference schedules you’ll find in the country. After opening with Miami, the Nole’s face mutual opponent Jacksonville State, BYU, South Florida and Boston College. Although the Jackets have not been victorious in Charlottesville, Virginia since 1990, this is by far the scariest road game of the season. This is also the one game I believe the Jackets will lose. (Loss 5-1)

Virginia Tech – [Home] A chance to knock off the defending champions and season favorites. Running back Darren Evans is out for the season so keeping Tyrod healthy and opponents scoring to a minimum has to happen for the Hokies to be successful. The Jackets will be better prepared and battle tested by this point. (Win 6-1)

Virginia – [Away] The Cavaliers may be in dire straits this season. Somehow Al Groh has found a loyalty well at Virginia but 2009 looks to be a lean year with the Cavs only offensive threat (RB Cedric Peerman) now playing in the NFL. The Paul Johnson led Jackets will succeed where previous administrations have failed. (Win 7-1)

Vanderbilt – [Away] A shadow of the team that overachieved last season remains in Nashville, along with a few unanswered questions. Ever heard the anecdote about rotating QB’s that goes “when you have two quarterbacks you have none?” well, the Commodores have three. They also don’t have wide receivers or a defense. (Win 8-1)

Wake Forest – [Home] The Demon Deacons have a very favorable schedule and the Atlantic Division title might be on the line when the team plays FSU on Nov. 14^th. If the shaky defense can hold up, Wake may be sporting a pretty impressive record (7-2 or 8-1) by the time they roll into the Dodd. At the end of the day the Deacs will be lucky to be anything more than division contenders. (Win 9-1)

Duke – [Away] The Blue Devils may have the best all-around quarterback in the ACC in Thaddeus Lewis, a very good coach in David Cutcliffe but that’s about it. One good lineman and one good linebacker can’t save a team that was second to last in the ACC in both rushing offense and defense. (Win 10-1)

UGA – [Home] The Dogs sound a lot like Clemson this year. They lost their leading rusher, receiver and passer. Another brutal schedule awaits and the Dog Nation might be staring a 6-6 season in the face but the Dogs would love nothing more than to spoil the Jackets fun on a national scale. They will need to find someone who can carry the load all season and a reliable arm to get the ball to A.J. Green AND some more tackling drills. (Win 11-1)

ACC Championship  Georgia Tech vs. Florida State (Win 12-1)

So there you have it. An incurable Tech fan staring improvement, strong coaching and a favorable schedule in the face has no choice but to strap in and enjoy the ride. My one disclaimer for the season; if the Jackets make it passed Virginia Tech undefeated, do not be surprised if Virginia in Charlottesville becomes the letdown game of 2009. Full Steam Ahead!

III,

Black Watch Defense of the 80's

Former Yellow Jacket Pat Swilling will be honored by the College Football Hall of Fame. Swilling was a key member of the “Black Watch” defense of the 1980’s on the Flats. It’s always great to be a Yellow Jacket but it’s always better when greatness is recognized.