Post Your Orange Bowl Projections

Since the experts are up with their projections, I thought it would be fun for the Mash on the Gas Nation to step up and give their expectations. Remember, these are all in good fun. Even though this is a Georgia Tech blog, I am happy to entertain any Iowa Hawkeyes fans and their guesses.

Now if you read my previous post (and you better have), you saw links to what a good deal of "experts" guesses. The biggest problem with this game is that there is nothing to look back on and use as proof to substantiate our conclusions. Iowa plays in a conference that many deem to be slow, with big hulking linemen that can't remember how to move. Tech is thought to play in a conference that is shallow in terms of talent and ability and hasn't played a really bruising style of football. Other post ideas that the Iowa coach will figure out the Triple Option with a month to prepare while others feel that CPJ has a few wrinkles that will stretch the field.

Me? I have no idea. The one good thing about this Orange Bowl is the matchup itself. We have two solid teams with weaknesses that seem to play against the other team's strength. The question is which team masks their weakness better?

So, after careful consideration. I am posting my projection and I urge you all to do the same here.

Georgia Tech - 24
Iowa - 17

It will be a low scoring game because the Iowa defense is good and the Iowa offense is bad. I think Tech can get to their quarterback and cause some turnovers, but Tech won't be able to get many points off a solid defense.

Your turn. Go!

Help the Wreck travel to the OB

I'm stealing this from the From The Rumble Seat blog in hopes of helping to get the word out. Taking The Wreck down to Miami for the Orange Bowl will be expensive and help is needed. I'll let Winfield explain below.

Dear Ramblin' Reck fans, friends, and family members,

After almost a month of waiting, I finally heard good news yesterday regarding the Orange Bowl. The Ramblin' Reck will be leading the team onto the field on January 5th! You can have the opportunity to be a part of making history happen! When the Reck first arrived on campus in 1961, it mainly traveled long distances by freight train. This was because there were strong relationships between the train companies and the administration and the Ramblin' Reck Club at the time. As times change, so do transportation modes. Today, the Reck travels by covered trailer and it is pulled by rental truck. The successful 2009 football season has proven to be costly for the finances of the Ramblin' Reck. As many of you know already, the Ramblin' Reck makes its money solely from appearances. It receives no money from the Athletic or Alumni Associations and is maintained on behalf of the student body solely by the Ramblin' Reck Club who is also responsible for making sure the Reck gets to where it needs to be. The Reck needed to be in Tampa for our first outright ACC Championship since 1990, and the Reck must be in Miami for our first Orange Bowl appearance since 1967 and our first BCS bowl game ever. We need your financial support to help get it there.

Transporting the Ramblin' Reck is costly. Currently, the Driver must find a rental truck big enough to tow the Reck in its trailer. The Class of 1984 generously donated the funds to purchase a truck that can tow the trailered Reck properly, but it is not scheduled to arrive on campus until later this spring. The cost to rent a truck for the Orange Bowl is $1,000 plus gas, an amount that will take a significant chunk out of the Reck's finances. We are asking you to help get the Ramblin' Reck, our mascot, to Miami and to the Orange Bowl. It has been years since the car has made trips of great distance to fulfill its duty of leading the team onto the field, and the account has not been properly prepared for such a venture.

We are asking for your donations, every little bit will help alleviate the burden of transporting the Ramblin' Reck. You may wonder what you will get for your donation. For every $25 you give to the Ramblin' Reck, you will have your name entered in a drawing to have a day with the Ramblin' Reck. Your prize will include a private tour for two around campus and a provided picnic on one of Georgia Tech's lawns . I have discussed this with the 2010 Rambln' Reck Driver, and he assures me that he will work closely with the winner to make this a memorable afternoon on campus!

The deadline for the drawing is December 31. If you're sending a check, it must be postmarked by that date. (although, we'll accept your donations of any amount before or after that date!) There are two ways you can give money to help get the Ramblin' Reck to Miami. The first is through PayPal. Simply send a transfer to RamblinWreckDriver@gmail.com and your money will go directly to the account created by the Ramblin' Reck Club for the Ramblin' Reck. The second method is through check. Please make checks payable to: Ramblin' Reck Club and send to: Ramblin' Reck Driver, 329912 Georgia Tech Station, Atlanta, GA 30332. Your checks will go directly to the 2010 Ramblin' Reck Driver where they will be deposited directly into the account for the Ramblin' Reck.

Many of you who read this site know me professionally and personally. The Ramblin' Reck is a piece of Georgia Tech history which I have given my all to protect and secure this full year of 2009. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to e-mail directly. My full name is Winfield Tufts. I am a 5th year ISyE major who will graduate from Georgia Tech in May. You shouldn't have any trouble finding out who I am now.

Please forward this information on to alumni, message boards and all Georgia Tech Fans!

Sincerely,
Winfield Tufts, 2009 Ramblin' Reck Driver


Here are the links again if you'd like to contribute.

PayPal Donation - LINK
The account is ramblinwreckdriver@gmail.com

Don't Bother Me When I am Prognosticating

As of this writing it is December 21, which means that we now have 15 days till the Orange Bowl between Georgia Tech and Iowa at Landshark Stadium in lovely (depending on where you are) Miami, Florida. Yes, only 15 days of waiting till we storm the stadium, run the Hawkeyes off the field and take home the Orange Bowl crown. For some reason, I am completely glossing over Christmas and New Year's, but that is beside the point.

Now that we have had a reasonable amount of time pass since the ACC Championship, I think it is now safe to move onto the next fun topic of the football calendar year, the Season of Bowl Pickings. Yes, friends, this is the time of year where every sports fan and columnist decided to make their choices of who will win the Bowl games. Every major (and minor) sports related website has some listing of the expected winners and final scores for us to devour. We hungrily review site after site looking for an expert opinion to hang our collective hats.

The strange thing is that no one really knows, they just think they know. And in this case, knowing is not really half the battle, more like half the preparations for the battle or simply half the transportation fee of the battle. To me, it is this time that makes me the happiest. Why, you ask? Because I enjoy all the potential bile swallowing, back-stepping that takes place due to these projections. The analysts pick their winners and then, when wrong, they sidestep the fact that they know just as much as you and I do and not much else.

But that is for a much darker column, so I will move on.

I thought I would take the time to go through some sports site to see what the analysts are saying about our brave Georgia Tech warriors and the Iowa team. Before I do, I thought I would link a cute post about a 12 year old girl, her cardboard cutout and GT football. It is very cute and fuzzy. You know, the kind of thing that CPJ would stomp on and call you a pansy for doing it. READ IT!!!!

So here is our little compilation of Bowl guesses. You might have to scroll through some stuff to find it, but it's there!

Sports Illustrated - READ IT!! Georgia Tech - 31, Iowa - 24
CBS Sports - READ IT!! No Score but Experts Pick GT
Scout.com - READ IT!! No Projection, but Informative
Bleacher Report - READ IT!! Lots to Scroll Through but Not Bad
ESPN - READ IT!! The most detailed of all

All in all, most of the experts think that Tech will win and that this could be a signature win. Not for the program but for the Triple Option. Experts tend to still think that the TO cannot work if an opponent has time to prepare. They commonly state the LSU loss as their prime reasoning, but one game doesn't prove it can't work as much as the Miami game last year where the team ran them off the field shows that it does. Some of the writers believe that if Tech scores big and wins easily, there could be a shift back to the TO for a lot of teams looking to establish a new identity.

Personally, I am not asking for much. I want a great game against a quality opponent and a win. That is not asking too much, is it?

I thought about adding another AJC UGA Vent of the Week but I think this picture just says something more. Courtesy of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Do you think Quentin Sims is smiling because of holding Flat Stanley or because of Josh's "I am so serious face"?

Some Things Never Change

At least our throwback unis were sweet...

We should be used to this, but somehow it's still disappointing. For some reason, coming into the season, I hoped this talented new roster would bring instant success. Then when we lost to Dayton in the fashion we did, I realized it would be the same old Tech team. Very talented, and very underachieving, and the only place you can think to point is coaching.

Then we started playing as a team more, turning it over less, and not just beating, but crushing inferior teams. So I got my hopes back up again. Maybe this time it will be different. Maybe Paul Hewitt changed some things. Then we played an ACC team...

I got a chance to go to the game tonight and see our team in person for the first time. It was fun - I saw Lewis Clinch and Paul Johnson and had great seats - but the product on the court is the same as it has been all my years as a Tech fan with the exception of the year of the Final Four run. This team has equal talent to anyone in the conference, up there with UNC and Duke (of this year, not last year). But we don't have the coaching.

We have two of the best big men in the country, and they combined for 12 points and 15 shot attempts. FSU had a lot of big men, but there's no reason we should have settled for a bunch of long-range jumpers. That makes the outcome depend on how well you shoot jumpers, and today that was poorly.

It's one game, our team is young, etc., etc. etc. But we've seen this for years now. Paul Hewitt brings in incredible talent and makes them look pretty good. Then they go on to the NBA and show that they were actually really good.

Mark Bradley writes about the mediocrity here. And this is why we can be disappointed. Because 31 NBA scouts came to see Lawal and Favors play a quality opponent for once. I'm sure they left unimpressed.

But hey, at least our throwback unis were sweet.

Zero.

Zero.

The number of wins tonight's basketball opponent, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, has this year.

The number of times they've beat Georgia Tech.

The number of times they will beat Georgia Tech tonight.

The number of channels this game is on TV.

Just didn't want you to forget the team was playing tonight! Preview here.

Tech is undefeated on the road

It's hard to miss when your shots look like this

Ok, so it was our first road game and it was against UT Chattanooga. And the loss to Dayton was on a neutral floor. But Tech moved to 1-0 on the road by destroying the Mocs 95-64.

Chattanooga clearly couldn't handle Gani Lawal down low. They constantly double-teamed him and most of the time just ended up fouling him. In fact, Gani never missed a shot. He was 8-8 from the and went 13-19 from the free throw line for 29 points. Solid effort.

The rest of the team played well, too. Early on, it was Mfon Udofia and Glen Rice, Jr. draining every 3 they put up. The team shot 69% in the first half and led by 19.

Our on-the-ball defense was intense while the game was still a game. The only thing we left open were 3-point shooters, but that was clearly their plan - they shot 38 3-pointers.

One more warm-up game Wednesday against Arkansas-Pine Bluff before the first ACC game against FSU on Sunday.

Also, the new polls came out today and Tech came in at 15th and 22nd in two.

Beat the Mocs!

For the first time this season, I will have a chance to watch Georgia Tech's basketball team play live. The other games have either been not on TV, during work, or while I was in Tampa for the ACC Championship game.

Tech takes on the Mocs of UT Chattanooga tonight in a rare road game against a smaller team. Tip off is at 7 pm, and the game is on Fox Sports South (and ESPN360 if you're not in the south).

The Mocs (now politically-correctly named for the mock (yeah!) ing (yeah!) bird (yeah!)) aren't a very good team, so we should win somewhat handily. UTC comes in 5-4 with a loss in their lone game against a big conference team (a 43-point loss to Missouri). Read ESPN's preview here.

The team's been off for over a week for finals, so they'll be well-rested, but most likely somewhat rusty. The schedule picks up with 4 games in the next 9 days, including our first ACC game against FSU on Sunday.

A quick break from football

"MOO-fon you-DOE-fee-uh" is so fun to say

Everyone's seen the outcome by now, but I want to take a look at our basketball team's latest win vs. USC (79-53). I finally had a chance to sit down and watch the game on DVR, and we looked good.

We came in averaging 18 turnovers per game, and after a turnover on the first offensive possession, the 5 starters never turned the ball over again. We finished with 7 turnovers total. Granted, USC isn't very good, but we've played worse teams and turned it over way more. And USC hung with #2 Texas for 3/4 of a game.

We started the game on a 19-0 run. NINETEEN TO NOTHING! That's ridiculous. Of course, it was 25-22 a few minutes later. The team played stretches of intense defense throughout the game. We forced 17 turnovers to our 7, and the team had 16 assists total, which is nice to see. We're moving the ball around.

Our freshmen are good. There will be down games in ACC I'm sure, but these guys are all pretty solid. Udofia and Favors are going to do good things this year, and Brian Oliver is a pure shooter. It's nice to have one of those around.

These young guys are going to have to play well with the news that came before the game that Iman Shumpert is our 3-6 weeks with back knee surgery. That's a big blow, but I think Udofia has already surpassed him as the better guard on this team. Shumpert will still be needed, though, and it will be nice once he's back.

Udofia tied for ACC rookie of the week this week after scoring a career-high 26 against Siena and having zero turnovers against USC. Congrats.

Tech comes in at #21 and #24 in this week's polls. Things are looking better for the team if they can continue to play complete games like this and limit the turnovers. Oh, and we were 11-16 from the free throw line!

The team is on break for finals and picks back up Monday going to Chattanooga. At least this one's on TV.

Power Rankings

I know that we are a good ways away from January 5th, but I just can't help myself. I thought I would do some looking around to see how the experts' view of Georgia Tech has changed now that the ACC Championship is over and the disappointment of Clemson not winning has passed. I think the best way to judge columnists' view of Tech is to look at some of the bigger sites' Power Rankings.

For those of you who are not familiar with this concept, the Power Ranking is a subjective method of getting people to read a column. For some reason, all sports fans are drawn to anything resembling a listing or ranking. We just can't help it. If there is a Top 20 list or newest ranking that could involve our team, we flock to it like moths to a light. We just have to know where I team (and our arch-rival) is listed in the poll, Power Ranking or Top 20 something or other. So every now and then, the big sports websites post their Power Rankings lists.

Want to see what I am talking about? Check out FoxSports, ESPN and Sports Illustrated. I am sure that they would appreciate your patronage.

Now Power Rankings are based simply on the columnist's opinion at the time. They are not a sampling of writers from across the country to even an informal fan poll. They are just what the person thought at the time. Often they come with some form of explanation as to why they placed that team in that spot.

Tech has been a team that no one can really put their finger on as to how good they can be. Let's face it, we don't know what team we will see on a weekly basis. Either it is the dominant team that outplayed Virginia Tech or it is the team that got man-handled by Miami. Paul Johnson has really done wonders with this team and as solid as they have been in some areas of the game, there has never been a feeling that this team can "get it done" when it counts. As fans we hold our breath waiting for other shoe to drop, for the team to dip down into mediocrity as we saw it do during the Chan era.

So the experts see the same thing and that explains why some rankings see Tech as #7 or as low as #12. To be honest, I am happy either way. We are not any lower than #12 so that tells me that we are about where we want to be.

More later.

You are SUCH a Fan!

Tickets to ACC Championship Game - Check
Gas Money for Trip - Check
Hotel Reservations - Check
Georgia Tech Cold Weather Clothes - Check
Tasty Beverages before (and possibly during) Game - Check
Mexican Luchador Masks - CHECK!!!!

Orange. Bowl. Bound. - Part 2

Observation #4 - Clemson vs. Jackets is a Barn-Burner!
It seems that this is going to be a trend with these two teams. As a fan of college football, I really hope it does become a real rivalry that will bring attention to the ACC. It seems that everyone is so hooked on the SEC and Big 12, that the ACC is a second though, approaching even Big East level of attention. This is not a slam against the Big East but it does not get the attention that even the lower SEC teams get.

The two games versus Clemson have been awesome from a pure football point. Both teams can score, both teams have dynamic players, both teams have good coach staffs. Throw in some close games and the occasional chippyness and you have the start of something special. I doubt it will ever reach UGA level but I would really like to have one really good rival in our conference.

The ACC Championship was exactly what you could want. I can honestly say that at no point during that game could any team's fans think the game was in the bag. Even with Tech was up 33-20, I honestly waited for Clemson to make a run, and they did. After stopping Nebitt on 4th and 1, I knew they would come back. After they took the lead, there was no sense of real relief from the Clemson fans. One guy near me said, "We would win if they didn't get the ball back." Well said, my friend, well said.

Observation #5 - I Had No Idea
It was only AFTER the game that I learned that team was practically out of offensive linemen. They were playing with 4th string players and doing everything they could to keep the defensive linemen in check. I was shocked to learn this because I couldn't not really tell any difference between the starters and the backups. I was really impressed with how well they were able to mask these short-comings. Tech is a little deeper than people expected.

Observation #6 - Post Game Reviews are Biased towards the Losers?!?!?
After completing the trek back to the hotel room, we turned on the TV to see how the mighty ESPN would describe the game. This was important to me because Tech has been treated like a little brother. So here was ESPN's opportunity to show how Tech played a great game and did what no one expected and captured the ACC Crown. So, what are we treated to?? About two minutes of highlight of CJ Spiller.

Don't get me wrong, Spiller was awesome in that game. He WAS the Clemson offensive attack. Once Tech fan near us was screaming, "STOP HIM!! HE IS THEIR ONLY GOOD PLAYER!!!" It was funny to hear him yell that but there is real truth to it. Clemson just gave him the ball over and over. He carried that team, period. Their quarterback was stinking up the joint and the other players just didn't seem to be on the field. But Spiller, he was really impressive. Even more so when I learned he had a bad foot. He will be a monster in the NFL.

However, to have ALL of the highlights showing him was really insulting. If you didn't know the final score, you would have SWORN that Clemson won the game. They showed only TWO plays for Tech. Care to guess what was one of them? That's right, the 4th and 1 that we got stopped. The other play was Dwyer's final touchdown. So the ACC Champions were made to look like complete morons who just HAPPENED to win the freaking game!!!

Even the title of the articles written screamed "Clemson should have won" with classy lines like, "Georgia Tech outlasts Spillers" or "Tech overcomes furious Clemson rally". Was there one article on a major sports website that said what really happened? Was there one that simply said, "Georgia Tech beat Clemson for the ACC Championship". Doubt it, but if you find one, let me know.

Final Observation - We Lose the Next One Already???
Georgia Tech is set to play the Orange Bowl against Iowa. Both teams are ranked in the Top 10 in the BCS poll and are pretty opposite. In watching the Bowl Selection show on Fox, they already showed that Tech is set to lose to Iowa, 24 -21. Really? You mean to tell me in that two minutes, they were able to review both teams, analyze their strengths and weaknesses and come up with a projection.

I am getting used to be bias but I don't have to like it.

This article was brought to you by the Ashburn cow. When you think large plaster bovine, think Ashburn.

Orange. Bowl. Bound.

Before the Georgia Tech fan base starts to look fondly towards Miami and January 5, I wanted to provide some interesting details of the ACC Championship experience, in case you didn't get the chance to make it to the game.

Observation #1 - Next Time, Fly!

The trip down to Tampa was both time consuming and rather entertaining. Daron and I both were a bit awestruck by the sheer volume of Religion related billboards. It appeared that every other billboard was concerning pregnancy, a religious message or was demanding that you "Advertise HERE!" We were thrilled to see a good number of Tech fans making their way south but it was easy to see that we would be outnumbered.

Gameday Observation #2 - Don't Get There Too Early!
After we parked in our $25 spot, we gradually made our way to the stadium and to check out the sites. We got there a bit earlier than we anticipated, so we passed the time walking around the stadium to see some sights. What did we see, you ask? Lots of orange. Lots. We did come across some pockets of Gold and White though, so we thought that the balance would be about 4-1 Clemson to Tech fans. This was my first real indication that Clemson travels well, very well.

We did get to be harassed by a homeless guy asking for money or as he put it, a charity where "the homeless help the homeless". I didn't see him asking a lot of other homeless people for donations, though.

As we made our way around the stadium and it got darker (and colder), you could tell there was a real sense of excitement growing. There were occasional pockets of trash-talking (yet in a good natured way, not like UGA) to go along with our wait. People talking to other fans not at the game on their cell phones and having others yell their fight chants. It is just me or does Clemson have the longest fight chant ever?

As we waited in line, we got a real treat in that we met the relatives of Scott Blair (Scott, I want to apologize for the "Kick It" post on here a while back, my bad). His dad and other family were next to us and we had a really nice time talking to them. You could tell his Dad was nervous about the game, but he was a great sport.

Want to see my artistic photo? Of course you do.

Once we got into the stadium, we made our way around to see what the Buccaneers fans see when their team is losing. The place is really cool except for one thing, really outdated screens. Seriously, the Clemson Tigers orange jerseys appeared to be red. For a moment, I thought Tech was playing the Rutger Scarlett Knights. The screens were also very narrow which made watching replays a bit difficult. Other than that, the stadium is top notch.

Observation #3 - Do Not Sit with the Other Team's Fans

This one is obvious but is often hard to do seeing as though anyone can get seats anywhere. We were a row of Tech fans sandwiched between two rows of Clemson fans. My first thought? Not good. I do not want to repeat a lot of the statements I heard because this is a family website. But I will say that the following people I do not want to sit near again:

1. Clemson guy with flag
2. Angry Amish looking Tech fan
3. GQ Looking Clemson Fan
4. Skull Cap wearing Tech Fan
5. Ginger-Haired Clemson Fan Who Thinks Faking a Speech Impediment is Funny
6. Tech Boyfriend/Clemson Girlfriend Combo (or vice versa)
7. Clemson Fan Who Looking like singer from Wheezer (you know who you are)
8. Clemson Fan chanting "How about them dawgs!" while forgetting something about Gamecocks.
9. Guy who put pure whiskey in a Daisani Water Bottle

I think that about covers it.

Check out Part 2 of this column soon.

Say Hello to Your 2009 ACC Champions

Photo credit: ceronephotography.com

I like the sound of that. "ACC Champions."

The ACC Championship game was epic, and it was a blast to be at. I still don't have my voice back. I've never been more nevous during a sporting event than I was after Clemson came back from down 13 and took a one-point lead and we had to convert that 4th and 1 to keep the game-winning drive going. After that play, the offense seemed to just roll down the field 8 yards at a time.

Overall, the offense saves the day again and the defense does just enough, albeit not much, to protect the win. And Scott Blair! We were convinced he was tied up in the locker room and we borrowed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' kicker for the day. Great game, Scott!

Looking at our Orange Bowl matchup, I like how we match up with Iowa. I've mentioned before that I grew up an Iowa State fan in Iowa, and it's almost EXACTLY like being a Tech fan in Georgia, so I have a hatred for Iowa, making this matchup even more fun. Iowa's your typical Big Televen team, meaning they're overrated with a good defense (when it defends Big 10 offenses) and a pretty weak offense. But the thing Iowa has over the others is luck. Man, are they lucky. Have you seen the way they've finished some of their games? Let's hope we score enough to make getting lucky in the end impossible, because you know our defense will make their offense look better than most teams have. Looks like a good matchup, though. Tech opens as a 3.5 point favorite.

More on the Orange Bowl, ACC Championship, and everything from all 3 of us in the coming days and weeks, but like Daron said... for now, just enjoy it!

Georgia Tech - 2009 ACC Champs

More later, but for now, just enjoy.

Derrick Morgan 1st Team All-American!

The awards keep rollin' in. Congrats to Derrick. I can't imagine he'll be back at Tech next season, but it's been great having him here. Finish strong with two more wins! (or, ya know, stick around for one more year)

Offense

Pos.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	School	Coach	Hometown (High School)
WR	Golden Tate	5-11	195	Jr.	Notre Dame	Charlie Weis	Hendersonville, Tenn. (Pope John Paul II)
WR	Mardy Gilyard	6-1	187	Sr.	Cincinnati	Brian Kelly	Bunnell, Fla. (Flagler Palm Coast)
TE	Dennis Pitta	6-5	247	Sr.	BYU	Bronco Mendenhall	Moorpark, Calif. (Moorpark)
OL	Mike Johnson	6-6	305	Sr.	Alabama	Nick Saban	Pensacola, Fla. (Pine Crest)
OL	Russell Okung	6-5	300	Sr.	Oklahoma St.	Mike Gundy	Houston, Texas (Bush)
C	Chris Hall	6-4	295	Sr.	Texas	Mack Brown	Irving, Texas (Irving)
OL	Trent Williams	6-5	315	Sr.	Oklahoma	Bob Stoops	Longview, Texas (Longview)
OL	Mike Iupati	6-6	330	Sr.	Idaho	Robb Akey	Anaheim, Caiif. (Western)
QB	Colt McCoy	6-2	210	Sr.	Texas	Mack Brown	Tuscola, Texas (Jim Ned)
RB	Mark Ingram	5-10	215	So.	Alabama	Nick Saban	Flint, Mich. (Southwestern)
RB	Toby Gerhart	6-1	235	Sr.	Stanford	Jim Harbaugh	Norco, Calif. (Norco)

Defense

Pos.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	School	Coach	Hometown (High School)
DL	Ndamukong Suh	6-4	300	Sr.	Nebraska	Bo Pelini	Portland, Ore. (Grant)
DL	Jerry Hughes	6-3	257	Sr.	TCU	Gary Patterson	Sugar Land, Texas (Austin)
DL	Jared Odrick	6-5	296	Sr.	Penn St.	Joe Paterno	Lebanon, Pa. (Lebanon)
DL	Derrick Morgan	6-4	272	Jr.	Georgia Tech	Paul Johnson	Coatesville, Pa. (Coatesville)
DL	Brian Price	6-2	300	Jr.	UCLA	Rick Neuheisel	Los Angeles, Calif. (Crenshaw)
LB	Rolando McClain	6-4	258	Jr.	Alabama	Nick Saban	Decatur, Ala. (Decatur)
LB	Greg Jones	6-1	228	Jr.	Michigan St.	Mark Dantonio	Cincinnati, Ohio (Moeller)
DB	Eric Berry*	5-11	195	Jr.	Tennessee	Lane Kiffin	Fairburn, Ga. (Creekside)
DB	Joe Haden	5-11	190	Jr.	Florida	Urban Meyer	Fort Washington, Md. (Friendly)
DB	Javier Arenas	5-9	198	Sr.	Alabama	Nick Saban	Tampa, Fla. (Robinson)
DB	Earl Thomas	5-10	197	So.	Texas	Mack Brown	Orange, Texas (West Orange Stark)

Specialists

Pos.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	School	Coach	Hometown (High School)
P	Drew Butler	6-2	203	So.	Georgia	Mark Richt	Duluth, Ga. (Peachtree Ridge)
PK	Kai Forbath	6-0	192	Jr.	UCLA	Rick Neuheisel	Pacific Palisades, Calif. (Notre Dame)
AP	C.J. Spiller	5-11	195	Sr.	Clemson	Dabo Swinney	Lake Butler, Fla. (Union County)

*-2008 All-American

http://www.afca.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9300&ATCLID=204843538

Why Tech HAS to win Saturday

The winner of Saturday’s ACC Championship game will play in the Orange Bowl.

But to which bowl will the loser go? What will be the reward for months of work?

There’s no easy answer, but the bottom line is either Georgia Tech or Clemson might be unhappy when the bowl invitations are announced Sunday.

It’s possible that the Yellow Jackets or Tigers could fall all the way to the Music City Bowl in Nashville, which gets the fifth choice of ACC teams.

http://www.ajc.com/sports/georgia-tech/acc-title-game-loser-223406.html

The Music City Bowl?! If in the last two weeks of the season we go from 10-1 and #7 in the country to playing Kentucky in the Music City Bowl, I'm not gonna be happy.

Bowl politics are dumb, and it looks like this will actually happen to Saturday's loser. As if there wasn't enough motivation already, this is huge. The first 11 games of the season will be forgotten if we finish with losses to uga and Clemson and go to a crappy bowl.

So let's go Jackets! Punch our ticket to the Orange Bowl!

Jacket Marching Band Concert - ACCCG

I have very little info on this, but based on a comment left by a band member to an earlier post it seems the band will playing a concert down at the ACCCG.

Location: Channelside
Time: Friday, 8pm

Just wanted to pass it along. If anyone has more details please post a comment.

Jackets Beat the Dogs

The Saint Bernards... ok, they're just the Saints, but their mascot is a saint bernard.

Tech notched a quality win over a team that has won an NCAA Tournament game both of the last two years tonight, 74-61, thanks to 26 points from freshman Mfon Udofia and a solid night from both the stud big men.

Read about it here.

In other basketball news, the Big Televen finally won the ACC/Big 10 Challenge for the first time thanks to late flops by Duke and Clemson. And we didn't take part because we were last place last season... see?! The ACC NEEEEDS us!

GT vs. Siena - 7pm tonight (not on TV...)

Just a reminder, Tech takes on Paul Hewitt's former team, Siena, at 7:00 tonight. But it's not on TV...

You can hear it on 790 The Zone, WYAY 106.7, or XM 190 and Sirius 216.

For a good last-minute report on Siena, check out From The Rumble Seat's Q&A with a Siena blogger (there is one).

Tech is favored by 6. Siena's a pretty good team that made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year and is favored to win their conference again this year. Should be a solid test for the Jackets.

Derrick Morgan ACC Defensive Player of the Year

Congrats to Derrick! Nesbitt and Dwyer also finished 2nd and 4th respectively in the voting for Offensive POY.

I get Spiller winning Conference POY, but I'm not sure I get Offensive POY. He finished 2nd team All-ACC as a RB behind Dwyer and Williams (VT) because he's a much better return man and all-around home run threat than RB. I guess the voters thought if he wins ACC POY, he needs to win Offensive POY, too.

Nonethless, congrats to Morgan, Nesbitt, and Dwyer!

2009 Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year Voting

C.J. Spiller, rb-spc, Clemson (29)
Josh Nesbitt, qb, Georgia Tech (8)
Ryan Williams, rb, Virginia Tech (2)
Derrick Morgan, de, Georgia Tech (1)

2009 Atlantic Coast Conference Offensive Player of the Year Voting

C.J. Spiller, rb-spc, Clemson (24)
Josh Nesbitt, qb, Georgia Tech (10)
Ryan Williams, rb, Virginia Tech (4)
Jonathan Dwyer, rb, Georgia Tech (1)
Christian Ponder, qb, Florida State (1)

2009 Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year Voting

Derrick Morgan, de, Georgia Tech (21)
Robert Quinn, de, North Carolina (7)
DeAndre McDaniel, s, Clemson (7)
Nate Collins, dt, Virginia (1)
Quan Sturdivant, lb, North Carolina (1)

http://www.theacc.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/120209aab.html

Championship Game Events

Just wanted to give a run down of some of the goings on down in Tampa this Friday and Saturday for those making the trip.


Friday, December 4

Noon
ACC Coaches & Awards Luncheon
Tampa Convention Center
The 2009 ACC Football Awards will be presented and participating coaches will discuss their seasons.
This is a ticketed event.
Call 813.218.3814 for ticket information.

4-6 p.m.
ACC Outreach Event with Tampa Pediatric Cancer Center
Channelside Bay Plaza

7 p.m. - midnight
Channelside's Toast to the Atlantic Coast
Channelside Bay Plaza

7-11 p.m.
ACC Night of Legends
Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay
Special event to honor outstanding legends from each ACC institution.
(Limited tickets available)
Call 813.218.3814 for ticket information.

_________________________________________________


Saturday, December 5

5-7:30 p.m.
ACC FanFest
South Lot of Raymond James Stadium

5:15 p.m.
Mascot Game at ACC FanFest
South Lot of Raymond James Stadium

5:45-6 p.m.
Clemson Pep Rally
at ACC FanFest
South Lot of Raymond James Stadium

6:15-6:30 p.m.
Georgia Tech Pep Rally
at ACC FanFest
South Lot of Raymond James Stadium

6:30 p.m.
James Otto Concert at ACC FanFest
South Lot of Raymond James Stadium

Muchos Linkos

Lots going on lately, and since we've written our part about uga and are ready to bring home an ACC Championship, here are a bunch of links:

FOOTBALL

Paul Johnson won ACC Coach of the Year for the second year in a row. Congrats CPJ! Link

Daron already linked to it, but in case you missed it, here's the audio from CPJ's interview with 790 The Zone. Some real gems in there. Link

CPJ's not going anywhere, and Tommy Tubberville says GT is a better job than Notre Dame. Link

CPJ explains the 4 passes at the end of the uga game. Link

Special teams coordinator and A-backs coach, Jeff Monken, was hired to coach Georgia Southern. He will coach Tech Saturday and maybe in the bowl game. Link

Dr. Saturday called Calvin Johnson the #10 player of the decade. Link

BASKETBALL

Tech beat Mercer 85-74 on Friday. The next game is tomorrow night vs. Hewitt's old team, Siena. Link

Do not let someone else define who you are - Coach Johnson Interview on 790

I wasn't at the game. I was either in bed or had my head in the toilet. And no, it's not because I started drinking rum too early. Friday night Chinese takeout turned out to be a bad call. I may never order chicken & broccoli with brown sauce ever again. Food Poisoning, not good times.

But I have been able to witness the outcry after dropping one to UGA. Yes, it was there for the taking and they just flat out beat us. With that said, I still say Coach Johnson wins this game more often than not.

I feel the pain, Tech fans hate to lose to UGA not only because we hate UGA in general, but mainly because we hate to hear the crap we get from UGA fans. Yep, I was getting the text messages Saturday night as I laid in bed. Most of them defaulted to their standard "Go Dawgs" or maybe some form of text barking. One of them was even low enough to express glee over Nesbitt's injury. My Facebook page also blew up with much of the same. Yea, I hate it, but it's want makes a rivalry a rivalry.

With that said, many Tech Fans need to get over this little brother mentality and stop letting UGA define everything. I've actually heard people say seeing UGA lose was almost better than seeing Tech win. Wow, I gotta say, that's pretty sad. I mean honestly, why do you care so much what the Dogs down the street are doing? Does it really matter? I care so little about UGA and what their fans think I can barely express it. It's fandom of the lowest common denominator and I just choose not to give a flying flip. We all just need to move on and begin to understand that Tech is bigger than it's one game a year with UGA.

This season is not over, this team has a ton to play for. There is a ACC Championship and a BCS Bowl out there just waiting for the taking. And for those of you who are jumping ship and not heading down to the ACCCG simply because you feel the season is lost now that we've lost to UGA, once again, sad.

So let your UGA buddies beat their chest over their nice win. And maybe you'll be able to trump their win with 2 simple words, Orange Bowl. And maybe at the end of the day, their season will be defined by beating us, not the other way around.

Or you can do what Coach Johnson said and punch them in the mouth.

Don't believe me, follow the link below to listen to Coach Johnson's interview on 790 The Zone.

LINK

Folks, you want to listen to this. I'm not sure about you but now I'm excited about the ACCCG.