10 Win Season vs. 7 Win Season

[IronJacket7]

Personally I feel this is all dependent on what our Defense does this year. If we can average 21 points or less as a Defense for the 2013 Season then IMO I feel we will win 10 or more games this season. If the Defense continues to allow 35+ point games in more than one or two games then it may very well end up being another mediocre 7 win season.

With games against Clemson, UGA, Miami, etc... It will be hard for any defense to stop but if we can slow them down and limit 7 point opportunities to 3 or 0 points then we have a great shot at being successful this season. That is to say that if our Offense continues to do its norm. For me it all hinges on how good our Defense is under CTR. Just my opinion. And it would be a huge help it Butker can add a lift to ST.

 

[John]

I pretty much agree. While we certainly could have played better in all aspects of the game, the defense stood out as a sore thumb and it wasn't because Groh was fired mid-season. When your head coach comments about not being able to line up properly and "communication issues" in general even halfway through the season, you know there's some serious problems that needed fixing.

I know CTR's history with Tech but I honestly don't know too much about him as a DC. It seems like to me all the leaders of the defense have been working hard over the course of the off-season but I'm curious how much of CTR's defense we can actually field by the time the season start so that they aren't doing too much thinking but just playing fast.

 

[ATL1]

I can only foresee a 10 win season if:
1. Playmakers are found or developed (immediate impact)
a. particularly at WR, BBack (why it can't just be a running back), and QB
2. O Line plays with more consistency and violence
3. We stop the run
4. Get our opponents off the field on 3rd down

 

[OldJacketFan]

Most fans I know agree that the D is the key to an average or better than average season, meaning the difference between 7 wins and 10 wins. If the D can get teams off the field on 3rd down that would be strong sign that the D is progressing. Vad is going to be the key to O, he's still learning as a QB and there are going be mistakes made, how they limit those mistakes is going to be huge. I expect better and more consistent line play on both sides of the ball. WRs remain a concern until we see the health of the injured players and how much work they're going to be able to do between now and the season. Backs I'm comfortable with though I would love to think we'll see 1000 plus out of one of the B backs. The A backs appear to be ready to fill their roles and could be explosive, again this relates back to the O line and WRs. LBs and DBs have shown their talent but overall, like the offense, D improvement is dependent on decent D line play. All in all I am cautiously optimistic that the season should be a 9-10 win one and set the standards higher for the next few years.

 

[Bigb]

I'm afraid with 7 wins the detractors will grow greatly in volume. I'd be very disappointed with only 7.

 

[poodleface]

Not to say we should be satisfied with seven wins, but being disappointed by that many is a good problem to have. Tennessee or Auburn would be ecstatic with that number (for a single season, at least).

 

[IronJacket7]

I can only foresee a 10 win season if:
1. Playmakers are found or developed (immediate impact)
a. particularly at WR, BBack (why it can't just be a running back), and QB
2. O Line plays with more consistency and violence
3. We stop the run
4. Get our opponents off the field on 3rd down

- With regards to specifics I agree completely.
- But my point is generically speaking, IMO the Defense is our barometer.

 

[BainbridgeJacket]

I'm cautiously optimistic that we have a very good (10 wins) season, followed by a rebuilding year(6-7 wins), then a relatively stable ~9 wins per season as we reap the rewards of a better defense and improved recruiting. Paul Johnson's weakness has been in getting players into the system and the 2010 season really broke any positive momentum we had in the first two seasons. Here's to turning a corner and realizing our only chance of success as a program is stability.

 

[cyptomcat]

I'm cautiously optimistic that we have a very good (10 wins) season, followed by a rebuilding year(6-7 wins), then a relatively stable ~9 wins per season as we reap the rewards of a better defense and improved recruiting. Paul Johnson's weakness has been in getting players into the system and the 2010 season really broke any positive momentum we had in the first two seasons. Here's to turning a corner and realizing our only chance of success as a program is stability.

Our '14 schedule has 3 easy out of conference games in Tulane, Wofford and Southern. We should win 8 games with that kind of schedule, but let's not digress this thread from this season.

 

[AE 87]

Statistically, one of the big improvement in D from the 1st 6 games to the last 8 was in 3rd down conversion. We saw a comparable increase in the number of punts forced and decrease in FGs attempted. I have a real hard time thinking our D won't be great this year.

 

[OldJacketFan]

As a long time Tech fan it's a pleasure to have found this site to talk about Tech sports. The vast majority on members on here are realistic fans who can hold an intelligent discussion about college football without all the negative, "look at me" garbage crap found on so many sites. Thanks to all for making this a great and enjoyable site!

 

[John]

I have a real hard time thinking our D won't be great this year.

Groh scarred me a bit. Now every time a new DC comes in, I'm thinking the team will need three years to learn the new scheme.

As a long time Tech fan it's a pleasure to have found this site to talk about Tech sports. The vast majority on members on here are realistic fans who can hold an intelligent discussion about college football without all the negative, "look at me" garbage crap found on so many sites. Thanks to all for making this a great and enjoyable site!

Sure, hopefully our team will play so well this coming season that we won't have to worry about keeping this place clean.