Can Georgia Tech win a National Championship with CPJ?

Can Georgia Tech win a national championship with Coach Paul Johnson?

  • Yes

    Votes: 187 77.9%

  • No

    Votes: 53 22.1%
  • Total voters
    240
Jacket4Life9

Jacket4Life9

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
210
I'm going to say yes, GT can win one. Do I think it will be in 2017? Realistically, almost certainly not. It is not our offense that takes GT out of the National equation. With a 2009/2014 caliber GT offense and a well above average defense for the first time in CPJ's career (still waiting on a legitimate top defense), we can absolutely compete for a National Title. Think about 2014. We went 10-2, with 2 close losses and had a defense that was sub-par for the first 1/2 of the season. Think if GT held on against UNC in 2014 and squeezed by FSU in the ACC Championship game (a game we lost 38-33)... Would we not be in contention for a playoff spot in today's game at 12-1, ACC Champions. In short, if we can shape up the defense to a point where it is truly GOOD, not just opportunistic, but really GOOD, and we have a 2009/2014 caliber offense with a hint of 2014-like "fortunate" events, we are certainly capable of making a run at a top 4 spot--and once we enter the playoffs-anything can happen.
 
AlabamaBuzz

AlabamaBuzz

Helluva Engineer
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4,020
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Hartselle, AL (originally Rome, GA)
As I attempted to say earlier, CPJ gives us a chance. But, for that chance to be more than just a "pipe dream", we must recruit some DL and LB talent to the flats. I said for a while that I don't think we must have a top 15 defense, but it must be top 30-35. And, with that said, the "negative recruiting" against our system for D players is also very, very effective, but even with a more "popular" offensive system, getting big, fast nasties to GT is a difficult challenge.

FYI - we were 59 in total D this year, and 39 in scoring D. A few excellent players in the front 7 could make a huge difference, if the O runs like it can.
 

bke1984

Helluva Engineer
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3,446
You know, a lot of people would have said NO in 1988 and look what happened. It's just crazy how negative so many are. Winning a NC takes a small amount of luck. You basically need to go 11-1 or 12-0 to even be in the conversation. So does anyone here actually think that is impossible...i.e. no way we could ever go 11-1 under CPJ...period?

I honestly don't know how some thing it's that far fetched
 

33jacket

Helluva Engineer
Messages
4,653
Location
Georgia
Listen. We have never had a team finish in the top 4 since 1990. 26 years. Let alone win the playoff. Before 90 it was 1952 folks.

In 64 years we have had ONE top 4 team. So sure its possible to make the playoff every 40-60 years.

But factor in the new environment and stricter school. For me possible. Like in the next 100 years. Not more possible than that. I just hope that flash in the pan is in the next 40 years not the full 100
 
jacketup

jacketup

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1,551
The coaching staff did a great job in 2016, but we lost 4 games. Our best win was against VT, which ended up 16th. In the 6 previous years, the coaching staff posted an FBS record that was below .500.

How do the last 9 years of Paul Johnson's leadership point to a national championship? A bunch of folks are letting their emotions ignore facts and cloud their rational brains.

And no, this program is not on the path that it was on in 1988 and 1989. Bobby Ross said his goal was to win a national championship--I heard him say it in person in the summer of 1989. I don't hear Paul Johnson making that statement.
 

Skeptic

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Messages
6,372
Jacket4Life9 said:
I'm going to say yes, GT can win one. Do I think it will be in 2017? Realistically, almost certainly not. It is not our offense that takes GT out of the National equation. With a 2009/2014 caliber GT offense and a well above average defense for the first time in CPJ's career (still waiting on a legitimate top defense), we can absolutely compete for a National Title. Think about 2014. We went 10-2, with 2 close losses and had a defense that was sub-par for the first 1/2 of the season. Think if GT held on against UNC in 2014 and squeezed by FSU in the ACC Championship game (a game we lost 38-33)... Would we not be in contention for a playoff spot in today's game at 12-1, ACC Champions. In short, if we can shape up the defense to a point where it is truly GOOD, not just opportunistic, but really GOOD, and we have a 2009/2014 caliber offense with a hint of 2014-like "fortunate" events, we are certainly capable of making a run at a top 4 spot--and once we enter the playoffs-anything can happen.
Click to expand...
The conundrum is that every team out there that had a good year has a similar bucket list of what-ifs. Fact is we lost three, and what-ifs don't win championships. It's fun I know, but to be national champions you just about have to win those close games that tilted bad. (Clemson lost one but won three of them, pretty good for building calluses on your mental toughness.) Can we win another NC? In today's game I don't think so. I hope so, and there is that thing about reach and grasp, but as you can see from the transfers it is awful hard building depth and championship teams are built on it, over several years. Maybe that helps explain why we have a good year followed by a so-so year. First, eliminate the so-so years and then let's see.
 
Madison Grant

Madison Grant

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Messages
2,276
We were Smelter's torn ACL away from winning the ACC in 2014. Win the ACC on the right year with other conference champs having two losses, and you can get in the playoff. Get in the playoff, you can win it all. Not likely. Probably won't happen. But 'can' is the question. It is possible. Not for UCF and USF in the American Conference though.
 

FightWinDrink

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,341
Be it based on the school or CPJ or whatever I don't think we will recruit at the level defensively to win the natty. I don't really have a problem with the offense. When it's clicking it's plenty deadly. Very rarely does a team win the title that doesn't recruit at a top 10 or so level
 

orange14

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
138
I may not smell too good - but I will be there!
Seriously though, we have to stop losing high character kids on OL so we can build depth. The administration of the MBA program should work hard to admit our early grads.
 

pbrown520

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
586
To me the likelihood of anyone winning a national championship at Tech isn't high enough to really even talk about. It has little to nothing to do with PJ. I'm not sure that Saban could even win one at Tech.
 
AE 87

AE 87

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13,026
jacketup said:
The coaching staff did a great job in 2016, but we lost 4 games. Our best win was against VT, which ended up 16th. In the 6 previous years, the coaching staff posted an FBS record that was below .500.

How do the last 9 years of Paul Johnson's leadership point to a national championship? A bunch of folks are letting their emotions ignore facts and cloud their rational brains.

And no, this program is not on the path that it was on in 1988 and 1989. Bobby Ross said his goal was to win a national championship--I heard him say it in person in the summer of 1989. I don't hear Paul Johnson making that statement.
Click to expand...

You can have no idea how much joy your posts bring me.

I don't think I'm laughing WITH you, but I'm laughing. Thanks!
 
Vespidae

Vespidae

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5,326
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Auburn, AL
I remember the same conversation during Bill Lewis' era. We stunk. Bobby Ross and a few years later and we're NC.

Flawless execution. Explosive offense. Yeah, we can do it.

Didn't fill the stadium then either.
 
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