Can GT make the CFP in 2015?

[UgaBlows]

Why? Maybe he's learned to make his own Zima.

He's a Zima Craft Master-Brewer is what i heard

 

[redmule]

I say the defense takes a big step forward, we lose our usual brainfart game, but wins over FSU, ND, CU, uga, and CU again, and VT beating tOSU gives the ACC and us enough credibility to slip in. But the brainfart needs to be early and close.

 

[CobbTech]

Don't forget, FSU was 12-0 before they played us and dropped to number 4. If they would've lost to us (the 11th ranked team at the time and would've moved up to 7 or 8 after beating them) they would've missed the playoff completely.

As it stands today, an ACC team would have a slim chance of making the playoff with one loss unless all hell broke loose.

 

[redmule]

FSU had played a lot of really bad football during several games, and that was why everybody wanted to drop the out.

 

[ybeenormal]

Isn't 2016 the year we WERE talking about being really good? Man I love this talk! I am so hyped about my jackets and can't wait until we make the playoffs 2 years in row!

 

[thwgjacket]

Think about this board at this time last year. A lot were ready to get rid of Johnson. The board was too low. Similarly, I think you guys are too high this year.

While your defense will be improved, I still don't think you have enough.

Last year your luck broke about fair.

You could easily have won the UNC game and the FSU game, but you could just as easily lost the VT game and the GA Southern game.

I expect you guys to be better this year, but your record may not reflect it. Clemson likely won't have their QB blow his ACL on the first series. Miami won't have a freshman starting at QB. VT is still going to be VT. ND has a whole ton of talent.

I think a repeat of last year would be a WONDERFUL accomplishment for this squad, but unless you guys start megastuds on defense, I think this past year might be about the ceiling for you guys.

I hate to say it, but I think in the current football environment, your academic stringency is just going to mean you lose a game or two every year, no matter what.

Couple counterpoints.

VT is still VT, they'll have a good D but their offense is still a huge question mark.

Miami won't have a freshman starting at QB, they'll have the same guy who put up decent numbers and he'll only be a sophomore. They also won't have this guy named Duke Johnson, he was pretty good, or their number one WR I believe.

Watson likely won't blow his knee out again (it was 3-0 when he did) but Clemson won't have anywhere near the D they had last year. They'll be really thin on the DL.

ND does have some talent, but they still went 8-5 last year. It's not like they were just destroying teams.

Tech will have to replace some key pieces, but it's not like we're the only ones. We are in the top half of the ACC in returning starters and a huge percentage of guys that played in the Orange Bowl are back.

 

[TheGridironGeek]

Think about this board at this time last year. A lot were ready to get rid of Johnson. The board was too low. Similarly, I think you guys are too high this year.

While your defense will be improved, I still don't think you have enough.

Last year your luck broke about fair.

You could easily have won the UNC game and the FSU game, but you could just as easily lost the VT game and the GA Southern game.

I expect you guys to be better this year, but your record may not reflect it. Clemson likely won't have their QB blow his ACL on the first series. Miami won't have a freshman starting at QB. VT is still going to be VT. ND has a whole ton of talent.

I think a repeat of last year would be a WONDERFUL accomplishment for this squad, but unless you guys start megastuds on defense, I think this past year might be about the ceiling for you guys.

I hate to say it, but I think in the current football environment, your academic stringency is just going to mean you lose a game or two every year, no matter what.

You're not considering the improvement (especially at QB) throughout the 2nd half of the 2014 season. Ohio State looked awful at times early on and couldn't outscore a hapless VT offense. Could *that* Ohio State team have out-classed Oregon? No, just like the Tech team that lost to Duke couldn't have whipped MSU.

Funny about the Clemson thing, if a Flexbone QB breaks his leg on a designed run everyone says, "Oh well that's whatcha get" and the team loses to Media Darling XYZ and everyone goes on with life. When Media Darling XYZ's QB carries on designed runs and gets hurt, it's, "What a shame for that young man, they would have won."

I think it's hard in the current D1 football environment to go undefeated. The champs didn't.

 

[TheGridironGeek]

Why do you keep saying you guys? Are you not a GT fan?

Personally I never refer to the Jackets as "we" out of respect. I only became a watch-every-week fan with the CPJ hire and still haven't been to a game or anything.

But yeah the constant you guys and you got some lucky breaks etc. gave it right away as a genuine half-fair, half-bitter, fan-of-conference-rival prediction.

 

[awbuzz]

ilovetheoption has always been up front about being a UVA fan first and a fan of CPJ's spread option offense after that.

 

[kyle.smith828]

Think about this board at this time last year. A lot were ready to get rid of Johnson. The board was too low. Similarly, I think you guys are too high this year.

While your defense will be improved, I still don't think you have enough.

Last year your luck broke about fair.

You could easily have won the UNC game and the FSU game, but you could just as easily lost the VT game and the GA Southern game.

I expect you guys to be better this year, but your record may not reflect it. Clemson likely won't have their QB blow his ACL on the first series. Miami won't have a freshman starting at QB. VT is still going to be VT. ND has a whole ton of talent.

I think a repeat of last year would be a WONDERFUL accomplishment for this squad, but unless you guys start megastuds on defense, I think this past year might be about the ceiling for you guys.

I hate to say it, but I think in the current football environment, your academic stringency is just going to mean you lose a game or two every year, no matter what.

If memory serves me correctly, GT had a top 25 defense in 2013. Combined with the type of offense you'd assume you'd had given a CPJ offense with a solid o-line, and, of course, JT, I think, with a defense ranked in the 20's, even with the schedule we have, GT could have a better season than 2014. If the 2014 team had the 2013 team's defense, they would have made the playoff. It's not too far fetched to predict GT having a similar defense as 2013.

 

[orientalnc]

If memory serves me correctly, GT had a top 25 defense in 2013. Combined with the type of offense you'd assume you'd had given a CPJ offense with a solid o-line, and, of course, JT, I think, with a defense ranked in the 20's, even with the schedule we have, GT could have a better season than 2014. If the 2014 team had the 2013 team's defense, they would have made the playoff. It's not too far fetched to predict GT having a similar defense as 2013.

It was actually #28, but total defense is total yards per game. Not the absolute best measure. We were #81 last year.

 

[ilovetheoption]

Couple counterpoints.

VT is still VT, they'll have a good D but their offense is still a huge question mark.

Miami won't have a freshman starting at QB, they'll have the same guy who put up decent numbers and he'll only be a sophomore. They also won't have this guy named Duke Johnson, he was pretty good, or their number one WR I believe.

Watson likely won't blow his knee out again (it was 3-0 when he did) but Clemson won't have anywhere near the D they had last year. They'll be really thin on the DL.

ND does have some talent, but they still went 8-5 last year. It's not like they were just destroying teams.

Tech will have to replace some key pieces, but it's not like we're the only ones. We are in the top half of the ACC in returning starters and a huge percentage of guys that played in the Orange Bowl are back.

All valid. I'll even a step further than you and say "a team that wiped the walls with a top 10 opponent" should improve in the most important positions (QB, OL, DL, DB).

I still think my point stands, which is that if luck were to break "fair" over the course of the season, you're likely to take some L's. Of course, luck (good and bad) is a part of any season, and maybe everything breaks your way (it happens). But, even though you have what I consider to be a pretty sizable coaching advantage on most teams in the country, you have a talent deficit against many teams on your schedule.

Clemson, UGA, ND, Miami, and maybe VT all "should" beat you on talent. You've got a better coaching staff than all of them (although VT is close). I just think that the talent gap is big enough that in all likelihood it's going to jump up and bite you once or twice, and that's not even counting games like Duke or Ga Southern, where things just randomly break bad against a team you're better than.

 

[Whiskey_Clear]

I pretty much agree option.......but our talent gap with those other teams has closed considerably IMO. Will be better able to gauge this mid season. But I think we may have surpassed VT.