Expectations for the 2021 season

[Pointer]

But how often do preseason rankings align with the end of the season?

I suspect it will end with the usual teams at the top, CU, UGA... It's really not much different then some of the tougher schedules we have seen in the past (or past schedules in general).

 

[ncjacket79]

But how often do preseason rankings align with the end of the season?

I suspect it will end with the usual teams at the top, CU, UGA... It's really not much different then some of the tougher schedules we have seen in the past (or past schedules in general).

You understand this is a circular argument right? There is no real answer so all we can do is use prognostication. The FACT is we have one of the toughest schedules based on preseason expectations in the playoff era. To argue differently is just silly. After the season we will see how it turns out.

 

[slugboy]

But how often do preseason rankings align with the end of the season?

I suspect it will end with the usual teams at the top, CU, UGA... It's really not much different then some of the tougher schedules we have seen in the past (or past schedules in general).

The rankings don’t need to have perfect alignment for the gist of Hale’s point to matter. In the past, teams that faced scheduling like ours got brutalized. One third of our schedule are teams who have been repeatedly good to great over the past few seasons and are loaded. Just less than half start in the top 15. Any of them could have a surprise down season, but odds are that most of them won’t, so we’ll need to be more than just lucky. If one of them is unlucky, the rest of the schedule is good enough that a surprise team could come out of it.
We need to be lucky and good and smart and focused, all in the same season.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

The rankings don’t need to have perfect alignment for the gist of Hale’s point to matter. In the past, teams that faced scheduling like ours got brutalized. One third of our schedule are teams who have been repeatedly good to great over the past few seasons and are loaded. Just less than half start in the top 15. Any of them could have a surprise down season, but odds are that most of them won’t, so we’ll need to be more than just lucky. If one of them is unlucky, the rest of the schedule is good enough that a surprise team could come out of it.
We need to be lucky and good and smart and focused, all in the same season.

For the sake of “realism” I’m prepared to write off five games on our schedule while hoping we get lucky. But even if we have no luck at all against those five, the other games are against really weak opponents.

I would be curious about how this schedule overall compares historically with some of Tech’s other difficult schedules. I’m thinking of some past schedules that I am curious to go look up now.

 

[85Escape]

The crazy thing is if we beat any of them they'll get downgraded in the final ranking. I'm hoping at the end of the season we were considered to have an average schedule!

 

[orientalnc]

So, if we win one of those five games we are exceeding expectations?

 

[Pointer]

So, if we win one of those five games we are exceeding expectations?

Considering that several people on here have little to no expectations, yes.

 

[Root4GT]

For the sake of “realism” I’m prepared to write off five games on our schedule while hoping we get lucky. But even if we have no luck at all against those five, the other games are against really weak opponents.

I would be curious about how this schedule overall compares historically with some of Tech’s other difficult schedules. I’m thinking of some past schedules that I am curious to go look up now.

That's pretty much what every other team says about GT - "really weak opponent." We have to prove otherwise more than BC, Pitt, VT and UVA.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

That's pretty much what every other team says about GT - "really weak opponent." We have to prove otherwise more than BC, Pitt, VT and UVA.

Yep. I guess I’m just reacting to the idea of lowering expectations because the schedule is so difficult.

A side note is that when Dodd left coaching he was still athletic director. Poor Bud Carson came into schedule that was kind of “loaded up” by Dodd from 1967-1971. Tech’s opponents included the likes of Miami (back when they were good most years) Clemson, Tennessee, Auburn, and a rotation of FSU, Southern Cal and Michigan State. And, of course, uga. I was really pessimistic when Carson came in because Tech’s schedule was much harder the year he arrived. Each year Carson was there he faced 4-5 nationally ranked teams in addition to the usual tough rivalries.

So my point, I guess, is that even when the schedule is tough Tech fans expect to win. Carson was shown the door because tough schedules are no excuse.

But I am choosing to be optimistic, bottom line.

 

[TampaGT]

Sad to hear on the acc road show, the AD response to the question about expectations for this year “the main thing is to look like we belong”. WTF kind of answer is that. Doesn’t appear as the AD is expecting many wins this year. Almost sounds as if he preparing for another 3 win season. I guess if you set the bar low enough you can get over.

 

[wesgt123]

Sad to hear on the acc road show, the AD response to the question about expectations for this year “the main thing is to look like we belong”. WTF kind of answer is that. Doesn’t appear as the AD is expecting many wins this year. Almost sounds as if he preparing for another 3 win season. I guess if you set the bar low enough you can get over.

You know what coach speak is? He gave AD speak. For every question. He drove me crazy because he wouldn’t directly answer any questions. It was super annoying. Shocker here, but he seems like a total nerd I’d put no weight on anything he said.

the only people who really know are the people in the locker room. Let’s watch and then you can reassess where our boys are

 

[SOWEGA Jacket]

Yeah, no one except guys like Key and Choice really have a handle on what we are. And that’s fine. That’s what makes it fun. We are watching the best reality show we can which is GT football being built from the ground up. I’ve enjoyed every step of the way over the past 2 and a half years. Collins has done it the right way so far and is simply plugging along filling the holes we’ve had for decades. He’s also kept expectations in check because he is smart enough not to go there regarding wins and losses. Wins and losses will not tell the story this year. What will tell the story? That we look like an organized team who won’t be out of games by halftime and commit turnovers and penalties like we never even practiced. I’m a fan of Collins, but last year was a complete mess on the field. We can’t lose by 70 to the dang Chiefs let alone any college team and we shouldn’t look like we don’t belong against Syracuse or UCF types. The Pitt game and the childlike handshake that brought us National coverage can never happen again. Learn from it and move on. I’m excited and hope for huge improvement. But if we run the same route trees that every high school team runs then we’ll be easy to stop and turnovers will commence. Patenaude has to be creative.

 

[forensicbuzz]

Yeah, no one except guys like Key and Choice really have a handle on what we are. And that’s fine. That’s what makes it fun. We are watching the best reality show we can which is GT football being built from the ground up. I’ve enjoyed every step of the way over the past 2 and a half years. Collins has done it the right way so far and is simply plugging along filling the holes we’ve had for decades. He’s also kept expectations in check because he is smart enough not to go there regarding wins and losses. Wins and losses will not tell the story this year. What will tell the story? That we look like an organized team who won’t be out of games by halftime and commit turnovers and penalties like we never even practiced. I’m a fan of Collins, but last year was a complete mess on the field. We can’t lose by 70 to the dang Chiefs let alone any college team and we shouldn’t look like we don’t belong against Syracuse or UCF types. The Pitt game and the childlike handshake that brought us National coverage can never happen again. Learn from it and move on. I’m excited and hope for huge improvement. But if we run the same route trees that every high school team runs then we’ll be easy to stop and turnovers will commence. Patenaude has to be creative.

You mean kinda like “the main thing is to look like we belong”?

I heard that somewhere else before.

 

[Oldgoldandwhite]

Sad to hear on the acc road show, the AD response to the question about expectations for this year “the main thing is to look like we belong”. WTF kind of answer is that. Doesn’t appear as the AD is expecting many wins this year. Almost sounds as if he preparing for another 3 win season. I guess if you set the bar low enough you can get over.

I think he means playing every game close and not getting blown out. He can’t say how great we will be or how lousy we will be. He might have egg on his face.

 

[SOWEGA Jacket]

You mean kinda like “the main thing is to look like we belong”?

I heard that somewhere else before.

Yep. The Clemson game will tell us a lot. No one is expecting a win but to go up there and play like a team would be a huge step forward.

 

[gville_jacket]

Sad to hear on the acc road show, the AD response to the question about expectations for this year “the main thing is to look like we belong”. WTF kind of answer is that. Doesn’t appear as the AD is expecting many wins this year. Almost sounds as if he preparing for another 3 win season. I guess if you set the bar low enough you can get over.

I think he meant the ACC as a whole in comparison to SEC and B1G not GT individually. Maybe I’m wrong but when the topic of expansion comes up, I would think his response would be about the conference and not the school.

 

[TampaGT]

I think he meant the ACC as a whole in comparison to SEC and B1G not GT individually. Maybe I’m wrong but when the topic of expansion comes up, I would think his response would be about the conference and not the school.

He was talking about GT upcoming season, not about the Acc or expansion

 

[RamblinRed]

FWIW, here is an article on the toughest and weakest OOC schedules in each conference.
GT's OOC schedule was ranked the toughest in the ACC and the 5th toughest in the country (the 4 teams in front of it were all non-P5 schools).

The toughest and weakest nonconference schedules entering the 2021 college football season

Our bowls expert looks at the standout nonconference slates this year

www.cbssports.com

 

[forensicbuzz]

FWIW, here is an article on the toughest and weakest OOC schedules in each conference.
GT's OOC schedule was ranked the toughest in the ACC and the 5th toughest in the country (the 4 teams in front of it were all non-P5 schools).

The toughest and weakest nonconference schedules entering the 2021 college football season

Our bowls expert looks at the standout nonconference slates this year

www.cbssports.com

The problem with these kind of rankings is that no one knows who is really good and who's a paper tiger. Until the games are played, OOC schedule rankings are like dates and events-based history, worthless.

 

[jojatk]

The problem with these kind of rankings is that no one knows who is really good and who's a paper tiger. Until the games are played, OOC schedule rankings are like dates and events-based history, worthless.

I will agree and disagree

Agree - of course we won't really know for sure until the games are played. And their relative worth is fairly low.
Disagree - the rankings aren't worthLESS. They are interesting information and in some cases give you some idea of how to begin setting up expectations. Mostly their value, at least to me, is for the intellectual exercise that they help provide when thinking about the upcoming season and how to think about our team.