GT #17 in Coaches Poll

[Skeptic]

I agree. If we were a SEC team we would have been at least 12

I read a John Grisham book once -- the lawyer man does not like lawyers -- whose character was talking the jury selection pool and said, "Just take the first 12." That is the SEC in polls.

 

[UgaBlows]

Starting ranked matters. Polls unfortunately matter too much and determine in large part who goes to what bowl. It's a helluva lot harder to climb up the polls if you start on the outside looking in.

If you win your conference with one loss or less then what does it matter where you were ranked at the beginning of the season? If we beat ND, FSU, Clem, VT, uM, and ugag and then win conf championship game then we'll be a top ranked team no matter where we start at. Just win and it works itself out.

 

[Animal02]

The other factor is when they rank all the sec in the preseason, a loss to a ranked team does not hurt nearly as much as losing to an unranked team. Even though at the end of the season, the 'ranked ' teaxm at the time ends up 7-6 , meanwhile the 'unranked' ends up 10-3

 

[SidewalkJacket]

Win your conf with 1 or fewer losses and your pretty much in..

Except this isn't necessarily true. With conferences growing and less marquee non-conference matchups, it is very plausible to have multiple undefeated and one-loss teams. Then conference prestige and starting rank matter a great deal.

 

[UgaBlows]

When's the last time there were multiple power 5 conf. Undefeated teams?

 

[Jean-Baptiste Rochambeau]

I agree. If we were a SEC team we would have been at least 12

If we were an SEC team, we might have been 8-5 last season, too.

 

[IronJacket7]

Part of me agrees with this, except that when you start at 17 and have a loss at some point before halfway, you dang near drop out (especially if you're in the ACC). If you start top 10, and early loss only drops you a few spots. Not saying we are definitely a top 10 team, but we are good enough now to start considering these implications to our season goals.

This is true.

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

Tech gets a little respect from Bleacher Report ---

Hmm. It won't let me post the link. At any rate go to Bleacher Report and look for the biggest winners and losers of the coaches poll. They give Tech a lot of credit there.

 

[deeeznutz]

If we were an SEC team, we might have been 8-5 last season, too.

Hahahaha, do you really believe that? You think Georgia had a markedly tougher schedule than we did? I guess Vandy, UK, UF, SC, and Tenn are considered a murderers row now.

 

[TheGridironGeek]

Hahahaha, do you really believe that? You think Georgia had a markedly tougher schedule than we did? I guess Vandy, UK, UF, SC, and Tenn are considered a murderers row now.

I don't get it. GT played 2 SEC schools that went better than 8-5 and beat them both. If a neighboring HS goes 9-1, and your HS goes 9-1 and you beat them soundly, how can you say "Yeah, but we would have gone 6-4 if we had their schedule."

A local coach I know is constantly saying the current structure benefits non-SEC teams, because the SEC is bigger and faster and the teams beat each other up more before the postseason. The fallacy is that if non-SEC teams are really smaller and slower, they would suffer just as many minor/major injuries and get just as beaten up playing each other, because football is relative.

 

[Skeptic]

... The fallacy is that if non-SEC teams are really smaller and slower, they would suffer just as many minor/major injuries and get just as beaten up playing each other, because football is relative.

It is the corollary to the argument that defenses today are quicker, bigger and faster and thus Johnson's offense will not work. You're right, but it is a logical argument, so good luck. I just treasure the memories of MSU players looking at our taillights all night.