New ACC Schedule Format Reveal

[Randy Carson]

As if we're locked in to 3-9 until we water down the schedule. It's a depressing, and I believe erroneous assumption. Especially since we're 4-4 this year, and probably going bowling - this year.

Locked in? Of course not.

5-7, 6-6, 8-4, 9-3.

We improve consistently and without regression. But it takes time and we can't take on playoff contenders every week.

 

[Backstreetbuzz]

It’s hard to predict from year to year, but if I was Jbatt I would have asked for the 8 worst programs in the ACC to try to get to the championship more often. I think we missed an opportunity here.

 

[JacketOff]

Let me just say this...the Dogs have more more alumni, money, a bigger stadium, more media coverage, easier majors...EVERYTHING in their favor. And you want to hold onto your memories of Bobby Dodd and the Golden Tornado while getting your @** handed to you every year just so you can enjoy "a shot at relevancy" and the thrill of a win once every decade or so?

I don't blame you for that...we all like to reminisce. I'm second-generation Tech alum. Lots of folks in my family tree went to Tech, okay? But I'm also a realist. Losing 9 of 10 or even 8 of 10 to UGA every decade isn't especially appealing to me. And since I don't live in Georgia, I don't have yahoos in their pickup trucks screaming "Go Dawgs!" in my face every 15 minutes. Without that constant irritation (and after a few decades removed from campus), the irrational need for an annual grudge match has died down.

We can achieve relevance by going 9-3 or 10-2 and being ranked every year...but that doesn't happen by loading up our schedule with programs like UGA, Clemson, Ole Miss, ND, and FSU year in and year out. We have enough to worry about with Wake, Miami, and UNC - against whom we are 3-0 this season, btw. Don't tell me we didn't achieve some "relevancy" in the national media after those last two wins.

Consequently, I'd rather see Tech climbing into the ring with teams that are closer to our punching weight. 8-4 or better. That's my happy place.

Wake Forest went 11-3 in 2021. Are they relevant? Does anybody remember that season? No. Because the didn’t beat anybody of substance. They lost to North Carolina. Lost to Clemson. And lost to Pitt in the ACC championship. The win that means the most to their fans that season? Beating a 5-7 Florida State team.

Nobody gives a **** if you win 11 games against nobodies. How many people care that Air Force is 8-0 right now? Not many. They have the worst schedule in the country and basically have no shot to go into a NY6 bowl even if they finish the season undefeated.

At Tech, 8-4 doesn’t get you into the playoff. It probably doesn’t get you into the ACCCG. It doesn’t get you ranked. But 8-4 with a win against Clemson, or Georgia, or Notre Dame, or Florida State matters. People will remember that game. People will remember that season because of the big win. Hell, people on this forum still talk about the 1981 win against Alabama. A team that won 1 singular game is considered one of the most memorable and special games in Tech history. Why? Because it was against #2 Alabama. If we had beaten Furman or Navy or hell even somebody like Syracuse would anybody remember it? Hell no.

The point is, the big games matter. The odds of Tech ever truly competing for a national title again are slim to none. Doing away with our best games, ending our deepest rivalries in the hopes of maybe winning 8 games is not going to help the program. We should just leave the ACC and join the Sun Belt if that’s the goal. Go ahead and take UGA, Clemson, Notre Dame, FSU, and Miami off the schedule permanently. Schedule Memphis, UAB, Georgia Southern, Texas State, and Southern Miss. See how many people show up to the games then.

 

[Root4GT]

Thanksgiving is rivalry weekend. It’s been that way for damn near 100 years, maybe even longer. Alabama plays Auburn. Ohio State plays Michigan. Florida plays Florida State. Oregon & Oregon State, Ole Miss & Mississippi State, Clemson & South Carolina. Used to be Texas vs. Texas A&M before politics got in the way.

However, there’s still Georgia vs. Georgia Tech. It’s Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate for a reason. I can’t believe there are actual Georgia Tech fans who would consider moving the game from Thanksgiving weekend, much less dropping the game altogether!?!? Are you high? No matter what state the Georgia Tech football program is in, the game vs. UGA gives us a shot at relevancy. It’s going to be on national TV damn near every year, and will at least have some spotlight just because Georgia is involved. The game gets played on RIVALRY week because Georgia is our RIVAL. Based on what just happened with ACC scheduling, they’re the only one we have left. Take that game away and Georgia Tech might as well be Rutgers. Who are Rutgers’ rivals? I don’t know, and I also don’t give a ****. That’s how the rest of the country would view us. I’m honestly astonished that some of y’all are ready to chicken out of the UGA game just because we’ve gone through some rough years.

I have followed GT football since my freshman year in 1969. We are 14-39 during that period. This Century we are 4-18. Anything that changes that constant beat down to end the year is an improvement. 53 years is a big enough sample size to understand this is the way it has been and will be for our two schools.

 

[Root4GT]

Wake Forest went 11-3 in 2021. Are they relevant? Does anybody remember that season? No. Because the didn’t beat anybody of substance. They lost to North Carolina. Lost to Clemson. And lost to Pitt in the ACC championship. The win that means the most to their fans that season? Beating a 5-7 Florida State team.

Nobody gives a **** if you win 11 games against nobodies. How many people care that Air Force is 8-0 right now? Not many. They have the worst schedule in the country and basically have no shot to go into a NY6 bowl even if they finish the season undefeated.

At Tech, 8-4 doesn’t get you into the playoff. It probably doesn’t get you into the ACCCG. It doesn’t get you ranked. But 8-4 with a win against Clemson, or Georgia, or Notre Dame, or Florida State matters. People will remember that game. People will remember that season because of the big win. Hell, people on this forum still talk about the 1981 win against Alabama. A team that won 1 singular game is considered one of the most memorable and special games in Tech history. Why? Because it was against #2 Alabama. If we had beaten Furman or Navy or hell even somebody like Syracuse would anybody remember it? Hell no.

The point is, the big games matter. The odds of Tech ever truly competing for a national title again are slim to none. Doing away with our best games, ending our deepest rivalries in the hopes of maybe winning 8 games is not going to help the program. We should just leave the ACC and join the Sun Belt if that’s the goal. Go ahead and take UGA, Clemson, Notre Dame, FSU, and Miami off the schedule permanently. Schedule Memphis, UAB, Georgia Southern, Texas State, and Southern Miss. See how many people show up to the games then.

Nice Rant. And nobody outside the team's fanbase remembers who any team beat. Off the top of your head who were the 4 teams in the CFP in 2019? Who did any of them beat in the regular season? Unless you are a fan of one of the teams or have no life beyond college football you will neither care or know.

 

[JacketOff]

I have followed GT football since my freshman year in 1969. We are 14-39 during that period. This Century we are 4-18. Anything that changes that constant beat down to end the year is an improvement. 53 years is a big enough sample size to understand this is the way it has been and will be for our two schools.

South Carolina is 18-35 against Clemson since 1969.

Oregon State is 17-40 against Oregon since 1969

Navy is 13-80 all time against Notre Dame

Since 2008, Auburn has beat UGA exactly the same amount of times as we have, 3. Have you ever seen an Auburn fan say they don’t want to play against UGA any more?

Yeah, sometimes rivalries are lopsided. Does that mean they aren’t worth playing? In my opinion, no. It’s part of what makes some of them great, when there’s an obvious underdog.

 

[Root4GT]

South Carolina is 18-35 against Clemson since 1969.

Oregon State is 17-40 against Oregon since 1969

Navy is 13-80 all time against Notre Dame

Since 2008, Auburn has beat UGA exactly the same amount of times as we have, 3. Have you ever seen an Auburn fan say they don’t want to play against UGA any more?
Yeah, sometimes rivalries are lopsided. Does that mean they aren’t worth playing? In my opinion, no. It’s part of what makes some of them great, when there’s an obvious underdog.

Ending the season with a loss damn near every year is terrible for a program like GT that struggles to attract fans. Even the years we have a good season we usually lose to UGA to end the season on a downer. The college football landscape has changed and GT is not going to be UGA's football peer. Until the landscape changes we would be far better served to play them early in the season. That won't happen and we will keep losing to UGA 70% of the time for the foreseeable future but gee it's a great rivalry and a great way to end the season!

 

[SOWEGA Jacket]

Wake Forest went 11-3 in 2021. Are they relevant? Does anybody remember that season? No. Because the didn’t beat anybody of substance. They lost to North Carolina. Lost to Clemson. And lost to Pitt in the ACC championship. The win that means the most to their fans that season? Beating a 5-7 Florida State team.

Nobody gives a **** if you win 11 games against nobodies. How many people care that Air Force is 8-0 right now? Not many. They have the worst schedule in the country and basically have no shot to go into a NY6 bowl even if they finish the season undefeated.

At Tech, 8-4 doesn’t get you into the playoff. It probably doesn’t get you into the ACCCG. It doesn’t get you ranked. But 8-4 with a win against Clemson, or Georgia, or Notre Dame, or Florida State matters. People will remember that game. People will remember that season because of the big win. Hell, people on this forum still talk about the 1981 win against Alabama. A team that won 1 singular game is considered one of the most memorable and special games in Tech history. Why? Because it was against #2 Alabama. If we had beaten Furman or Navy or hell even somebody like Syracuse would anybody remember it? Hell no.

The point is, the big games matter. The odds of Tech ever truly competing for a national title again are slim to none. Doing away with our best games, ending our deepest rivalries in the hopes of maybe winning 8 games is not going to help the program. We should just leave the ACC and join the Sun Belt if that’s the goal. Go ahead and take UGA, Clemson, Notre Dame, FSU, and Miami off the schedule permanently. Schedule Memphis, UAB, Georgia Southern, Texas State, and Southern Miss. See how many people show up to the games then.

This all just horse pucky. How soon you forget. Wake was lauded all over the place and their QB was pumped as a Heisman hopeful. And guess what? Wake made it to the ACCCG which is the entire goal. The goal isn’t to play a tough schedule and finish a game or two out. The goal is Charlotte. That they lost is their fault, but they made it and we didn’t. And the day will come where 9-3 or 8-4 WILL get you in the playoff. If you haven’t been paying attention the TV people want more playoff games and are willing to pay for them so the numbers will keep growing. And you obviously fall for whatever the media tells you, You probably tuned in to the big game of Colorado-TCU didn‘t you. Because the media told you it was a big game. Clemson-GT hasn’t been a big game in a long time. Neither has Florida-FSU or Georgia- Auburn. The corrupt past is over. If the last few years should have taught every GT fan that everything is just noise if you don’t win. How many decommits have we already seen this season because we haven’t won consistently? And Air Force is ranked #17 right now so someone cares. And I bet a recruit who has offers to Air Force, Army, and Navy cares.

 

[bobongo]

Locked in? Of course not.

5-7, 6-6, 8-4, 9-3.

We improve consistently and without regression. But it takes time and we can't take on playoff contenders every week.

You said:
"We're not going to win any recruiting battles with a 3-9 record year after year."
The implication was that 3-9 would be our record unless we scheduled weak sisters.

We're likely going bowling playing the schedule we have now. Playing patsies is no way to build a fan base. Beat them, and nobody cares (nor should they).

 

[JacketOff]

This all just horse pucky. How soon you forget. Wake was lauded all over the place and their QB was pumped as a Heisman hopeful. And guess what? Wake made it to the ACCCG which is the entire goal. The goal isn’t to play a tough schedule and finish a game or two out. The goal is Charlotte. That they lost is their fault, but they made it and we didn’t. And the day will come where 9-3 or 8-4 WILL get you in the playoff. If you haven’t been paying attention the TV people want more playoff games and are willing to pay for them so the numbers will keep growing. And you obviously fall for whatever the media tells you, You probably tuned in to the big game of Colorado-TCU didn‘t you. Because the media told you it was a big game. Clemson-GT hasn’t been a big game in a long time. Neither has Florida-FSU or Georgia- Auburn. The corrupt past is over. If the last few years should have taught every GT fan that everything is just noise if you don’t win. How many decommits have we already seen this season because we haven’t won consistently? And Air Force is ranked #17 right now so someone cares. And I bet a recruit who has offers to Air Force, Army, and Navy cares.

You’re not even close

 

[yeti92]

I don't want to cancel the rivalry, but I am in favor of moving it to early in the season. uga tends to start slow and have players suspended early on, and like someone else mentioned, we are less banged up.

 

[roadkill]

Boring. We won't build the program by beating patsies.

We won't build the program by missing bowl games either.

 

[roadkill]

Somehow this thread has gone from scheduling an easier OOC game than Ole Miss in order to increase our chances of making a bowl game as we build the program, to canceling the GT-UGA series as well as all the better ACC schools. Give me a break.

Facts: Last 4 years' win record is 3-3-3-5. In this decade it is reasonable to plan on a loss for the last game of the year, but I'm not suggesting we drop the series. Our stated goal (J. Batt) is "to compete for championships". So you know what Wake Forest did with their 11-3 record? They competed for a championship!

Another fun fact: UGA's first four opponents this year were UT Martin, Ball State, USC East, and UAB. A real murderer's row which obviously should undermine their relevancy. But wait - they're still #1 in the AP. That's because relevancy is achieved by sustained winning performance. Let's get to a bowl game, get our players some additional practice time and more eyeballs on our team, and continue to improve recruiting. This will lead to more wins.

If you want an example of how tough scheduling alone fails to build relevancy, look no further than Vandy.

 

[LT 1967]

Just a quick thought about the toughness of the schedule. I did a quick look up online and found two schedule rankings for the 2021 and 2022 GT football schedule.

2022----teamranking.com---GT---#1 Toughest
2021----------USA Today----GT---#1 Toughest

Most of the other rankings have us in the top 10 or 15 if memory serves.

I believe we could still make a strong impact on the national scene with a somewhat lighter schedule. Looking at the new 7-year ACC schedule, we have Clemson 4 years and Florida State for 3 years. Plus, we will have ND for at least two of the seven years, maybe 3.

My thinking is that we could do without the extra SEC teams like Ole Miss---Alabama.

We would still have a strong schedule with a G5 team in that spot, like Tulane as an example. Or another Academic school like Vandy, Northwestern.

 

[Randy Carson]

Wake Forest went 11-3 in 2021. Are they relevant? Does anybody remember that season? No. Because the didn’t beat anybody of substance. They lost to North Carolina. Lost to Clemson. And lost to Pitt in the ACC championship. The win that means the most to their fans that season? Beating a 5-7 Florida State team.

Nobody gives a **** if you win 11 games against nobodies. How many people care that Air Force is 8-0 right now? Not many. They have the worst schedule in the country and basically have no shot to go into a NY6 bowl even if they finish the season undefeated.

At Tech, 8-4 doesn’t get you into the playoff. It probably doesn’t get you into the ACCCG. It doesn’t get you ranked. But 8-4 with a win against Clemson, or Georgia, or Notre Dame, or Florida State matters. People will remember that game. People will remember that season because of the big win. Hell, people on this forum still talk about the 1981 win against Alabama. A team that won 1 singular game is considered one of the most memorable and special games in Tech history. Why? Because it was against #2 Alabama. If we had beaten Furman or Navy or hell even somebody like Syracuse would anybody remember it? Hell no.

The point is, the big games matter. The odds of Tech ever truly competing for a national title again are slim to none. Doing away with our best games, ending our deepest rivalries in the hopes of maybe winning 8 games is not going to help the program. We should just leave the ACC and join the Sun Belt if that’s the goal. Go ahead and take UGA, Clemson, Notre Dame, FSU, and Miami off the schedule permanently. Schedule Memphis, UAB, Georgia Southern, Texas State, and Southern Miss. See how many people show up to the games then.

1. Wake fans enjoyed their 2021 season. More than we did.
2. Air Force fans care that they are ranked 17th (or 25th) right now.
3. UCF went 14-0 and had to declare themselves National Champions. Think their fans don't remember that season fondly? (And yeah, they did beat Auburn in a bowl.)
4. Tech could go 1-11, but as long as that win was against UGA or Bama (according to some, apparently), it would be a good year. Are you freakin' kidding me?
5. In 2021 Appalachian State jammed 33,000 people on average into a stadium that only holds 30,000. How many Natty's? Three. Think their fans don't care?
6. Oh, and the average ACC Conference schedule is composed of "nobodies" ? Oh, okay. You're right.

I'm NOT nor have I ever said we shouldn't play a big game every year. You want to beat Georgia? Don't we all? But the odds are against that. BIG. TIME.

So I don't want to hear anyone whining about how Key is the wrong guy, how we don't have enough money, yada, yada, yada after they light us up. You asked for it.

Every. Year.

 

[Randy Carson]

UGA's first four opponents this year were UT Martin, Ball State, USC East, and UAB. A real murderer's row which obviously should undermine their relevancy. But wait - they're still #1 in the AP. That's because relevancy is achieved by sustained winning performance. Let's get to a bowl game, get our players some additional practice time and more eyeballs on our team, and continue to improve recruiting. This will lead to more wins.

If you want an example of how tough scheduling alone fails to build relevancy, look no further than Vandy.

^This. So this.

 

[slugboy]

@bobongo this might be nitpicking, but we’re 4-4. We need to win at least two of the remaining 4 games. We’re slight underdogs to UVA, will be solid underdogs to Clemson, might be favorites against Syracuse, and I don’t even have a guess as to the UGA point spread.

I think the oddsmakers would give us about 1.5 wins remaining. We have line of sight to a bowl game, but we’ll be overcoming odds to get to six wins.

Making a bowl game would be a big uptick from the first two thirds of the season.

I’m hopeful, but it’s a stretch. If we beat UVA, it’s a good shot.

 

[roadkill]

More scheduling thoughts - I get it, many of our most memorable games as fans are the ones where we, as huge underdogs, rose up and beat top-tier teams. FSU in 2015 comes to mind. But we were huge underdogs because we won so few games! Is this our goal as a program - to win so little that we have a few memorable upsets against the big boys?

Winning the occasional upset may be good for fan memories but it is not program building.

 

[slugboy]

More scheduling thoughts - I get it, many of our most memorable games as fans are the ones where we, as huge underdogs, rose up and beat top-tier teams. FSU in 2015 comes to mind. But we were huge underdogs because we won so few games! Is this our goal as a program - to win so little that we have a few memorable upsets against the big boys?

Winning the occasional upset may be good for fan memories but it is not program building.

I like the 2014 win in the Orange Bowl so much more than the win against FSU the following year. But the FSU win gets talked about so much more.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

South Carolina is 18-35 against Clemson since 1969.

Oregon State is 17-40 against Oregon since 1969

Navy is 13-80 all time against Notre Dame

Since 2008, Auburn has beat UGA exactly the same amount of times as we have, 3. Have you ever seen an Auburn fan say they don’t want to play against UGA any more?

Yeah, sometimes rivalries are lopsided. Does that mean they aren’t worth playing? In my opinion, no. It’s part of what makes some of them great, when there’s an obvious underdog.

Interesting note. If not for Georgia’s recent dominance of Auburn, Auburn would have a fairly good lead over Georgia in the series. In the grand scheme of things, Georgia dominating Auburn happened over night. You might say it’s an historical anomaly.

All this keeps reminding me over and over again that taking a snapshot at a particular time in a particular series rivalry may not tell you anything at all other than what’s happening right now. People who just look at how a series looks now, and just assume that the “modern evidence” is conclusive, fail to appreciate how little relevance this will have to fans 50 years from now. And how completely the tide can turn.

Tech shot itself in the foot over the last 50 years. Over and over. Most on here know all the ways we did this so I won’t rehearse these again. Point is, Tech acts like it might finally be finished with its masochistic behavior. If we undo the self inflicted damage, Tech may turn around quickly. And five years from now people will wonder why fans were talking about doing away with all of our rivals. Just like it is hard for me to believe that 30 some odd years ago Tech seriously considered doing away with football.

If you want to see how quickly a program can turn around look at uga. Please don’t sidetrack the discussion by talking about how many more advantages they have than us. That’s a different topic. The point is uga was rapidly reaching a place where they were never going to beat Alabama, were in danger of getting left behind by LSU and Florida, and were NEVER going to win the SEC.

Things can change and in the grand scope of things it can happen surprisingly quickly.