Toughest ACC non-conference schedule: GT of course

[Root4GT]

And if we’re not on Ole Miss’ level right now, we’re never going to be on anyone’s level in the SEC or B1G.

We are not on Ole Miss' level right now. Take that for what it is. If we played 10 times last year it would be 10-0 for them. This year at best it would be 7-3/6-4 for them. We might be better than projected, hope so, but until we prove we are then we are not near their level.

 

[JacketOff]

We are not on Ole Miss' level right now. Take that for what it is. If we played 10 times last year it would be 10-0 for them. This year at best it would be 7-3/6-4 for them. We might be better than projected, hope so, but until we prove we are then we are not near their level.

That’s not even the point of what I’m saying. The original post I responded to said playing Ole Miss was like playing UGA. It’s not. It’s not even like playing Notre Dame or Clemson. It’s more like playing UNC or Miami, who we are more or less on the same level with. Also if I recall, Georgia Tech went to Chapel Hill with a 3rd string QB and beat a 13th ranked North Carolina team that was 9-1 at the time with an outside shot of making the CFP.

The people acting like we have no business playing Ole Miss because they’re some juggernaut are being ridiculous. That’s all I’m saying.

 

[CEB]

That’s not even the point of what I’m saying. The original post I responded to said playing Ole Miss was like playing UGA. It’s not. It’s not even like playing Notre Dame or Clemson. It’s more like playing UNC or Miami, who we are more or less on the same level with. Also if I recall, Georgia Tech went to Chapel Hill with a 3rd string QB and beat a 13th ranked North Carolina team that was 9-1 at the time with an outside shot of making the CFP.

The people acting like we have no business playing Ole Miss because they’re some juggernaut are being ridiculous. That’s all I’m saying.

I think you’re still railing against an argument nobody made.
No one equated Ole Miss to UGA. The criteria of the post was “really tough” and “out of conference.” Both Ole Miss and UGA fit that criteria, but that was not an argument that Ole Miss = UGA.

To your point; NO, we should not fear playing Ole Miss out of conference.

To the point the poster made; what does that second really tough out of conference opponent get us? With a schedule that includes UGA and Clemson annually along with ND or FSU most years, do we need it? That’s probably a better / larger discussion that isn’t being had. On one hand, I say it hurts our chances as we move to a playoffs scenario (fewer losses is going to mean more than SOS, I suspect). On the other hand, in a world where power brokers are watching how many are watching and who they are watching, the more compelling matchups we have, the more eyeballs that will be on us. It’ll be fun when we start winning those games again... hopefully sooner than later.

 

[slugboy]

That’s not even the point of what I’m saying. The original post I responded to said playing Ole Miss was like playing UGA.

Here’s the post you were responding to. Nowhere does he say playing Ole Miss is like playing UGA. He just says that playing UGA plus a P5 top 25 team is rough for a team that’s not close to top 25.

No one plays 2 really tough OOC opponents on a regular basis. We will have done this 4 years in a row. ND and UGA in 2021. Ole Miss and UGA in 2022 and 2023, and ND and UGA IN 2024. We already have UGA every year. The other 3 should not be top 25 Power 5 conference teams..

===========

Personally, while I can see why we could use an easier schedule for a season, I don’t think we need a perpetual schedule like Duke. I’ve seen programs that want to take on everybody, and build themselves up that way. It can be done. Our bigger issue is that the team was in the wilderness for the last four seasons.

We should be able to play a tough schedule. For example, Teams like Pitt can hang with Ole Miss and should win more than they lose. Their coach isn’t flashy or inventive. He’s consistent, he knows what he’s doing, and his players learn from him. He’s a decent teacher. Pitt has toughness and discipline.

Tulane is starting the season in the top 25. They’ve had players and coaches poached, and they’re at a disadvantage in facilities and budget to a P5 program, but they have decent coaching and consistency. They’ve improved from a doormat to a dang good team.

We’re gonna be underdogs most of the year. A gritty team builds on that.

We are not on Ole Miss' level right now. Take that for what it is. If we played 10 times last year it would be 10-0 for them. This year at best it would be 7-3/6-4 for them. We might be better than projected, hope so, but until we prove we are then we are not near their level.

You might have meant this, but there’s a difference between our team last year after Key took over. I think a Key team with a healthy QB has a shot. Maybe it’s 2 out of 10 last year. Underdogs, but with a shot.
We played last year with a coach that I think was checked out, possibly burned out, and in over his head. I’m not saying Key is the new Saban, but he shouldn’t shoot himself in the foot like his predecessor did.

I’d agree with 3 or 4 out of ten this year.

 

[roadkill]

The argument for tough scheduling is “If you want to be the best, you need to beat the best”.

But that’s not the way the rankings for bowls and the playoffs work. Unlike basketball, where teams play almost 3x the number of games and win quality is assigned by quadrant, football has only a dozen games in the data set, and the ranking computers as well as the human judges weigh wins more than SOS. That’s just the way it is. So a team has a better shot at the playoffs if they schedule easier wins. Bragging rights over the toughest schedule don’t mean much if you have a losing season. Same with our fanbase - folks complain about scheduling cupcakes but complain louder if we miss a bowl.

 

[Vespidae]

The argument for tough scheduling is “If you want to be the best, you need to beat the best”.

But that’s not the way the rankings for bowls and the playoffs work. Unlike basketball, where teams play almost 3x the number of games and win quality is assigned by quadrant, football has only a dozen games in the data set, and the ranking computers as well as the human judges weigh wins more than SOS. That’s just the way it is. So a team has a better shot at the playoffs if they schedule easier wins. Bragging rights over the toughest schedule don’t mean much if you have a losing season. Same with our fanbase - folks complain about scheduling cupcakes but complain louder if we miss a bowl.

It’s a double edged sword. Johnny Vaught built Ole Miss into a paper Tiger scheduling cupcakes.

Notre Dame built a national brand playing any comer, nationwide.

Which one would you rather be?

 

[roadkill]

It’s a double edged sword. Johnny Vaught built Ole Miss into a paper Tiger scheduling cupcakes.

Notre Dame built a national brand playing any comer, nationwide.

Which one would you rather be?

Neither. How about a national brand playing cupcakes?

 

[Vespidae]

Neither. How about a national brand playing cupcakes?

Boise State has one of best records over the last 15 years. Is that who you want to be?

 

[cpf2001]

If you’re in a major conference your brand doesn’t benefit from tough out of conference games until you’re gonna be able to get into the top 25 from in-conference-games alone. Then they can help put you over the top.

Otherwise for brand building you’re better off being 8-4 than 6-6. A cupcake win isn’t gonna cost you votes, a “good loss” will.

 

[Root4GT]

That’s not even the point of what I’m saying. The original post I responded to said playing Ole Miss was like playing UGA. It’s not. It’s not even like playing Notre Dame or Clemson. It’s more like playing UNC or Miami, who we are more or less on the same level with. Also if I recall, Georgia Tech went to Chapel Hill with a 3rd string QB and beat a 13th ranked North Carolina team that was 9-1 at the time with an outside shot of making the CFP.

The people acting like we have no business playing Ole Miss because they’re some juggernaut are being ridiculous. That’s all I’m saying.

You keep saying we are on their level. That is factually false. See 42-0.

 

[Vespidae]

If you’re in a major conference your brand doesn’t benefit from tough out of conference games until you’re gonna be able to get into the top 25 from in-conference-games alone. Then they can help put you over the top.

Otherwise for brand building you’re better off being 8-4 than 6-6. A cupcake win isn’t gonna cost you votes, a “good loss” will.

Is GT in a major conference? Does beating Duke do anything for you?

 

[cpf2001]

Is GT in a major conference? Does beating Duke do anything for you?

Beating UGA or Clemson and some mix of whoever is good out of FSU/VT/Miami/Pitt/ND/whoever on the schedule would be more than enough for GT to finish with a positive national impression. A loss to Ole Miss instead of a win over Samford isn’t helping that season’s reputation.

Or losing to UGA and Clemson but winning most of the rest + Samford gets you better press than adding in a loss to Ole Miss.

 

[Vespidae]

Beating UGA or Clemson and some mix of whoever is good out of FSU/VT/Miami/Pitt/ND/whoever on the schedule would be more than enough for GT to finish with a positive national impression. A loss to Ole Miss instead of a win over Samford isn’t helping that season’s reputation.

Or losing to UGA and Clemson but winning most of the rest + Samford gets you better press than adding in a loss to Ole Miss.

I encourage you to bone up on “success” via the NCAA. It’s really simple. Play and beat ranked teams. And have a strong travel contingent for post season. Nobody gives a f*$k beating Alcorn State.

 

[cpf2001]

I encourage you to bone up on “success” via the NCAA. It’s really simple. Play and beat ranked teams. And have a strong travel contingent for post season. Nobody gives a f*$k beating Alcorn State.

Nobody’s doing fancy strength of schedule stuff for marginal top 25 teams but three years in a row of 8-9 wins is gonna get you a lot more positive attention and exposure than 6-7 with “better losses.” You don’t make a name for yourself with even more moral victories. It’s not like an excellent GT team wouldn’t have UGA and Clemson waiting for them after the cupcakes.

 

[forensicbuzz]

It’s a double edged sword. Johnny Vaught built Ole Miss into a paper Tiger scheduling cupcakes.

Notre Dame built a national brand playing any comer, nationwide.

Which one would you rather be?

So did FSU under Bobby Bowden.

 

[TheJuiceIsLoose404]

Pretty much no other P5 team schedules multiple OOC P5 teams in a single season. Yet we do it pretty much every year. Last year we scheduled the best P5 team, a good P5 team, one of the best G5 teams, and only one cupcake. We’re putting ourselves at a disadvantage by getting killed, most of the country thinks we’re terrible and no one talks about the fact that a large majority of our losses last year came at the hands of top 25 teams.

On the flip side everyone thinks Duke is a great team now but their laughable schedule is never brought up. If their schedule from last year was our schedule this year we would win 8-10 games.

 

[forensicbuzz]

So, playing uga and then a bunch of cupcakes does nothing for our coffers from ticket sales. However, there is a logic to playing 3 OOC cupcakes. If we can go 5-3 in the ACC or 6-2 and then 3-4 OCC wins (if we occasionally bump off the mutts), then we’re looking at 8-9-10 wins season over season. That means bowl games. That means recruiting fodder. That means winning recruiting wars because kids want to play for winners. It becomes a circle. We start winning games and kids want to come here. That improves our talent, which improves our team. Then we get to 10-11 wins and ACCCG. That means more positive exposure. Then we get to a National level. As long as there is continuity in coaching leadership, that will work.

The alternative is to take on all comers and use that on the recruiting trail. We’ll coach you up and put you on a stage with the best out there. You’ll have an opportunity to play significant snaps against the best out there and show what you have.

We haven’t been too successful with the latter.

 

[Root4GT]

Is GT in a major conference? Does beating Duke do anything for you?

They went 9-4 last year. Yea beating them is meaningful. They are a conference team. If we roll of 4 or 5 straight 10 win seasons then bring on Bama. Let’s get to a Bowl Game first then a meaningful Biwl Game. Haven’t done that is a long time.

 

[roadkill]

I encourage you to bone up on “success” via the NCAA. It’s really simple. Play and beat ranked teams. And have a strong travel contingent for post season. Nobody gives a f*$k beating Alcorn State.

I encourage you to bone up on “success” via how the CFP rankings are done. SOS is important. W/L is more important.

They went 9-4 last year. Yea beating them is meaningful. They are a conference team. If we roll of 4 or 5 straight 10 win seasons then bring on Bama. Let’s get to a Bowl Game first then a meaningful Biwl Game. Haven’t done that is a long time.

Also to my point, despite losing to us and with their cupcake schedule, Duke finished just outside the rankings in the polls. Getting to being a ranked team would be huge for us. When was the last time we were ranked at the end of the season?
We play 8 conference games, with Clemson every year. Since 2015 they have been a playoff-caliber team more times than not. We play UGA OOC every year. We have 3 opportunities to schedule other OOC teams. I'm not suggesting they all be FCS, which I'm not sure is even allowed by the ACC. But we could at least schedule some teams we could expect to be slightly favored in. We would still have a tough schedule by most standards. Were are coming off 4 seasons without a bowl. We need to Win. We get to consistent 8-10 win seasons, then let's consider "tough" OOC games.

 

[iceeater1969]

Tech engineers go out into world doing great analysis based on numbers which counter wishful sales or manager types.

Then they talk about gt football and do the opposite. They wishfully say we should be on equal footing w teams with way more resources.

Ole miss has donations and ticket sales that are twice GTAA. If you add in the better tv deal for SEC vs ACC , thats a 3X advantage. We are G5 that has good TV deal.

Imo, the long term Gt football sucess will continue to tract donations and ticket sales.