Once again, InDoddWeTrust has scooped all the major publications to bring hot info to YOU, dear reader.

A member of the IDWT i-Team* went straight to the source** to get an exclusive*** prediction for this coming football season. According to our team insider, Georgia Tech is going to beat the Notre Dame Fighting Irish by a score of 38-17, by throwing to Calvin "about 50 times."
*My Dad
**Happened to run into a player at the airport
***Available to anyone who runs into this player in Buckhead


Yes, brothers and sisters, this is info you will not find anywhere else! Keep coming back and let us prove "In Dodd You Can Trust™!"

Posted by Jeff at 9:20 AM | Permalink | Comments

Couple quick hits to cap off the week.

If you have Comcast, tune in Wednesday night as SportsNite begins their ACC previews with Georgia Tech. Show airs at 6 & 11PM.

Pete Fiutak at CFN interviews Calvin Johnson. Nothing particularly "new" here, but worth the read.

Posted by Jeff at 10:53 PM | Permalink | Comments

TML. Five weeks.

Posted by Jeff at 5:37 PM | Permalink | Comments

This demanded my, and your, immediate attention. The M Zone, courtesy of Bruins Nation, brings us this snapshot of Vanderbilt's ultra-classy Kappa Alpha Thetas.

Posted by Jeff at 4:50 PM | Permalink | Comments

Posted over at the Hive: Preseason Depth Chart.

Only thing particularly unexpected is Jahi Word-Daniels at #2 cornerback.

Posted by Jeff at 7:39 PM | Permalink | Comments

Okay, our pull at the GTAA is now entirely undeniable. Word on the Hive is, GT will be wearing blue jerseys against Notre Dame on September 2nd. Now, some website somewhere recently said that Tech should "play a game in some 1990 National Champions-style Navy Blue jerseys."



The AJC has some quotes from ACC coaches about the new coach's challenge. The way the new rule works, the coach has to take a time out then tell an official he's challenging the play (i.e., no flag to throw). One of the interesting wrinkles here is that a coach can wait as long as possible before calling a TO so he can wait and see if the replay official has decided to review on his own.

Posted by Jeff at 6:58 PM | Permalink | Comments

One of the great things about kicking off the college football season against a cupcake is you can sandbag without overly risking a loss. Your boys get some in-game experience but you don't need to use trick plays or even fancy plays. This year, the Jackets have no such luxury.

Any new starters will have a trial by fire before getting to play any Samfords... or even any Dukes or UNCs. so, the Question of the Day is, How much do we put on the table versus Notre Dame?

Obviously we want to win this game. Beating a highly ranked team (especially one getting constantly fellated by ESPN) puts Tech straight onto the national radar, and also the momentum following a big victory would be huge. But how bad do we want to win the game? How much so we want to show our ACC opponents? Do we use all the wrinkles to our offense? Assumedly, there will be some changes after Pat Nix takes over, even if we're running the same general system.

How much trickeration do we employ? Does Reggie bolt to the slot and Choice throw the ball? Do we give CJ the ball on a reverse? Do we run the oopty oop?


Will we need trickeration? Notre Dame's secondary is a weakness, and maybe all we'll need are slants to CJ. But even if our base offensive plan is effective, should we employ some fancy shit just to look good and get the crowd into it?

I have no clue on this, just trying to spark some discussion... Okay, I admit it, I made a long post with the sole purpose of mentioning the oopty oop.

Posted by Jeff at 9:50 AM | Permalink | Comments

First off, welcome to McKinley, my freshman year roommate and buddy ever since. He's posted an elite tailgating guide for young alumni. You'll notice his posts have a pretty different "tone" than mine; hopefully the diversity will improve IDWT.

Kyle King had a small mention of GT in a recent post, the gist of which was "Tech considers UGA its sole main rival, rather than one of many." This is admittedly true, and got me thinking.

Although obviously one big rival is better than none (and not all teams have any), Georgia Tech used to have several heated rivalries, which have mostly died out. When/Why? Because in 1963 Georgia Tech left the Southeastern Conference, and because in 1978 the Institute affiliated with the Atlantic Coast Conference.

(And now I'll digress a moment to explain why Georgia Tech left the SEC, because most of the crap on the Internet about it is just that: crap. The highly condensed version is, Bobby Dodd removed us from the conference because (1) he thought we could be a successfuk independent, like Notre Dame, and (2) because the SEC had imposed scholarship limitations. Most coaches didn't care about the scholly limits, but Dodd refused to remove injured or out-of-eligibility players from scholarship, as he insisted the boys continue their education (he never graduated from the University of Tennessee, and wanted to see his players graduate). A few years later Tech tried to rejoin the SEC but Bear Bryant was unwilling to convince the Bama president to vote in favor of Tech. After this rebuff, Tech joined the ACC.)

Within the SEC, Tech had any number of rivals. We hated Auburn, they hated us. We hated Bama, they hated us (we're even in their fight song). Tennessee. Georgia (obviously). Vandy and Florida were good series. And the schools further west (e.g. Ole Miss, LSU) hated us because we never wanted to play there. In fact, Tech has never played in Oxford, MS (but will for the first time in 2011. Grove 'gating, here I come!)

After leaving the Southeastern Conference, which Georgia Tech helped found, Tech kept up the series with many schools for a good while. As an independent, Tech could pick and choose a full season's worth of games, typically heavy with SEC teams.

After joining the ACC however, playing a full conference slate along with several SEC games each year was impossible, especially if Tech wanted to ever schedule a cupcake or a good cross-sectional matchup.

Therefore, our old rivalries had to die. Why haven't we developed any strong ACC rivals? There are several reasons, in my opinion.

1. History. Although Tech had played most ACC teams before joining the conference, there wasn't enough history. Familiarity breeds contempt, and the programs were simply unfamiliar.
   Also, with most of Georgia Tech's old SEC rivals, there were cool stories about them; i.e. the Auburn students greasing the tracks in 1892 so that Tech's players had to walk back to town. With new opponents, there's just no cool old stuff.
   
2. Proximity. SEC schools were (and still are) much closer to Tech, on average, than ACC schools. The closer an away game, the more fans will go, the better the gameday atmosphere will be.
3. Attitude. The ACC was a basketball conference. Still is to an extent, and the fans of many ACC schools don't care much about football. Overall, the conference's fans lack the passion for the Great Southern Game which you see from SEC fans. Without fans getting rowdy, rivalries tend not to grow.
4. Quality of Football. Fans tend to hate their opponents more when they're successful; no one wants to piss on a perennial underdog. And the ACC has not seen nearly the historic success of the SEC. The only teams to have won a national championship while in the ACC are Maryland in 1953, Clemson in '81, Georgia Tech in '90, and Florida State in '93 and '99. I have no clue how many SEC members won titles, but I know it's damn high.
   

Even based on these criteria, you'd think that Clemson would be a big-time rival. Honestly, I don't know why it's not a bigger rival in the eyes of fans. Certainly playing the Tigers is always big for the team itself, and those ball games tend to run pretty close. I feel that if we or Clemson got on a hot streak (i.e. several years of ACC championship contention, with an actual championship or two in there), the series might blow up a bit in the eyes of fans. One problem is that Tiger fans put about as much effort into hating USC as Tech fans put into hating Georgia.

So, in conclusion, I think it's a shame we had to lose a bunch of good rivals. I'm not upset we're not in the SEC, but I would like to see our school develop some passion in its ACC rivalries so that football season can be all the more exciting.

Posted by Jeff at 1:44 PM | Permalink | Comments

Lotta things goin' on, let's get to it.

I found other articles on these topics, but a writeup by Jerry Ratcliffefrom the Charlottesville, VA Daily Progress provides excellent commentary.

• The ACC Champion is now guaranteed a slot in the Orange Bowl (unless they go to the BCS title game), much like the SEC Champ in the Sugar Bowl and Pac-10/Big 10 champs in the Rose Bowl. Previously, the Orange Bowl could choose from the Big East and ACC champs. The Big East champ still goes to the BCS, but it's indeterminate which bowl game. (Other coverage; also discusses bowl order rearrangement.)
  ACC commish John Swofford also spent time talking up Jacksonville. The ACC has until December to excercise a two-more-year option for the game in Jax, and it sounds like that's where it's going.
  Ratcliffe describes all this as moves by the ACC to claim Florida as its own, and steal the state's focus on the SEC & the Gators.
  
• The ACC and the Atlanta Sports Council are considering adding a bowl game. By hosting the Sugar Bowl to much success, the ATL proved to itself and to the conferences that it could be a two-bowl town.

The ACC will change up the Labor Day teams starting in '07. Since Miami joined the league, FSU and Miami have played on Labor Day, but after this year the ACC will place a different game in that slot. (My call? They started doing this so that the conference's "marquee teams" could regain rankings throughout the season, and also be set up for a rematch in the championship game. Since that isn't happening, what with there being 10 other teams in the league, they decided to scrap the plan.)

ACC Coaches comment on replay, specifically the new coach's challenge.

Following the effects of hurricanes (real ones, not Miami) on schedules, the ACC has a new inclement weather policy. Several options:

1. Play the game on a "similar date," e.g. Friday rather than Saturday.
2. Same site, different weekend.
3. Opponent hosts, or a neutral site. Revenue still goes to original host team.

The Sun Belt conference is looking to add a ninth team. Likely Western Kentucky, who already plays in the Sun Belt in most sports and is apparently considering going Division 1-A.

Another article about CJ, in the friggin Washington Post. Funny snippet:

Against Duke last season, Johnson recalled stepping to the line of scrimmage and being greeted by three defensive backs.

"I was kind of laughing to myself when I saw it," he said. "I was like, 'Three people, that leaves somebody wide open.' "

Duke Coach Ted Roof said he couldn't remember employing the triple-team, but added, "I wish we could put 12 on him."

Interesting to some, boring to others: historical piece about the advent of the forward pass.

Finally, the Daily Press admonishes the ACC for its crappy out-of-conference scheduling for '06. I think this guy entirely disgredards any home game; he oddly doesn't mention ND @ GT this year, yet emphasizes that 3 ACC teams play in South Bend next year. He also tried to discuss the quality of future ACC schedules, but nothing as in-depth as the coverage here.

Posted by Jeff at 9:09 AM | Permalink | Comments

Yesterday I got an invitation in the mail; my cousin's wife is throwing him a surprise 30th birthday party!--but it starts 30 minutes after the kickoff vs. Troy (1:30 kickoff, 2:00 party on Sep. 16th). I don't blame her for the scheduling "gaffe." The date of his birthday is uncontrollable, unlike, say, a wedding. Also, they're from New England, where college football isn't exactly the social lifeblood it is in the South.

But, this game is not televised. But, this game's attendance will already likely be weak, and I want as many seats filled as possible. But, I paid a pretty penny for my season tickets (which still seems weird immediately following years of free student attendance). But, this is one of only six opportunities for me to enjoy a home tailgate with all my bro's.

But, on the other hand, they came to my post-graduation party, which was nice. But, they're family. But, it's his 30th birthday.

Now, if I missed the party I think my cousin would understand, as we've had long discussions about my obsession with college football. And I could send a nice gift with my regrets, and he'd know I wanted to be there. But this is damn frustrating.

Expect your GT news bytes later today.

Posted by Jeff at 8:26 AM | Permalink | Comments

Stewart Mandel from SI has a little Q&A with Calvin Johnson from the ACC Media Days. Can any defender stop him? Calvin says "Maybe if you told the guy I was running a go-route, and he stood about 40 yards downfield, then maybe he could stop me." That's some cocky stuff.

Be sure to read the comments section on Mandel's post. This Domer fan named Eli pointed out that, "Georgia Tech (including Johnson)has no chance against Notre Dame. Charlie Weis has had so long to prepare the team...he is not going to let us down. Go Irish!" I was confident about the game before, but now I'm really worried about the game. I did not realize just how long Chuck Weiss and the Irish had to prepare! I mean, the Yellow Jackets have been sitting around doing jack shit as far as preparation! WHO KNEW you were supposed to prepare as a team?! Dude, that is crazy shit. Georgia Tech truly does have no chance. Thanks for the heads up, Eli. (I'd like to point out, by the way, if you look at the E-man's blogger profile, his nonexistent blog's address is... read this... littlepinkgloves.blogspot.com... wow, you're a hardcore dude, dude.)

According to the ACC media, though, Johnson should be cocky (haha, get it? Johnson, cocky?). He received 50 out of 65 votes for ACC Player of the Year. And, per Columbia, SC's WLXT-TV, CJ is the first Junior since FSU's Charlie Ward in '92 to be named preseason MVP, and he is the first Jacket since Joe Hamilton in '99 to be so honored.

On the AJC's ACC blog, Calvin says he still plans to get a Tech degree, with the implication of doing so now rather than coming back in later years. He admits that he'll be re-evaluating at season's end, but hopefully he'll be one of those special/crazy/actually-somehow-academically-oriented-even-though-incredibly-gifted-athletically players who sticks around for a senior season despite high draft prospects.

I've invited my buddies Gabe and McKinley to post here, so there may be some new blood on IDWT as we approach & enter the season. Now the already stellar coverage you've come to expect may blow up into uncontrollable proportions of piss-poor "journalism."

Go Jackets!

Posted by Jeff at 9:44 PM | Permalink | Comments

CFN, who tends to rate GT higher than most sites, predicts Georgia Tech will go 9-3 (6-2 ACC), and tie for 2nd in the Coastal Division with VaTech. They predict Miami over FSU in the Championship game.

Bruce Ciskie, Duluth, MN radio guy and blogger extraordinaire, predicts no specific record, but places Tech at #2 in the Coastal, behind Miami and ahead of VT. His final statement on Tech seems pretty dead-on:

It’s on Reggie Ball. If he improves, the offense will do better than the meager 18.5 points per game average of a year ago, and Tech will find themselves knocking on a Gator Bowl invite. Without improvement from Ball, Tech will be back in Orlando or some other bowl outpost before Christmas.

He also predicts Clemson to win the Atlantic Division, which you may know would hurt our (admittedly slim) chances at a national title.

Posted by Jeff at 4:39 PM | Permalink | Comments

First, one bit of non-media day news. D.J. Donley, a big-time Wide Receiver from Charlton County, committed to the Yellow Jackets on Sunday. Our twelth commit, this makes by far Chan's biggest pre-season class (previous high of five preseason commits).

The ACC Media Days event started Sunday and goes through Tuesday, here's some linkage to news coverage:

• Rivals asks "Who's Left?," that is, what big talent remains following the NFL draft, in which 51 ACC players were selected. Calvin Johnson is the only GT player mentioned.
  
  They say that the non-FSU/UM/VT team with the best chance at the ACC is Clemson, "which arguably features the conference's best combination of talent and experience." I feel that Tech would have the best chance, if Reggie performed well. This should have been the #1 need on my "How can Georgia Tech win a championship in 2006?" post, but a Wake fan was kind enough to point out that I missed it.
• Also related to the number of draft picks, The Pensacola New Journal argues that the ACC must be included in a "best conference" conversation, based on talent.
  
• The Charleston Post & Courier describes the ACC race to top the Florida schools. Although they are clearly less impervious than they once were, FSU has still won 12 titles/co-titles since joining the ACC in 1992.
• Several articles about Calvin "Turns Water Into Touchdowns" Johnson.
  Fayetteville online: CJ says his advantage is his big, soft hands. Duke Corner John Talley says Johnson's size makes him great.
  Rivals.com: Calvin played baseball as a young'n, before discovering football.
  Charlotte Observer: Joe Anoai says God made a masterpiece in CJ. (Several other non-GT notes & quotes, too.)
  Charlotte Observer: Article about Clemson's Chansi Stuckey, Stuckey describes CJ as the best ACC receiver not at Clemson.
  AJC: Calvin is noted for his humbleness, as we've seen in the past.
• Joe Anoai describes himself as "the Reggie Bush of" his youth league football team, where he played tailback.
• Players still have no idea which ACC division they play for, Coastal or Atlantic.
  
• The ACC should announce a new conference order on Tuesday, per ESPN. Likely order:
  #1: BCS (Champ. Game winner)
  #2: Peach Bowl, Atlanta (Chick-Fil-A will not be happy when they see an ESPN article not using their name for the bowl game)
  #3: Gator Bowl, Jacksonville
  #4: Champs Sports Bowl, Orlando
  #5: Music City Bowl, Nashville
  #6: Meineke Car Care Bowl, Charlotte
  #7: Emerald Bowl, San Francisco
  #8: MPC Computers Bowl, Boise
  
  According to the article, the championship game loser can't fall below the Music City Bowl, and games may select "lower" ACC picks only if their record is 1 below the "best" available team, i.e. a game may select a 4-4 team over a 5-3, but not a 3-5 over a 5-3. This is how Tech and BC got hosed last year, with 3-5 UVa and NC State getting chosen before us.

Posted by Jeff at 10:07 AM | Permalink | Comments

Miami Hurricanes backup safety Wille Cooper has been SHOT IN THE ASS. I don't even need to make jokes about this, it's as funny as it needs to be.

Posted by Jeff at 4:47 PM | Permalink | Comments

Tonight I pose the question, what would it take for the Yellow Jackets to win a championship in 2006? That is, beyond the obvious “Win the BCS Title game/ACC Championship game,” what things need to occur this season for Georgia Tech to make a title run? Whenever I refer to a record, it refers to that record or better.

1) A #2 receiver steps up
Without a legitimate target opposite Calvin Johnson, The Jackets will not win enough games for a championship. Chris Dunlap, Xavier McGuire, and James Johnson all have the ability to be “the” guy, and a solid set of four receivers lined up could really spread out the defense and allow solid option play (if Nix uses it much), and also get CJ open.

2) Tashard Choice picks up where PJ left off
As it says on YellowBlazer’s front page, Coach Gailey said Choice will “Make us forget all about P.J.” I think Tashard is poised for a breakout year. He was Adrian Peterson’s #2, and that’s nothing you can hate on a guy for. Rahaun Grant will offer a good change of pace with his shiftiness, and Jamaal Evans should get his share of carries, but the torch is Tashard’s to carry.

3) Go 11-1 (National Championship)
This speaks for itself. A two-loss team will not end up in the BCS title game, barring one of the weirdest seasons ever.

4) Beat Notre Dame (NC)
If Georgia Tech beats Notre Dame, the team is immediately on the national radar. Following a win over the Irish, I would predict a ranking of ~18-20 if most already-ranked teams win. If several lose, I could see as high as ~11-13.

Without a win over ND, I don’t see a shot at the national championship. Even while running the table from there out, only thoroughly decisive wins throughout the season would result in top two-level national prestige. And Georgia Tech has not been known for decisive wins lately (although much of this is from the high quality of the opponents).

5) Finish September 4-1 (NC) or 1-1 ACC (ACC)
If the Jackets lose one (and only one) game in September and win the ACC, they’ve got a shot at a BCS title game bid, assuming that there are not two undefeated BCS teams. Early-season losses can be made up if you run the table from there out. (However, I still feel, as said in (1) that without a win over the Irish, the Jackets are out of the NC hunt.)

As far as an ACC championship, if GT loses to both UVA and UNC, it’s doubtful that they’ll be able to win the division and go to the ACC championship game.

6) Beat every North Carolina School (NC or ACC)
Chances are good that if Tech loses an ACC game, it will be to Miami, Virginia Tech, or Clemson. The chances of losing only once ACC game and it being to UNC, NC State or Duke are pretty low. The chances of losing one to a N. Carolina school and no one else at all are even slimmer.

7) No inexplicable losses (NC or ACC)
This is pretty much a way to rephrase number 6, but I feel it’s worth saying.

8) Clemson does not win the Atlantic Division (NC)
Having two wins over the same team would hurt our strength of schedule, and I think keep us out of the BCS Title Game.

9) Beat Georgia (NC or ACC)
An end-of-season loss basically disqualifies any team from a national championship game berth. Why do I say we need to beat Georgia to win the ACC? We would need the momentum. Whatever team wins the Atlantic Division, chances are they will have a bit of the big Mo’.

10) The ACC has a strong year (NC)
If there aren’t any one-loss teams in the ACC, it’s doubtful the ACC Champion will have enough street cred to go to the Title Game. And even if we got shafted out of the Title Game but ran the table, I don’t expect the same love-fest than Southern Cal got in ’03. Without season-long hype (which is actually slightly possible following a whooping of ND), the AP voters will not rank Tech above the BCS champ.


Those are my contentions. Where am I right or wrong? Are these too superficial/obvious to mean anything? Post your thoughts in the comments section.

Posted by Jeff at 9:26 PM | Permalink | Comments

Collegefootballnews.com is running a cool little feature on projected position rankings for each conference, based on "fantasy football and statistical projections." Positions scored as follows:

Passing:
- 3 points per TD pass.
- 1 point per every 50 yards passing.
- 1 point per every two-point-conversion pass.

Rushing: (keep in mind this applies to QBs too)
- 6 points per TD
- 3 points per every 50 yards rushing
- 2 points per every two-point-conversion

Receiving: (keep in mind this applies to RBs too)
- 6 points per TD
- 3 points per every 50 yards receiving
- 2 points per every two-point-conversion

Kicking:
- 1 point per extra point, 3 points per field goal

Here's how GT did in the ACC list:

QBs, #3 Reggie Ball behing Drew Weatherford (FSU) and Kyle Wright (Miami)
List of 10.

RBs, #4 Tashard Choice & #14 Rashaun Grant
Only Virginia Tech and BC also had two players on the list of 15.

Receivers, #2 Calvin Johnson
CJ was our only player on this list of 15 (plus two tight ends). FSU, Miami, VT, and Virginia each had multiple receivers listed.

Kickers, #8 Travis Bell
Maybe he'd have placed higher if he spent a little less time at Moondogs. List of 10.

Top 20 ACC Fantasy Prospects (I'll give the full list.)
1. RB Tyrone Moss, Miami
2. RB Micah Andrews, Wake Forest
3. RB James Davis, Clemson
4. RB Lance Ball, Maryland
5. RB Tashard Choice, Georgia Tech
6. QB Drew Weatherford, Florida State
7. RB Lorenzo Booker, Florida State
8. RB Andre Brown, NC State
9. RB Ronnie McGill, North Carolina
10.QB Kyle Wright, Miami
11. WR Greg Carr, Florida State
12. WR Calvin Johnson, Georgia Tech
13. QB Reggie Ball, Georgia Tech
14. QB Will Proctor, Clemson
15. WR Chansi Stuckey, Clemson
16. RB Jason Snelling, Virginia
17. RB Branden Ore, Virginia Tech
18. QB Matt Ryan, Boston College
19. QB Sean Glennon, Virginia Tech
20. WR Deyon Williams, Virginia

They didn't really explain the justification for this list, but whatever.

Posted by Jeff at 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments

Let's get you up to date.

• Per the GT Sports Blog, The Jackets have ANOTHER 4-star recruit! Jacoby Monroe, from Jacksonville, FL, is a 6-2, 280 lb defensive tackle who squats 850 yet rcan run a 4.6 40. That kind of speed can be very disruptive against opposing QBs. I'm no expert, but I could see a guy like this moving to defensive end.
  
  According to that article from jacksonville.com, Monroe had a disciplinary issue that had him in an alternative school. I see this as more a positive than a liability, because it sounds like the young man came back to school re-focused; hopefully he learned his lesson.
  
  Another big note from the article; we out-recruited FSU, Miami, AND Florida for this guy. Getting a star recruit from Florida over ALL the big FL schools is no small feat. Our recruiting is just stellar right now.
  
• Duke's HC Ted Roof, former Tech linebacker, has suspended starting quarterback Zack Asack for the season. This was in response to (assumedly academic) plagiarism. Props to Coach Roof for not tolerating academic misconduct by his players. I know we ACC fans have a reputation of being very haughty about academic prestige, but I dig the fact that Duke apparently isn't a sweep-it-under-the-rug/let-athletes-get-away-with-crap kinda place... But then, in a non-Duke lacrosse, non-Auburn scandal atmosphere, maybe it would've been swept under the rug.
• Speaking of the Auburn scandal, Carter Strickland from the AJC writes about the aftermath of whistle-blowing. Linda Bensel-Meyers, Tennessee's recent whistle-blower, apparently had her life pretty much ruined, as well as her families'. The tutor at Minnesota who admitted to writing hundreds of papers for players "had no known history of heart problems, [yet] underwent quadruple-bypass surgery. Depression, illness and stress followed [her] until her 2005 death."
  
  I understand fans getting pissed, and maybe writing an angry email, but the way people get treated for acting with integrity is deplorable. Based on the stories of other whistle-blowers, I hope professor Gundlach moves for his own sake. Otherwise I think his existence will just be crappy, regardless of how much he may like the town. Or, hopefully Auburn's fans won't be jerks... but I wouldn't keep my hopes up.

Posted by Jeff at 9:24 AM | Permalink | Comments

First, one quick hit: Tech has sold out of season tix. Although it seems a lot of these were purchased by assorted folks after just ND or Miami tickets, hopefully someone will be using the rest of their tickets, and hopefully they'll root for the Jackets. (HT: Wreck Ramblin')

I've been spending some time trying to find out the differences between the PS2 and 360 versions of NCAA07. I got a 360 the other day mainly for '07, and then started seeing reports that it was crappy compared to the previous-gen systems. So, I did some research, and it seems the bottom-line is NCAA on 360 is just football and a bare-bones Dynasty mode (which does include recruiting), but is very pretty and has some improvements to the gameplay. PS2/Xbox has more modes and more bells & whistles. Thankfully for me, I don't really care about all the extra crap, so I can get the prettier game and be happy. All I ever do is play games w/ my buddies and run a Dynasty.

Here's a synopsis of the specific differences I've learned. The Xbox 360 has:

• Better man-to-man pass defense.
• WRs with good hands.
• Better blocking on screens and draws.
• Minimal ESPN "integration."
• No pre- and post-game on-field stuff, i.e. players warming up or celebrating. Also no in-game shots of the cheerleaders, mascot, band.
  
• No spring game or spring drills.
• No "Campus Legend" (formerly Race for the Heisman) Mode.
• One camera angle (!?)
• Amazing-looking stadiums.
• Realistic (and apparently, immersive) crowd.
• Lots of new animations.
• Expanded playbooks, but NOT the team-specific ones in the current-gen games. (seems very odd, how hard is it to port the dang playbooks?)
  
• New play-calling interface (used it on the demo from Xbox Live; very nice).
• No discipline system in the dynasties.

Two blogs where I got most of this info: The Blog for the Sports Gamer and Dubious Quality.

Posted by Jeff at 11:21 AM | Permalink | Comments

Well, I bought an Xbox 360 on Friday, specifically for the purpose of playing the next-gen version of NCAA Football 07--which comes out today and will get me through the off-season without killing myself, but unfortunately I can't afford the game till my next paycheck. NOOOOO!

Thankfully, there's another great offseason distraction: the blogosphere! (and Fight Night Round 3 on my 360.) There's a lot of strong discussion going on right now, and I encourage y'all to read up.

Everyone's favorite bulldog (oxymoron alert!!! haha I am on top of my game!) Kyle King discusses the value of a defensive battle, in response to a strange contention by CFR that low-scoring (e.g. 6-3) games result in a loss for BOTH teams. (Read the rest of that CFR piece, though; it's good.)

Speaking of CFR, he and Peter from Burnt Orange Nation have a point-counterpoint about preseason rankings; specifically, they discuss whether they should try to predict post-season ranks, or identify the "best," i.e. most talented, teams. Peter makes the foolish statement about UGA "by the time they beat Georgia Tech," which I really do think is questionable this year. The last two years the Jackets have played the 'Dawgs awful close (13-19 & 7-14), especially considering the Bulldogs were clearly the more talented team. Much like the rest of the season, I think a win (or loss) over the Bulldogs falls to whether Reggie has turned the corner.

Also, not in the b'sphere, but scout.com has their GT preview up. They predict and 8-4 finish (6-2 ACC)

Finally, I'd like to thank people who actually read my blog. I'm not big on pat-myself-on-the-back stuff, but I feel like this is becoming a legitimate resource for Tech fans, and also a reasonable contribution to the blogosphere. I've been getting around 50-60 hits a day (which is I'm sure laughable to big blogs), and getting linked by a couple of the more legit blogs I know. So, to anyone helping make this blog a success, thanks!

Posted by Jeff at 9:49 AM | Permalink | Comments

A LOT happened this weekend, mainly on the recruiting front. I'll catch you up on that this afternoon. Here's some other snippets:

GT's football team is doing yoga. Why is this news-worthy? Cause it's with DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE, BABY!

Atlanta's #1 college football writer, Tony Barnhart, has 10 questions for the upcoming season. He mentions Tech a few times, and it's hard to say how much is "please the readers" homer-ism. He comments "Notre Dame will be fortunate to win at Georgia Tech on Sept. 2," and mentions Calvin Johnsons in a Heisman discussion. I agree with him that CJ "is as good as any of" the Heisman front-runners, but disagree with the follow-up "He just needs to get more touches." It is nearly impossible for a pure wide receiver to win the Heisman. I doubt Reggie could get CJ the ball enough to get him high in the Heisman voting.

Barnhart also took some time out to sit down with College Gameday co-host Lee Corso, to get a few predictions for the season. He reveals Gameday will be 2 hours (up from 90 min.), and claims the Jackets have a good chance to beat Notre Dame if they:

• "Spend the summer figuring out how to get Calvin Johnson the ball in the Notre Dame secondary. He is the best wide receiver in college football — period.

• Keep leaning on Jon Tenuta, who is one of the best defensive coordinators I've ever seen. I don't know what they are paying him, but it ain't enough."

Terence Moore has a column about the '78 Notre Dame game at Historic Grant Field, and the ugly fish- and liquor-bottle throwing--that was really quite deplorable--by the Tech fans. I had a brief comment exchange about it on the Georgia Sports Blog.

Former Tech wide receiver standout Kerry Watkins is experiencing solid success in the CFL.

Posted by Jeff at 12:38 PM | Permalink | Comments

So, apparently some professor at Auburn was all like, "Them athulete boyas don' need to be hurtin they brains wif schoolwork!" so he gave them A's and B's for "classes" that he "taught."

Other bloggers have done real good write-ups on it, so I'll just link you to them:
Georgia Sports Blog
College Football Resource
Also, here's the original write-up, from the New York Times.

Posted by Jeff at 4:13 PM | Permalink | Comments

Not a lot of Tech news today, but I feel like a quick update.

Realfootball365.com is giving some props to Georgia Tech, in an article discussing the Fighting Irish and their tough quest for a national title.

Larry Smith, a young QB from Alabama, attended GT's football camp recently and sounds pretty impressed. It looks like academics are big for this guy, 'cause he's also visiting Vandy and Purdue. I don't know anything about his quality as a player, but apparently Pat Nix was impressed.

ESPN has their 2007(!) Bracketology goin'. These a-holes say Tech will have a #10 seed in the San Antonio regional. I say F that! Everybody knows we're going to be seeded #7 in the St. Louis regional. Sometimes I wonder where ESPN gets these blockheads. (HT: BON)

Bill Curry, after not landing the Tech AD job, is now teaching at Baylor. No, not that Baylor, silly; The Baylor School in Chattanooga! (Choo choo!) Curry will be "teaching leadership," whatever that means, to high school kids.

An old rival of Tech's is (again) discussing bringing back football. Mercer's new president comes from the interim presidency at Baylor, and since they're such a football power (hahahahaha), this has again raised the idea of bringing back the football program. Before WWI, and then briefly before WWII, GT played Mercer with some frequency. In fact, Tech's first game was in Macon against Mercer.

One comment on the article, though. The writer says, "I hope the football question remains a sideshow," so as not to distract from "Dr. Underwood's intentions of raising Mercer's academic standing to 'national university' from 'regional university.'" I disagree that football would hurt these efforts, so long as academic programs receive strong attention. Nearly all "national" universities I can think of have football programs, and even a D-III program would work to greatly increase a university's name recognition. Regardless of Emory's pride in not have football, featuring America's most popular sport does not hurt an institution's academic reputation (just ask Harvard, Stanford, and Yale).

Posted by Jeff at 12:46 PM | Permalink | Comments

Short timeline:
Monday, 7/10/2006: InDoddWeTrust says Tech should wear some retro unis.
Thursday, 7/13/2006: The GTAA announces Tech will wear some retro unis.
Now, I suggested a '90s-style uni but they went with '70s, but there is no denying, I gots some MAD pull up in the athletic office. I just hope the "gold" jerseys don't look bad. Dudes on the Hive used to always say the old jerseys were mustard-colored. It'll be sweet to see GT wearing white hats, though. I don't know if that's even been done in my lifetime.

I posted earlier today about GT's need for a good new cheer.

Winkeljohn from the AJC interviews Coach Chan Gailey about giving up play-calling. This is the first time in Coach Gailey's career that his OC will call plays, and it sounds like CCG has no clue what it will be like if/when bad things happen 'cause of Nix.

Not related to football, but the University System of Georgia is restructing, and most university presidents will no longer report directly to the Chancellor. Clough, Michael Adams, and the presidents of GSU and MCG will now be the only presidents directly under Chancellor Erroll Davis. Previously, the heads of each 4- and 2-year public institution in GA reported to him. Sounds like a good, streamlining move.

According to Pat Dye, Memphis State, South Carolina, Florida State, Tulane, Georgia Tech, Navy, Southern Miss, and East Carolina (all then independent) considered starting a conference in the late '70s. (The article does not go in-depth into that possibility.)

Dudes on the SomethingAwful forums have totally gone off with Zidane headbutt animated GIFs. There's a lot of pages, but most of them have some funny stuff Here's a sampling of the hilarity.

Posted by Jeff at 5:24 PM | Permalink | Comments

I just started reading Warren St. John's book on fandom, Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer, and it is such a good coolege football book, I may have to add it to my Books For the Tech Man series--Vol.1, Vol. 2--even though it's specifically about a team other than GT.

Something in the book reminded me of an old complaint of mine. St. John, when meeting, writing, agreeing with, or saying goobye to other Bama fans, uses the expression "Roll Tide." The term is almost as versatile as "Hooah" in the Army. A few schools have similar things, although usually less versatile than "Roll Tide." Auburn's got "War Eagle," Texas Tech fans have "Wreck 'em Tech" with the little pistol firing hand motion, and there's others.

Then, even schools without something so simple, most have a cheer that's ubiquitous and fun; Ole Miss's "Hotty Toddy," Clemson fans do their spelling thing, The Noles have the Chop, Dawg fans like to bark in public etc., etc. Where am I going with this? Georgia Tech doesn't really have anything.

Most fans will point out, "Sure we have something! The Good Word!*" But what bothers me is that the Good Word isn't even about Georgia Tech. I would like to express my love and devotion for the Jackets in a unique way (i.e., "Go Jackets" doesn't cut it) without having to bring up UGA or anyone else. Mind you, I like the Good Word, and think it's a fun thing, but it shouldn't be our ONLY thing.


It may be a bit unfair for me to complain about this, because I have no solution. I wasn't made to come up with clever or catchy phrases and cheers. Just saying "Ramblin Wreck" doesn't have any ring to it, and honestly, I have no idea how you can really start a new cheer/phrase in this day and age; it would take a lot of grassroots "campaigning," I guess.

Posted by Jeff at 3:50 PM | Permalink | Comments

Miami
The Canes may have the most big-name games upcoming of all ACC teams,but that's no surprise. Miami plays several in-state games including away-home with UF in 2008/2013, FIU in '07, UCF home-away-home from '08-'10, and USF home-away in '12/'13 (presumably home again in '14).

Pretty much everything else is a respectable intersectional matchup. The smallest name is North Texas in 08, then there's Marshall home-away-home, Oklahoma away-home, Texas A&M home-away, Ohio State away-home, Kansas State home-away.

The U has games scheduled with schools from C-USA, the Big East, the Sun Belt, SEC, Big 10, and Big XII. That's every east coast conference, the definitive midwest conference, and the definitive central US conference. Every BCS conference but the Pac-10 is represented. This kind of national exposure is good not only for Miami but for the whole conference.

NC State
The Wolfpack has one of the least impressive future schedules in the ACC. There's a possibility this will improve soon, or that these websites have very incomplete data.

As of right now, State's best matchups in the future are Tennessee away-home in '08/'12, Louisville in '07, Pitt in '09/'13, Cinci in '10/'11, and UConn in 2007 and 2012. The only other games listed are the Citadel, William & Mary, and East Carolina in '07/'10/'13/'16. Other than Tennessee from the SEC and ECU from C-USA, the only I-A conference NC State is playing is the Big East. Although I give the Big East its due, that's poor scheduling in my opinion.

North Carolina
Between now and 2011, UNC will have played Rutgers four times. This isn't poor scheduling; the Tarheels and Knights were scheduled to play in '06/'08, but as a result of the Big East/ACC lawsuit, were required to play another series before 2012 (why they couldn't have these teams play different ACC/BE opponents, I have no clue).

NC has several small-time regional matches coming up, including two games w/ James Madison, one against the Citadel, four w/ East Carolina, one with William & Mary, and what should be an exciting home-away against USC in 2007/'10. Other exciting series are home-away series with Colorado in '08/'09, and Tennessee in '11/'12.

Virginia
One of the most interesting intersectional ACC matchups is UVA/Wyoming, in Charlottesville in 2006 and Laramie in '07. Virginia plays at Notre Dame in 2008 with apparently no home game in return. Other matchups are UConn home-away, Pitt, ECU, @MTSU, Richmond twice and William & Mary twice.

Virginia Tech
The Hokies' schedule is quite robust, with opponents from C-USA, the SEC, MAC, Big East, Big XII, and several from the Big 10. In 2007, VT plays East Carolina in Charlotte, at LSU, and hosts Ohio University and William & Mary.

Single-game opponents in the coming years include Bowling Green, Furman, Temple, Central Mich, Western Mich, and Appalachian State. Upcoming series include Nebraska, ECU, Syracuse, Marshall, Pittsburgh, Ohio State, Illinois, and Wisconsin. It seems VT is trying to get a lot of exposure in the midwest; guess they need a solid recruiting push. All those Big 10 matchups are exciting.

Wake Forest
The Demon Deacons have a respectable future schedule, with some pretty big name series. The Deacs play Nebraska, '07; Stanford, '09/'10; Ole Miss, '06/'08; Baylor, '08/'09; Navy, '07-'10, and round thngs out with games against Army, UConn, Northern Illinois, Tulane, Air Force, and Syracuse.


Recap
The Atlantic Coast Conference teams are, as a whole, doing some pretty damn good scheduling. Here's the breakdown of matchups by 1-A conference, with a few caveats. These numbers: start in 2007; exclude annual matchups (e.g., GT/UGA, Maryland/WVU, etc.); and are not consistent from team to team (i.e. some of the games referred to are as much as ten years away, while some teams list no games past 2008).

Big East: 32 games
SEC: 27
Ind*: 24
C-USA: 19
Big XII: 17
Sun Belt: 12
MAC: 12
Big 10: 11
Pac 10: 6
MWC: 6
WAC: 1
* Breakdown: Notre Dame 7, Navy 7, Army 6, Temple 1

This breakdown is better than I expected; I anticipated more Sun Belt/MAC games and fewer Big 10 and Big 12 games. The enormous Big East number is unsurprising, because many games are a result of the lawsuit, and the number of SEC games is natural because of both geographic co-location and historic rivalries.

Some of the few things I'd like to see changed are a few more neutral site games, just because they can be a fun change of pace, and a slight increase in the number of Pac-10 & WAC games played. The expenses for long-distance matchups are understandably high, but I'd think the expenditure should come back to you in recruiting exposure.

Posted by Jeff at 10:23 AM | Permalink | Comments

Noticed something interesting; two of the best sites for cfb future schedules, College Football Palace and NationalChamps.net have info that doesn't quite jive for GT. According to CFB Palace, we've scheduled a home-away-home series with MTSU for 2010-'12, and according to NationalChamps, we play Vandy away then home in '09 and '13. Additionally, NC lists 3 games with Louisville, but CFBP only lists two.

Here is the composite future schedule from both sites (excluding the annual UGA game), but I can't confirm that all of this is accurate:

• 2007:
  Army
  Samford
  at Notre Dame
  
• 2008:
  Louisville
  Jacksonville State
  at Army
  
• 2009:
  Jacksonville State
  at Louisville
  at Vanderbilt
  
• 2010:
  Ole Miss
  Middle Tennessee State
  
• 2011:
  at Middle Tennessee State
  at Ole Miss
  Louisville
  
• 2012:
  Middle Tennessee State
  at Alabama
  
• 2013:
  Vanderbilt
  
• 2014:
  Alabama

Quick synopsis of ACC out-of-conference (OOC) future schedules, based only on the info from those sites:

Boston College
The Eagles have very few future opponents fleshed out, with only Notre Dame listed in or past '08. Additionally, BC faces Army, Navy, and UMass in 2007, which may greatly affect their chances of any potential national title run. UMass is an obvious patsy, and Army tends to be very weak. Navy has been okay lately, but if the Midshipmen are on an off-year (a.k.a. "Normal Service Academy performance"), BC might be a bit hosed.

Clemson
Clemson features a pretty robust future schedule with a LOT of one-game series, including LA-Monroe in 2007, in-state (but I-AA) rival Furman and UCF in 2008, MTSU in 2009, Ball State and the Mean Green of North Texas in 2010, and Troy in 2011. For teams that would be willing to schedule a 1-game series, these are pretty marquee matchups. Home-and-home series include Vanderbilt, UGA (no surprise), Pitt, and Ole Miss. Clemson has done a great job of getting diverse "patsies," instead of the same team in consecutive years. (Patsies in quotes because most of those one-game teams is good for an upset here and there.)

Duke
The Blue Devils have a pretty respectable slate in the future, although their "lesser" OOC games aren't yet listed on these sites. Duke has series with Northwestern, Navy, Vandy, Army, a date with UConn, and two truly marquee matchups: at Penn State in 2009 and Bama in 2010 (looks to maybe be a neutral-site game). Also on the horizon, the Devils play a "Nerd Bowl" series against Stanford.

Florida State
As expected, the Criminoles play some strong intersectional games year-in, year-out. 2007 features one of the biggest non-conference games of the year for the southeast, with FSU and Bama facing off in Jacksonville. FSU has series coming up with Colorado, BYU, Oklahoma, Air Force, and (per agreement as part of the ACC expansion case settlement) West Virginia. The only "lesser" teams listed are UAB and Nevada.

Maryland
In addition to the annual WVU/UMD game, the Terps play AT(!) FIU in'07, Rutgers and Cal home-and-away, and host MTSU and Eastern Mich in '09 and '10, respectively.

The rest of the ACC tomorrow!

Posted by Jeff at 8:47 PM | Permalink | Comments

Get pumped.

Posted by Jeff at 3:53 PM | Permalink | Comments

Calvin "Spider-Man" Johnson is #3 on CFN's Preseason All-America WRs list.

Rivals.com has a poll up for GT's greatest player; vote between Joe Hamilton (QB, 96-99) and Billy Lothridge (QB, 61-63). I went with Hamilton; his straight numbers are more impressive, and the level of athlete he competed with is miles ahead of players in the '60s. Lothridge is certainly also worthy, leading Tech to a better overall win percentage (0.69 vs. 0.64), but Hamilton led a 10-win season, whereas each of Lothridge's seasons had 7 wins. It's a shame Clint Castleberry couldn't be on this list; click the link if you've never heard of him.

There is an official call for new BlogPollers. I'm applying, but IDWT may be way too new. I'll be helped by the fact that there's only 1 GT blogpoller right now, though.

I'm not a big recruiting guy, but Tech's football recruiting is looking its best in years. Although scholly's are capped at 17, and our class won't compare with 5 star-packed groups for really big-time schools, the Jackets have a history of overachieving. so far, the 2007 class consists of
two linebackers, two corners, an O-lineman, a WR, and a QB.

Sports Illustrated is running a feature called "Commisioner for a Day," in which writers for the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFB, CBB, Tennis, and Golf give their recommendations to improve the sport. Stewart Mandel gives his college football changes; here I respond to each:

1) Give college football a commissioner
Mandel complains that college football "is in a state of constant chaos, [since everything must] meet the approval of [...] the NCAA, university presidents, conference commissioners, athletic directors, bowl representatives and TV executives." Unfortunately for the sport, academics really do should come first, so everything should have to meet with the approval of university presidents. A commissioner could maybe replace much of the NCAA's role, but conferences would still need at least under-commissioners, and presidents would need veto power.

2. Add a "plus-one" championship game after the BCS bowls:
This is one I'm not too worried about either way. I think the current system is fine, but if they want to add this option, fine by me.

3. Reduce the number of bowl games:
Here Stewart Mandel recommends cutting the list to 15, and the champions of each 1-A conference are guaranteed berths. Each other team must have 8 wins. As I have explained before, I have no major problems with a lot of bowls. Although we're at about the limit that's even mathematically feasible.

4. Install an early signing day:
This would be good for both the sport but the recruits. High school kids are fickle, so many would wait anyhow, but allowing athletes to "really" commit at an earlier date is good, so they can stop dealing with text messages from coaches.

5. Outlaw the hiring of coaches prior to their bowl games:
Absolutely.

6. Delay polls until Oct. 1:
Again, Mandel is dead on. Since nearly every coach and writer seems to base his poll off the previous week's results, maybe a later start will prevent teams getting as hosed from a low early-season ranking.

7. Pick a uniform and stick with it:
I totally disagree with this one. I think unique uni's and throwbacks can be fun, although some teams go overboard... and I really hate those different-colored-sleeve uni's from last year. I wish GT would play a game in some 1990 National Champions-style Navy Blue jerseys. They're not more attractive than the gold ones or anything, but it'd be a sweet homage.

8. No more Tuesday-night games ... or Monday night, or Wednesday night or Friday night:
No way. I love having football on as many nights as possible per week. I don't care if it is LA-Monroe vs. MTSU. I'll see some football, hopefully a couple big plays, and go to sleep happier. And I don't feel that a Tuesday-night game destroys "the sanctity of Saturday" any more than the existence of the International Bowl reduces the prestige of the Rose Bowl.

9. Shorten the length of games:
I agree, but the methods Mandel lists aren't great. "[Restarting] the play-clock as soon as a play is whistled dead rather than waiting for the refs to spot the ball" is a bad idea, since maybe a lot of players and/or refs have to move a long way, say after a long pass. I think the current rules changes will be fine.

10. Prohibit coaches from flip-flopping quarterbacks:
Why? I say make whatever subs you want, whenever you want. Mandel suggests "once you name a starting quarterback, you have to keep him as such for at least four straight games, barring documented injury. Better make the right choice in fall camp, guys." F that. Just because you don't like frequent personnel changes doesn't mean it shouldn't be allowed. And it's not like a lot of coaches change starting QBs all the time, and I doubt those that do really want to.

Posted by Jeff at 12:46 PM | Permalink | Comments

Once again, D-Rad drops some knowledge on y'all with The Good Word athletics newsletter. The most important info inside? September kickoff times! Here I have prepared my recommendations for tailgating, so that you can get drunk enough (but not too drunk) and be fully prepared for kickoff without passing out, getting heat stroke, or otherwise ruining your own day.



9/2
Opponent: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Kickoff Time: 8:00 PM
Tailgating Advice:

First off, this game is in well in the evening, so feel free to sleep in just a little. This game is big-time, though, so if you wait too long you'll find no tailgate spots. I recommend being on-campus by around 2 PM in order to get enough rest, have time to prepare a badass dinner, and ensure yourself room for every thing. Bring a TV and dish if you've got it, to watch games all day. If nothing else, have a good radio handy, or satellite radio if someone's got it.

Drinks! Call me old-fashioned, but I tend to fill my Sippin Seat with Makers for every game. I will, however, offer drink recommendations for those of you who like to theme your tailgate a bit more.


9/9
Opponent: Samford Bulldogs
Kickoff Time: 3:30 PM
Tailgating Advice:


Bring sunscreen! Even if you have a sweet tailgating tent, sunblock will do you good come game time. Afternoon kickoff, so if you want a good amount of time to tailgate, plan on getting set up by 11. Noon might do ya, but that might not allow for a solid lunch.

Drinks! Being that we're playing a team from Alabama, I recommend the classic Alabama Slammer.

Food! I plan on going with a Southern classic, such as BBQ or fried chicken. The most important thing is don't go overboard because of the early kick-off.


9/16
Opponent: Troy University Trojans
Kickoff Time: 1:30 PM (seriously)
Tailgating Advice:


Remember what I said about sunblock? And an early kickoff? Yeah, rewind that back and play it a few times. For this tailgate, my recommendations go all the way back to Friday night. Go home from work, take it easy, and get to bed early. If you stay out late, you have no chance of having a good tailgate because you'll be all tuckered out. Why the early kickoff? UVa is on the following Thursday, so D-Rad and Chan want to give the players as much time as possible to rest after the Troy game. So get to bed early so you can get to campus early.

Drinks! Try this one on for size: The Trojan Horse. Big in the UK.

Food! I've got no theme food for this one, but I recommend something as quick as possible, since you're in for a short 'gate unless you get up at like 8 AM. Do something you can prepare the night before, e.g. marinaded steaks or pre-skewered kebabs.


9/21 (Thursday)
Opponent: Virginia Cavaliers
Kickoff Time: 7:30 PM
Tailgating Advice:


Okay, guys, this one is about as tough to handle as a 1:30 kickoff on Saturday. The bottom line is, if you want to tailgate, you will not be at work until five. Personal recommendation? Take a vacation day or call in sick. Also, if you want to get an early start to your tailgate, aim for getting to campus either around 11 AM or 1-2 PM. That way you can avoid heavy rush hour and lunch traffic. I expect to be 'gating by about 2 PM. Take your time and relax, you've got a late kickoff.

Drinks! This is UVa, folks. I'd say wine, but I can not in good conscience actually recommend wine for a tailgate without other stuff to go with it. Cider works well for Virginia, but honestly I got nothing on this one folks. As always, I will drink my bourbon and be happy.

Food! We play Maryland at home this year, so save any seafood plans for them. This might be a good time to make some BBQ. We play UNC and NCSU in Carolina this year, and Virginia barbeque is basically the same as N. Carolina BBQ.


Add any of your own recommendations in the comments, and I'll see y'all in September!

Posted by Jeff at 3:24 PM | Permalink | Comments

Oops! When changing the layout of my site, I accidentally lost all my links. Those'll be replaced soon.

Paul Westerdawg has a very interesting post about NFL talent by state. Georgia clocks in at #4 with 90 players on NFL rosters, and also at #4 per-capita. This doesn't mean all that much for Tech, since we recruit so heavily out-of-state. Good read nonetheless.

Former GT recruit Mason Cloy from Columbia, SC got scared off by the Big City when helping his dad move to ATL, and immediately committed to Clemson. In all fairness, a kid with the name "Mason Cloy" belongs at a place like Clemson.

Chris Gay at the Augusta Chronicle breaks down the preseason mags' analysis of Augusta-local schools (Clemson, Tech, UGA, USC). Honestly, probably nothing in the article is news to any blogosphere addicts.

Terrence Moore at the AJC has a touching column about Randy Walker's passing. Moore attended Miami University in Ohio along with Tech baseball coach Danny Hall, Illinois's Ron Zook, and several other big-time sports guys. Good to see an AJC sportswriter put together something this quality.

Five Jackets made the All-Academic ACC baseball team, and there was even a non-management major among them! (Steven Blackwood, Biology) Good job, guys.

Scout dot com tells us that GA/FLA will be on CBS. Why is this on a Tech blog? Because they point out that Tech/UGA is usually on CBS when played in Athens, and I hate CBS's college football coverage. Verne Lundquist is probably my least favorite major network cfb broadcaster. Thankfully, I'll be at the game and will not have to watch on CBS.

A Spanish site called noticias.info has an English language analysis of the Ravens running back situation. P.J. Daniels is on their roster, and will compete for playing time with Jamal Lewis, Mike Anderson, Musa Smith, and Cory Ross.

Posted by Jeff at 1:17 PM | Permalink | Comments

After a long relaxing weekend, IDWT is back. Scott covered all the weekend GT news, but here's the highlights:

GT picked up a QB commit for 2007.
Steven Threet is a 6'5"/220 lb senior from MI. 4.0 GPA/27 ACT (comparable to 1220 SAT), sounds like a Goose in the making.

Posted by Jeff at 6:14 PM | Permalink | Comments