I dont know if it is fair to gripe about the talent disparity w/UGA

TampaBayJacket

TampaBayJacket

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Yes it was startling to see the difference in players between GT and UGA this past weekend. Yes I agree we looked like we didnt belong on the field with them. However, I dont think it is fair to focus upon this aspect because if you swapped Bama with UGA and had the same results, nobody would blink an eye. We would just shrug and say well, what did you expect? News flash, UGA and Bama are just about equal in talent these days. Dont believe me? Watch the SEC CG this saturday.

UF looked like a HS team vs UGA. Kentucky, who is damn good this year, looked bad too. South Carolina didnt look much different than we did vs UGA. Auburn got drilled. So did Vandy. Those teams are loaded with talent (yes even Vandy) and they looked like weaklings vs UGA. I hate to say it but UGA is about to enter an unprecedented era for them and we will be like everyone else, a bug in their windshield.

In the CFP era, certain teams are now distancing themselves from the pack. It's a positive feedback system that is driving even more five/four stars to only a handful of schools. We aren't much different than other schools in the pack and we should judge ourselves vs the pack rather than vs UGA or you will feel very miserable about our team. It's just the way things are in 2018+.
 
there is some great disparity now and it probably is due to the playoff system.
It may not be good for second tier teams going forward though.
 
TampaBayJacket said:
Yes it was startling to see the difference in players between GT and UGA this past weekend. Yes I agree we looked like we didnt belong on the field with them. However, I dont think it is fair to focus upon this aspect because if you swapped Bama with UGA and had the same results, nobody would blink an eye. We would just shrug and say well, what did you expect? News flash, UGA and Bama are just about equal in talent these days. Dont believe me? Watch the SEC CG this saturday.

UF looked like a HS team vs UGA. Kentucky, who is damn good this year, looked bad too. South Carolina didnt look much different than we did vs UGA. Auburn got drilled. So did Vandy. Those teams are loaded with talent (yes even Vandy) and they looked like weaklings vs UGA. I hate to say it but UGA is about to enter an unprecedented era for them and we will be like everyone else, a bug in their windshield.

In the CFP era, certain teams are now distancing themselves from the pack. It's a positive feedback system that is driving even more five/four stars to only a handful of schools. We aren't much different than other schools in the pack and we should judge ourselves vs the pack rather than vs UGA or you will feel very miserable about our team. It's just the way things are in 2018+.
Click to expand...

Judging by this logic, you would be supportive of dropping the series since there is no way we can reasonably expect to be competitive.

I don't disagree with you by the way. It just makes me wonder what is the point if we are going to be perennially at a disadvantage. Why bother? Nobody in their right mind would ever start a business in an industry they didn't have a shot at being competitive in and where the odds were stacked against you so why should football be any different?

Unless...we can change the paradigm. However, we need a commitment to football to do so. No half measures..
 
MACHETE said:
Judging by this logic, you would be supportive of dropping the series since there is no way we can reasonably expect to be competitive.

I don't disagree with you by the way. It just makes me wonder what is the point if we are going to be perennially at a disadvantage. Why bother? Nobody in their right mind would ever start a business in an industry they didn't have a shot at being competitive in and where the odds were stacked against you so why should football be any different?

Unless...we can change the paradigm. However, we need a commitment to football to do so. No half measures..
Click to expand...

That is not an argument for dropping the series, that is an argument for dropping football. Probably an argument for dropping all sports.
 
From what I remember about the 2012 UGA game (and honestly I blocked much of it from my memory), we looked completely overmatched and got utterly dominated. UGA blew through us on their way to their last second SECCG loss (and in effect NC loss) to Alabama. Two years later we had arguably our best season since 1990, beating the mutts and winning the Orange Bowl. Now, I'm willing to accept that it's possible we peaked in CPJ's 7th season and it's all downhill from there. I just think it's kind of knee-jerk to say with absolute certainty that we'll never compete again (with our current coach or a future one).
 
85jacket said:
there is some great disparity now and it probably is due to the playoff system.
It may not be good for second tier teams going forward though.
Click to expand...

My sense of the season after the UVA game was "hey, that was pretty good." 7-4 was sort of my minimum threshold for an acceptable season. 10-1 or 9-2 were within reach if we'd played only a little better (USF special teams, Duke fumbles, first half malaise at Pitt). As it is, we acquitted ourselves pretty well against comparable competition, and it was generally a fun and competitive season. Clemson's the one team in the ACC that feels like they're playing a different game than we are. Sucks that we're the only non-Atlantic team that has to play them every year, but that's the hand we've been dealt. They probably won't stay on top forever.

The one good thing is that U[sic]GA is a non-conference game for us. The bad thing is that the game is at the end of the year, which leaves a bad taste in your mouth, maybe hurts our bowl attractiveness, and kills any sort of momentum and positive vibes at the end of the year. You can solve a lot of that by moving the game earlier in the season, rather than by dropping it.

We do seem to be getting to the point where a normal, decent-to-good team just can't compete with the top tier teams off the field, and therefore on the field (barring occasional flukes). Dunno how you solve that, unless you just create another division above FCS and FBS for the "NFL-lite" teams. Create a new "super conference," have teams get bumped up to the big table if they earn it (UCF undefeated for 2 seasons) and kicked out if they can no longer hang with the big boys. But that's pretty well incompatible with current conference affiliations and traditional rivalries and such. I don't think we'll ever see the NCAA impose any sort of meaningful "salary cap" equivalent on athletic association budgets, or any real academic requirements that would force things back toward parity.

All that to say that we're still competitive with most of the other ACC teams, but we're not playing in the same league as Alabama, U[sic]GA, Ohio State, etc. and I don't see how we ever will. It's not a coaching problem. The limitations of Georgia Tech as a technical university don't help, but I don't think you can really effect enough change there to turn us into Alabama without fundamentally changing the school. Our fan and alumni culture is also incompatible with that type of program (and it's trending the wrong way). You need blind, dumb sheep (like the U[sic]GA fans who have been conditioned with a Pavlovian response to start yelling as soon as a defensive player waves his arms - it's uncanny), and Tech people are too smart and independent (to a fault - we can't even just shut up and wear a white shirt once a year) to blindly pour money and support into the program at a level that will make a difference.

JRjr
 
Right now the money gap is proving huge and I don't see how we overcome it short of a Tech football fan winning megamillions or starting the next google.

The NCAA is turning a blind eye to Alabama staffing the football office down to the janitorial staff with former Div 1 head coaches. They are only supposed to have 9 coaches (or whatever) but even on gameday the sidelines and coaches boxes are packed such that they seem to be ignoring the rules. The days of the NCAA holding the big boys back seem long gone, and money is the one arms race we cant win.

Frankly i suggest not really giving a öööö. Or win the lottery or startup a big company please.

I get frustrated with idiots who blame the guys we have as if they should be doing what Alabama does but with our resources and without cheating. I can only think of 2 guys who are possible and genius enough to beat teams regularly with half the resources and talent. Briles and Leach. Thats it.

Short of them, our best bet is to hurt the dwag chances by running an unusual offense that distracts them and eats up valuable prep time in their schedule. Because the worst thing I can think of is those assholes getting a mnc. And with the sec east being a dumpster fire, the possibility of that öööö is all too real.
 
I think the best thing for Tech would be to move this rivalry game to earlier in the season. First game of the season would be best. That way we can recover from the (most likely) loss without impacting any momentum going into the bowl season.
 
I have always agreed on moving the game to the beginning of the year. A few other thoughts:

1) UGA has a very young team on offense. How did they get so stout so quickly? It only took a couple of years for Ole Miss to be exposed.

2) Alabama and LSU sign 135 recruits every five years. I am quite sure UGA is close to this now. Meanwhile, GT signs 100 players every five years. I could coach a program that has a 35% advantage and dominate almost anybody.

3) Bama and I'm sure UGA now, has taken the process to the end degree. It's all football like nothing before it. It's all work, no play, "we'll get you in the NFL". For me, this is taking some of the uniqueness out of college football.

4) I watch the playoffs because of Clemson. I am happy for them and happy an ACC team is there. However, generally the viewing public is going to tire of the same couple of teams every year. Things got changed very quickly when LSU played Alabama and nobody watched.

5) Add it all up and it is very clear to me that the NCAA needs to make some big changes and GT should lead the charge.
a) Max of 65 scholarships annually.
b) Max of 85 scholarships over 5 years.
These type rules will balance things much more and will require more real students to participate. The money for the big boys is so much greater than the rest that it is separating the haves and have nots by quite a bit. Help them compete by making rules to help them.

Having said this, here's my annual GT speech on how we don't really try any more:
1) Sign 135 kids! Take extra DL and OL linemen and compete. We are not writing the rules, use them to our advantage!
2) Run off rejects just like Bama, et al.
3) The Ravens are running the Triple Option without cut blocks, etc. It's the same theory of playing 11 against 11. Get back to signing NFL size linemen.
4) Ma Tech has to participate. Bring in more football first players. We used to have no problem signing future NFL linebackers and occasional linemen. Today, not really.

I, for one, have no interest in supporting Tech's athletic capital goal without some signs of really trying. Stanford is ranked Top Five school and are always #1 in overall athletics. Harvard and MIT have the most NCAA teams. We are pretty much dead last.
 
MACHETE said:
Judging by this logic, you would be supportive of dropping the series since there is no way we can reasonably expect to be competitive.

I don't disagree with you by the way. It just makes me wonder what is the point if we are going to be perennially at a disadvantage. Why bother? Nobody in their right mind would ever start a business in an industry they didn't have a shot at being competitive in and where the odds were stacked against you so why should football be any different?

Unless...we can change the paradigm. However, we need a commitment to football to do so. No half measures..
Click to expand...

No way would I suggest to drop the series. We are only 2 years removed from our last victory over UGA so it's not like an impossible task, just an extremely difficult one. College football runs in cycles and I am sure this current bubble will deflate and the CFP become more accessible beyond the current limited possible field of <10 teams.
 
You people are pathetic. UGA is really good now, but they'll regress to the norm. Richt had them in the top 2 or 3 a few times too. This rivalry shouldn't be changed in any way.
 
MACHETE said:
Judging by this logic, you would be supportive of dropping the series since there is no way we can reasonably expect to be competitive.

I don't disagree with you by the way. It just makes me wonder what is the point if we are going to be perennially at a disadvantage. Why bother? Nobody in their right mind would ever start a business in an industry they didn't have a shot at being competitive in and where the odds were stacked against you so why should football be any different?

Unless...we can change the paradigm. However, we need a commitment to football to do so. No half measures..
Click to expand...
You do realize that sever of the schools that UGA mauled this year are completely committed to football, right?
 
midatlantech said:
I, for one, have no interest in supporting Tech's athletic capital goal without some signs of really trying. Stanford is ranked Top Five school and are always #1 in overall athletics. Harvard and MIT have the most NCAA teams. We are pretty much dead last.
Click to expand...

Was wondering about the accuracy of this statement. It turns out it's pretty accurate.

We were dead last in the ACC in the Director's Cup standings last year, by a pretty wide margin (other than Pitt, who was ahead of us but not by that much.) We are also far behind even the worst SEC school (Vandy).

https://nacda.com/documents/2018/6/...p_2017_18_misc_non_event__June29overallDI.pdf
 
85jacket said:
there is some great disparity now and it probably is due to the playoff system.
It may not be good for second tier teams going forward though.
Click to expand...
This was widely predicted by anyone with any sense at the time the NCAA started weakening the bowl system and established the BCS and then the four team playoffs. With the establishment of the P5 conferences and the exclusion of all the rest I think we all knew that would lead to a dozen or so super programs, and leftovers for the remaining schools.
 
JackD said:
You people are pathetic. UGA is really good now, but they'll regress to the norm. Richt had them in the top 2 or 3 a few times too. This rivalry shouldn't be changed in any way.
Click to expand...
You aren't comprehending what was written. He said recruits are now picking and choosing where to play based upon the likelihood of a school getting into the playoffs. Richt is not there anymore. Georgia has given Alabama their toughest game in the last 30 games. There are less than twenty programs currently capable of producing the record and the political clout necessary to get thru the selection process. Just look at the final four for the last few years. The teams at the top are now "self-generating". Georgia, Clempsen, Alabama, won't "regress any time soon.
 
TampaBayJacket said:
Yes it was startling to see the difference in players between GT and UGA this past weekend. Yes I agree we looked like we didnt belong on the field with them. However, I dont think it is fair to focus upon this aspect because if you swapped Bama with UGA and had the same results, nobody would blink an eye. We would just shrug and say well, what did you expect? News flash, UGA and Bama are just about equal in talent these days. Dont believe me? Watch the SEC CG this saturday.

UF looked like a HS team vs UGA. Kentucky, who is damn good this year, looked bad too. South Carolina didnt look much different than we did vs UGA. Auburn got drilled. So did Vandy. Those teams are loaded with talent (yes even Vandy) and they looked like weaklings vs UGA. I hate to say it but UGA is about to enter an unprecedented era for them and we will be like everyone else, a bug in their windshield.

In the CFP era, certain teams are now distancing themselves from the pack. It's a positive feedback system that is driving even more five/four stars to only a handful of schools. We aren't much different than other schools in the pack and we should judge ourselves vs the pack rather than vs UGA or you will feel very miserable about our team. It's just the way things are in 2018+.
Click to expand...
And this s supposed to make Tech fans feel better ??
 
yellowbritchies said:
And this s supposed to make Tech fans feel better ??
Click to expand...

I hate losing to U[sic]GA (and it's not like I can hate that team or its fans any more than I already do). If you metaphorically move those "playoff" teams into their own league (because in essence that's what's happening as the gap between the haves and the have-nots widens) and look at we're doing against comparable competition, the picture's not quite as bleak. Maybe I'm fatalistic, but I just don't think GT is ever going to be able to compete in the arms race at the same level as those top-tier schools and I'm not sure that's even something that we should aspire to. Doesn't mean we won't occasionally be able to compete on the field with them.

JRjr
 
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