By a dynamic win percentage that realligns the conference every season? By stadium size? By athletic budget? Here's how it would look if we split it up by stadium size:

Atlantic - FSU (84,300), Miami (76,500), UVA (61,500), NC State (57,583), Maryland (54,000), Duke (33,941)
Coastal - Clemson (80,301), VT (66,233), UNC(60,000), Georgia Tech (55,000), Boston College (44,500), Wake (31,500)

Or what about by geography?

North - BC, Maryland, VT, UVA, Duke, Wake
South - Miami, FSU, GT, Clemson, UNC, NC State

What rivalries should be preserved? What are destinations of interest? I personally only like traveling to Boston, Miami, Raleigh, and Atlanta. The other cities are relatively dull, to me.

I will continue to update as it rolls out. The AJC posted a majority of the non-con stuff. BCI released some new dates via a Raycom release.

November 17 - vs. Albany
November 19 - vs. Niagara
5:30PM November 26, HDNet - Legends Classic vs. UTEP
7:00PM November 30, ESPN2 - ACC/Big10 Challenge @ Northwestern
December 7 - vs. Georgia
December 11 - vs. Savannah State
December 27 - vs. Fordham
December 31 - vs. Mercer
January 2 - vs. UNC-Charlotte
January 19 - vs. Wake Forest
12:00PM January 22 - @ UVA
3:00PM February 5 - vs. Clemson
1:00PM February 13 - @ VT
February 16 - vs. UT-Chattanooga
2:00PM February 26 - @ NC State
February ? - @ Duke
8:00PM March 3 - @ Wake Forest
2:30PM March 6 - vs. Miami
March 10 - ACC Tournament

Home ACC Games - Clemson, Florida State, Miami, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest
Road ACC Games - Duke, Clemson, Miami, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Boston College and N.C. State.

As to how much we actually lost when Jon Dwyer went to the NFL. Word on the street is he's been REALLY lazy up in Pittsburgh, and calling him a disappointment might be putting it lightly. Now, I know he ran for nearly 1,400 yards two years in a row, and I know he was ACC POTY in 2008, but honestly, with Anthony Allen coming in with all he has to offer, I don't think that loss will kill us. Allen's been working out the entire offseason to be in the best shape he can be in, and he's made it his goal to be the single best back in the country. He's a downhill runner (where Dwyer would try to dodge people, Allen tries to snap your neck before knocking the guy behind you out), he's faster than he was last year (which was pretty dang fast, seeing as he averaged over 9 a carry while playing a more speed-dependent position), he's got some ridiculous work ethic, and he brings attention to our program moreso than Dwyer did (right, Heather Dinich?). Everyone's preview of GT football this year says that we won't be as good without Burnett, Bay-Bay, Dwyer, and Morgan, but I really think that with Allen at B-Back, experienced guys like Roddy and Embry at A-Back, and a man who will win at all costs under center, we have a lot of potential to be even more dangerous than before. What's better is that our schedule allows us a lot of cushion to get our offense in gear and in rhythm before we go into our hellacious 5-game stretch at the end. What say you, FTRS? Will it be a big deal that we lost Dwyer with Allen stepping in to replace him?

I want to preface this by saying that this is in no way a negative post.  I have every confidence that the Jackets will do well this season (I think at worst we'll go 8-4, and that's with some pretty bad luck), and I am and always will be a die-hard fan that will pull for this team no matter what.  This post is meant merely to try and see what everyone's expectations are and see where everyone's areas of concern are.  Mine follow....

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Which traditions, tailgate opportunities, City ambiance, or other factor would most draw that wallet out of your back pocket.   We will assume that you can get good/great tickets, reasonable accommodations,  a great tailgate, ESPN College Game Day on site (and Corso picks the Jackets).

Maybe you want to see CPJ vs. The Shotgun/Pistol/Spread/Option/Red Raider Wave offense.

What Road Trip would be epic?  What victory sweetest in a place far away? Will you ride the train there (ie Notre Dame from Chi-town)

We can concentrate on Regular Season (so no Yankee teams in December), but some Bowl games will be options.

Tell us your criteria and why you picked what you did. 

Maybe DRad will see this for future scheduling??

Poll

Where would you most like to travel to see the Jackets play? Based on the "ambiance" of the city/stadium/University, or based on the Tailgate opportunities, or based on the CFB history of the locale?

• Tailgate at The Grove?
• Back to Notre Dame? Touchdown Jesus, Golden Dome, Chicago!
• West Point or Annapollis?
• Nebraska? Lee Corso called them the best Fans in CFB-great story!
• SEC Powerhouses: Tuscaloosa or the Swamp
• UCLA/USC? Swimming Pools, Movie Stars (probation)
• Washington Huskies? The Cascades, this coffee place called Starbucks!
• Honolulu and the Rainbow Warriors? Make this one a week long "lost weekend"
• Mascots: Delta State "Fighting Okra", Cal State Santa Barbara "Banana Slugs" just for a T-shirt!
• Weird Fields: Boise Blue and whoever has the Red Field now?
• A great team in an Historic Baseball Stadium? Versus Oklahoma at Yankee Stadium; versus Oregon at "The Green Monster", versus Purdue at Commiskey?
• Austin? Live Music and the Best College Team money can buy now that SMU is out of business!
• Michigan or Ohio State? Stadiums as big as Neyland, and a chance to visit the Henry Ford Museum and Rouge Plant where the meanest 40 Horsepower in CFB was born!
• OK, BCS National Championship. Which city do you want it in? Phoenix/Miami/Pasadena/Nawlins/Tempe?

  28 votes | Results

CPJ made #9 his very own, and in a very nice manner.  Invoking Tom Osborne and Tommie Frazier.

9. Option offense: Ready for a comeback?

The future won't belong solely to the pro/spread hybrid. As the spread flourished this past decade, defenses adjusted. More teams adopted a 3-4, allowing more flexibility to spy a quarterback who might double as a fullback.

That shift in defensive philosophy means it's time for a new-old offensive fad. And since bell-bottoms and platform shoes have already enjoyed minor renaissances, it seems only fair that coaches bring back that staple of the '70s football experience: the option. We're not talking about the occasional pitch play. We're talking about the holy trinity of the dive back, quarterback keeper or pitch.

Paul Johnson, who probably has leisure suits and tearaway jerseys in his closet, has proven at Navy and Georgia Tech that the option still works. How well? In Johnson's second season at Tech, he won the ACC title.

Most people think the option is a boring, grind-it-out scheme. Not true, said Tom Osborne, an option aficionado who coached Nebraska to national titles in 1994, 1995 and 1997. "Most of the zone plays you see now, if you block things perfectly, you may make seven, eight, nine yards," Osborne said. "If somebody misses a tackle, you might go a long way. In option football, if you execute correctly, you've got enough people to block everybody and theoretically score a touchdown on most every option play."

The option could be the answer for teams that recruit great defenses but struggle to assemble great offenses -- we're looking at you, Nebraska and North Carolina. Had Nebraska run the option last year, the Cornhuskers probably would have won the Big 12 title.

The three rarest specimens on the recruiting trail are, in order, elite defensive tackles, strong-armed quarterbacks and large, athletic offensive linemen. Nebraska already recruits elite defensive tackles, so that's not an issue. Running the option eliminates the need for the other two. Teams wanted former Cornhuskers quarterback Tommie Frazier as a safety, and he won two national titles running the option. Meanwhile, there is an ample supply of athletic, 6-foot-3, 280-pound linemen -- ideal for the trapping and cutting required by the option -- being ignored by most big-time programs. So what's the holdup? Johnson already has proven the option can work in a BCS conference. It's time to bring it back on a grand scale.

A breakdown sent to me by a friend and loyal GT Alum.  

12:00    GT @ Kansas (FoxSports)

 

12:00   ugag @ SCar (ESPN)

 

3:30      F$U @ Oklahoma (ABC and Deuce)

 

3:30      Miami @ Ohio State (Worldwide Leader)

 

3:30      Michigan @ Notre Dame (NBC)

 

7:00      Penn State @ Alabama (ABC) 

 

Also:

3:30   GSU @ Navy (CBS) is this Verne and Gary??  Should be renamed the Paul Johnson Bowl.

 

7:30   Wolfpack @  George O'Leary (CBS)

TBD   Stanford @ UCLA (TBD)

 

9:00   Diggity @ Tulane (Classic or Deuce)

All we are missing is the midnight game from Honolulu, but they are at Army @ noon on CBS.

Per the man who put all of this together,

 

"I'll need a 10# bag of ice for my liver after that one."

Hey guys I'm curious if anyone has information on LB Kyle Jackson this season.  He was in Brad Jefferson's interview video and said he was excited to be back this year after missing last year with an injury.  I haven't seen his name on any of the depth charts, even in the two-deeps; which makes me wonder if he is just being overlooked or has gotten beaten out of a starting job. 

With Coach Paul Johnson closing fall practices to the media, which I agree with, it is crucial that all Yellow Jacket fans keep themselves informed of the team for the upcoming season.  With all of the talk out there about how Georgia Tech will be an average team after the 4 juniors jumped to the NFL, go read how the triple option offense goes on with new players just as it has for years under Coach Paul Johnson.  This is a feature story on one heck of an athlete we formally knew as Josh Nesbitt.  Now Joshua Nesbitt.  The latest article on Georgia Tech Football is now available for viewing on http://isportsweb.com.  Go Jackets!

Doug Roberson gives us the post-spring depth charts:

OFFENSE


DEFENSE


INJURED
A-Back - Chris Jackson
ILB - Kyle Jackson