Technical Tidbits 12/31

Georgia Tech student Ryan Gregory Pickren has been indicted by a Clarke County grand jury for felony computer trespass stemming from a prank he pulled during Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate in which he hacked into Georgia's computer system and updated their online calendar to read "Get [ Earth, Wind, & Fire ] Kicked By Georgia Tech". While hacking into a university's system was undoubtedly a huge lapse in judgment, the penalty which can come with a charge like this could be as high as 15 years in prison and a $50,000 fine. That seems a bit much for something which was supposed to be a prank, especially when there are so many other higher-risk crimes to spend time and resources on. I'm not defending what Pickren did, but I don't think that it should carry such stiff penalties, even if 15 years and $50,000 are worst case scenarios.

From the time I'm writing this, we are exactly 24 hours away from kickoff in the Orange Bowl against Mississippi State. Before you sit down to watch the Bulldogs and Yellow Jackets clash, be sure to check out the Orange Bowl by the numbersto get some interesting information on both the matchup and Georgia Tech's overall great season. I think that one of the most notable statistics on the list is that Justin Thomas had not been sacked heading into the Clemson game since late October against Pitt -- that is a month-long period and shows just how great our offensive line has been all season.

When the Oregon Ducks face off with Florida State in the Rose Bowl, Marcus Mariota's boys will be looking to finally silence the Seminoles and end their historic winning streak at 29 straight games. While I would love for Jameis Winston's final collegiate game to be a loss, I think that Florida State pulling off a win over the Ducks is whats should be in the best interests of most ACC fans simply because so many people have written off the Noles already. The conference has had a terrible time so far in bowl mania, and a playoff win for FSU would do wonders for its reputation moving into 2015.

Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin has dismissed student assistant Michael Richardson, a former linebacker on the team, after he distastefully hit not one but two West Virginia players while on the sideline at the Liberty Bowl. He hit the players for no apparent reason and made the understatement of the century when he called his actions "uncalled for" after the game. Are you sure about that? You know it's a heartfelt apology when it is released in the form of an unpublished tweet. Keeping in classy over in SEC country. Good work, TAMU.

What do you think of the indictment of the Georgia Tech student?

Note: Technical Tidbits will be off tomorrow for New Year's Day.

Have a great Orange Bowl day and Go Jackets!