Technical Tidbits 6/26

The difficulty that Georgia Tech has experienced while trying to schedule quality opponents is well documented within the fan-base, with much of the blame being placed on the Athletic Department for not trying to schedule "power five" opponents. In order to clear up some of theses issues and others, Inside the Swarm interviewed Senior Athletic Director Ryan Bamford and asked him all about the process of creating Tech's football schedule-- a process that is much more complex than most would think. As far as quality opponents go, the ACC's arrangement with Notre Dame should help out a lot. It provides a (technically) non-ACC opponent with no ability to complain about having to prepare for facing our uber-popular flexbone scheme. The Irish should also bring an influx of fans to Bobby Dodd stadium-- anything less than a sellout would be disappointing.

Special teams dominated the headlines during the 2013 season. With Chris Davis's game winning return against Alabama, Kermit Whitfield's momentum changing touchdown against Auburn, and Ryan Switzer's general dominance in the return game, there was no shortage of excitement. Jamal Golden, however, didn't get the opportunity  to exceed in this department like he did in 2012 because of an injury-- the Tech safety will take the field again when the 2014 season kicks off, hopefully with as much success in the return game as he experienced earlier in his career. At his best, Golden is easily a top-ten return-man in the nation and by far the most dynamic on Tech's roster-- the Jackets will be glad to have him back this season as he looks to round out his career with a boom.

When Georgia Tech's Terrel Lewis is healthy, he has the potential to be an impact player in any situation from the linebacker positions. The good news? He's healthy and ready to start his career as Yellow Jacket this fall. Lewis is one of the most versatile players on the Tech roster for the upcoming season; he was the true embodiment of a "superman" athlete in high school, playing almost every position at a high level. And on a Paul Johnson team where versatility is one of the greatest attributes a player can have, he'll certainly have a big impact, maybe even in more than one way.

It only seems natural that Georgia Tech would have a connection to the large string of stadiums that popped up all across Brazil in preparation for the World Cup. Benjamin Flowers, an associate professor in the College of Architecture, has a lot of interest in these major construction projects, many of which are being carried out in areas with little or no demand for them or the resources to support them. The article, which is part of a series, will be very interesting to keep up with-- while some places, like Atlanta, use their post-event style stadiums, most go unused forever after the conclusion of the Olympics, World Cup, or whatever they were built for-- much to the chagrin of both the economy and residents.

Daily Debate: What are your thoughts on the comments made by Ryan Bamford? Does scheduling quality opponents help or hurt power conference teams?