Technical Tidbits 8/31

Starting safety Demond Smith is dedicated to playing faster for the Jackets during the 2015 campaign, writes the AJC. Smith, who started 10 games at the position back in 2013, moved to nickel back for last season because of a logjam at safety. He was largely a victim of circumstance in this regard, losing out on snaps at safety because Isaiah Johnson and Jamal Golden were both ready to return from season-ending injuries the year before; as a starter in 2013, he finished with a solid 45 tackles and four pass deflections for the Jackets. Smith's is a name that we haven't discussed much this offseason, but expect him to be as vital a cog as anyone in what should be a solid 2015 defense.

Paul Johnson released the official depth chart for the upcoming game against Alcorn St. over the weekend and everything went largely according to plan. The position with the most uncertainty surrounding it was thought to be wide receiver, but it now appears that freshman Brad Stewart and sophomore Ricky Jeune have won the spots with Micheal Summers still hurt. I couldn't be more excited to see this defensive line play; just looking at the depth chart makes me think that it could be one of the best units in the entire nation. There is so much depth at nearly every position that even a severe injury couldn't derail the success it should experience in 2015.

While we fans are not quite ready to book a trip to the college football playoff quite yet, much of the national media is considering a Georgia Tech trip to the playoff to be a very real possibility. The issue isn't that I would be at all surprised if Tech did make a run to the final four -- the team is certainly talented enough -- but the schedule is just too grueling to realistically expect it. A bad loss to any team, whether it be Alcorn St. or Georgia, would all but rule Tech out. The ACC as a conference still has too much to prove, especially since Florida State crashed and burned in an epic way last year against Oregon.

The college football season officially kicked off over the weekend with an amazing game between FCS powerhouses Montana and North Dakota State. The twelfth-ranked Montana Grizz would go on to knock off the No. 1 Bison on a touchdown run as time expired, marking North Dakota State's fourth loss since the end of 2010. If you are unfamiliar with what NDSU does to FCS competition, think Alabama on steroids -- the Bison are currently chasing their fifth straight FCS National Championship and Fargo has become a regular stop for college gameday.

What would Tech have to do to make the CFB Playoff?