Mailbag 1/8

Would you accept or consider a naming rights deal for Bobby Dodd Stadium? Where do you the draw the line? i.e. “Delta Airlines Stadium” or “Delta Airlines Stadium at Grant Field”?

Ben: No.

Carter:

Jake P.:

Jake: Please no. Here’s a From the Rumble Seat slack favorite:

Chris: I am struggling to think of something I would hate more.

Please explain Georgia Tech men’s basketball, thanks.

Ben: I’m not sure I could, even if I wanted to.

Carter: The federal government ran a multi-year experiment to develop the most incompetent, inept, ineffective, poorly managed basketball team in existence, and after years of trials, it ultimately produced..... the Washington Generals. Georgia Tech basketball was born from one of the earlier results, but it occasionally upset a good team and was thus ironically deemed a failure.

Drew: They are just a mediocre team. They have the pieces to be good. Michael Devoe, Jose Alvarado, Moses Wright, and James Banks have all played at a high level for bits and pieces, but none have done it consistently. Also UNC is really not that good this year.

Jake: Here’s a fun pattern I figured out:

So the key to this here dealio is the football team. Whoever wins the UNC game next fall, put the mortgage on the opposite. Or don’t, I’m not a gambler or a lawyer or a financial advisor. And I’m not even a graduated mechanical engineer yet. And I write non-revenue sports. So yeah. But patterns are fun, am I right?

Here’s a fun exercise: compare the job that Coach Patenaude did this year with the job that Eddie Gran did at Kentucky.

Ben: Drew touches on this below, but Gran was much more willing to adjust his scheme to fit what he was working with (e.g. Lynn Bowden at QB). With P-node, it felt like he was more concerned about getting his scheme installed instead of playing to some strengths. My biggest problem was that we never really saw any progression in the offense. It felt like Tech would come out with a completely different plan every single game, so the offense could never find an identity.

Drew: Eddie Gran did a great job this year dealing their quarterback injuries. The difference between what Gran had to work with and what Patenaude did was pretty big. Kentucky had all of the pieces of an offensive line and Gran (plus Mark Stoops) did a fantastic job of making that a reality. The offense was disappointing this year, but nobody ever thought this offensive line would be anything better than below average.

So...if Mr. Cochran decides to join the Jackets, he’s a big body, from Norcross. Is it better to continue to develop younger guys or take a shot with Devin? How was he last year? I saw he started the last nine games but is he being supplanted at Vandy or is he the real deal? Will Southers help us get this guy? My gut is we should do it but I defer to you experts!

Ben: He’s real good. If Tech gets him, he’ll start at tackle without a doubt:

That’s a really good stat.

Carter: The folks over at Anchor of Gold call him the anchor of last year’s OL and would very much have preferred he stayed, for what that’s worth.

Jake P.: I am in favor of taking a shot with him. The offensive line needs as much help as it can get, and Cochran, along with Ryan Johnson, will help mentor and develop the younger players on the line. This would be a multi-year investment, even though Cochran would only play for a year.

Jake: Seems like he could plug and start. That sounds like a good option to me. And Vanderbilt is rigorous, so it wouldn’t be as hard of a swap academically, though I know us internet folk probably make a bigger deal about the significance of that than it actually is. Seems like it would make a lot of sense

Who are you rooting for in the national championship game, and what’s your score prediction?

Ben: Geaux Tiguhs!

Carter: I was born in Louisiana. So were my parents. Not only is my mother an LSU grad, so are many of her six siblings and, in turn, several of my cousins. Many of those cousins have children, and a good number of them will no doubt matriculate at LSU in the coming years. This question is posed as a choice, but that one was made for me long, long before I knew anything about college football.

Jake P.: I’m pulling for LSU. The sole reason is that about 50% of the population around me are Clemson fans, and I would like to see them disappointed for once. That is, until Duke (or UNC) basketball plays in the NCAA Tournament.

Jake: We’d hear chirping about it more if Clemson won, so I’ll take LSU. I like watching Joe Burrow play, too. Not sure about the score, though, they both have played different ballgames all year, but obviously I don’t think anyone’s seen a matchup quite like this yet.

Chris: LSU has been my adopted team this year. Them winning would cap off one of the most incredible seasons we’ve ever seen in college football and I am all about it.

Where does Episode IX land in your updated Star Wars rankings?

Ben: I’m not gonna lie; I was very disappointed with it. I watched it again about a week later and was able to enjoy it a little bit more, but it is still towards the bottom of the list. It’s definitely above Attack of the Clones. To put this in perspective, I went and saw Cats the day after I saw The Rise of Skywalker and had a better time watching Cats. And not gonna lie, I really hate that.

Carter: It makes Empire look like Attack of the Clones. No, honestly, I haven’t seen it yet, but can I tell you about this new movie called Knives Out? It was directed by the guy who did The Last Jedi and — wait, where are you going?

Jake: I went to be entertained and to be told a good story, so I was satisfied. It’s above the last one and Attack of the Clones for sure, but Ben’s the Power Ranking Star Wars guy and I show up to these bad boys for two-plus hours of John Williams. So there’s that grain of salt.

Does someone have a current scholarship count going into NSD? I gotta think there are more moves that have to be made.

Ben: By my count, we’re somewhere in the low 90s, so we’re definitely going to see some more attrition. With classes starting this week, we’ll either see that coming here pretty soon; otherwise, it won’t come until after the Spring, which is more likely in my opinion, as you’ll see some of these folks try and move up one last time before moving on.