Mailbag 6/29

Bill Brockman: Has ACC/SEC replaced ACC/Big10 in basketball?

Jack: Contractually, yes. What was the ACC/B1G Challenge is now the ACC/SEC Challenge. Hence why the women have a game with Florida and the men with Mississippi State.

Logan: Not in my heart... but yes.

aknartrebna: It seems like we may be (thankfully) moving to an Air Raid offense based on the coaching articles yall have published (and is getting me REALLY excited for this season).

1. Is that a fair assessment?

2. How is recruiting looking in that regard?

3. From a technical/strategic standpoint, is that a good idea as it seems to be what everyone is doing nowadays? I can see it being in 2 directions: No, because that is something that is faced often; Yes, because it will attract talent, our line has been meh in recent history (although you need a good line anyway to give the QB more time-in-pocket/less time on his [AlterBridge]), and seemingly a better efficiency, not to mention potential viewership (I heard many saying how boring the TO was to watch; note this was by non-techies and techies).

Ben: I agree with your assessment. Buster Faulkner is definitely an air raid guy. Josh Crawford also comes from an air raid offense, so it seems to me that we will start seeing more air raid concepts. I think you are already starting to see the impact it has on recruiting, specifically, the types of players Tech will be going after. Prior to Faulkner’s hire, Georgia Tech had Jakhari Williams committed at quarterback. Williams is a good passer and is able to move around and take off and run. After he decommitted, Georgia Tech started looking at more traditional pocket passers. I have never really bought into the “well everyone else is doing it, so why would we do the same?” mentality. Systems in football are just that: systems. They don’t make or break success. If there was one system that was better than the rest, everyone would be running it. That being said, yeah, a lot of teams are starting to implement air raid concepts, but recruiting is more about relationships than offensive systems. The stigma with the option was a direct result of negative recruiting that bled directly into the fanbase. It could happen just as easily with any kind of offense.

Logan:

1. I would assume we are going air raid. The coaching hires and the transfers we have brought in seem to indicate a focus on passing in the future.
2. Personally I think thing are looking up for recruiting. It is always hard to tell, but it seems like a big effort has been put into drawing new receivers, QBs, and some O-line who fit into that type of scheme.
3. This is a complicated question. The offense is seen more often now, so theoretically it could draw in more talent, but that will only happen if Tech shows success running the Air Raid. As Ben made note of, just because everyone runs this scheme doesn’t necessarily make it easier for others to defend; those things come down to coaching and actual play calls, so we will have to see how the new coaches handle it. It is a scary idea to me based on the recent history Tech has had with drops by receivers and struggles blocking, but potentially I could see a big return on running this style of offense from a fan standpoint as I think more fans will tune in to see this new offense that they feel will get us more big plays and touchdowns (I kind of cite you aknartrebna as an example of that). I think I’m more nervous than anything, it comes down to if the coaches can pull it off. Really its the same as CPJ running the Wishbone, when it works you’ll see an efficient offense getting points on the board otherwise you’ll be upset and asking for a different offense.

EducationalEngineer: If college sports did “campus connect” jerseys ala the MLB’s “city connect” jerseys, which campuses would have the best ones and what would you like to see on Tech’s version?

Jack: I love this question. The best ones so far have either been direct throwbacks (Braves) or clearly did a good job taking inspiration from the city (Angels, Marlins, Mariners). Tech would have a pretty good one I think because we have lots of history to pull from. Honestly, any of the really old teams out there I think have a good shot at making a good one.

Ben: I think Notre Dame would probably have the best campus connect jersey because they could put Touchdown Jesus on it.

Logan: Come on guys, its gonna be Oregon. Not sure what exactly Oregon would do, but Oregon’s always been the style school when it comes to unis. I think other schools of note would be USC, Army, Navy, and Maryland. I think there are certain schools which might have good ones, but those schools are too focused on tradition to really implement this idea. I imagine if this idea was brought up at Alabama they would just make the exact same jersey they’ve been wearing for the past century.

TkTheGoat: What is the worst U.S state all around?

Jack: Mississippi. I would say Florida, but they have 30-A, my favorite beach ever, so they get points for that.

Ben: My travel to other states is pretty limited, so I’ll say Florida even though I like going to the beach there.

Logan: For various reasons that I could get in trouble talking about on a sports blog... it’s Florida at the moment, but people still go there because it is a top 3 state for beaches (and you can’t get to Hawaii easily, so maybe top 2). Overall worst state? I think Jack is right, Mississippi doesn’t have much to offer in terms of things to do and natural beauty. Mississippi also just has a “vibe”, for lack of a better term, associated with it that you either like with or dislike with and its not really for me. So yeah, Mississippi is probably on the bottom.

TkTheGoat: What is the estimate on the next time Tech will win a natty in the 2 major college sports? (football or basketball) if we ever do

Jack: Some time in the next 30 years is my estimation. And it’s probably in basketball.

Ben: You won’t like my answer. Georgia Tech won’t win a national championship in football unless the inevitable split happens, and Georgia Tech is part of the lower tier. They will never be able to compete with the upper echelon of college football on any kind of consistent basis because the money is not there.

Logan: Basketball is the most likely to happen, because basketball is chaos and anything can happen (as we have often seen). Are we not counting baseball as a major sport? umm... I’m gonna say we win one in the next century, with a few good runs in baseball and basketball where we get to the Elite 8 (or baseball equivalent). Championships are hard to come by, there are plenty of schools that have never won one, I’m kind of glad that we won the 1990 championship, but I don’t see that happening again anytime soon.

TkTheGoat: Do you see Tech Football exceeding expectations or falling short?

Ben: It’s tough to say since there are so many new pieces, but over time, I have really started to like the staff that Brent Key has built, so I will say that Tech could exceed expectations this season.

Logan: In your full question I believe you indicate that 5 wins is the expectation. Statistically we are more likely to fall short. While I am hyped for the upcoming season, I think 5 wins is around where we fall. I do hope we get 6, but 5 wins is pretty reasonable given our slate and the fact that ACC teams (aside from maybe Clemson) never have all their games go the way the spread tells you they should.

DressHerInWhiteAndGold: At an aquarium or zoo, what are your go-to/must-see animals?

Jack: I can only speak to the Atlanta versions, but the pandas are always a joy. The zoo also has some awesome komodo dragons, and elephants. Hard to pass on elephants. At the aquarium, I think it’s all worth it. Every tank feels exotic.

Ben: Well, I have a tattoo of an otter on my arm, so I’ll give you a guess. Yep, that’s right! Giraffes! Truly, though, both are my must-see animals.

Logan: I think at one point the Atlanta zoo had an albino alligator which I thought was so cool as a kid. Recently I kind of dig the cuteness of red pandas so I prioritize seeing them if they are on exhibit. Also, the size of the big animals like elephants and giraffes. Gorillas are also cool. Man, this question is making me want to go to the zoo.

Submitted via email: I was just curious if you think the transfer portal in college athletics has put coaches on the clock where they are now expected to achieve success faster than before, or if you believe the portal hasn’t really changed that aspect?

Ben: I think with the transfer portal, you will definitely see coaches get fired in less than 3 seconds. In the olden days, coaches were given 3 years to “get their guys in.” Even now, I personally still think that’s a good path to live by, but college football fans are incredibly impatient.

Logan: I think sets higher expectations for coaches to see results in recruiting. If you’re not pulling in big recruits then you should at least be keeping players and/or getting talented transfers who get results on the field. I don’t know if that speeds up the timeline on showing results, but it does tack on extra results where a coach could fall short.

Submitted via email: What’s up guys,

Hope y’all are enjoying the summer season. It’s been bit hot for my tastes, but some like it hot or so I’ve been told. I’m quite looking forward to the fall for quite a few reasons, football being among them.

Question this week, so this is a bit of a stretch but I think a talented Kicker is one of the most important positions in college football if they are talented as 3 points often make a big difference in the game. I imagine most people would pick a great QB over a kicker, but how much would you be willing to give up for a kicker who is automatic once you’re past the 50 yard line? Would you give up a star RB and WR. It’s hard to quantify the answer but I guess how much value would you put on a kicker who never misses compared to other positions on the field?

Let me know what you think, have a good one guys.

-Tom Dempsey

Jack: Fascinating question. I’m sure there’s some data out there that would provide a good answer beyond just my gut feeling here. For me, I think trading a star for any of those positions is a good idea, but then, it depends on how good your star is too. If you only have one star, and you trade it for a kicker, that doesn’t seem Iike a great idea because then you can’t move the ball. There’s a balancing point somewhere there.

Ben: There are generally few instances where it is statistically better to kick a field goal as opposed to going for it on fourth down. With that being said, I would absolutely not give up a star quarterback or receiver. Running backs are easily replaceable, so unless it’s a once-in-a-generation type running back, a la Adrian Peterson, I could see giving up a good running back.

Logan: Part of this question depends on your defense, because if you are guaranteed to score 3 points every drive but the opponent is putting up 7 on every other drive then your star kicker doesn’t really matter. Initially I really thought there was significant value to having an automatic kicker, especially at the college level, but if you don’t have an offense that can get you down the field then the kicker really doesn’t play a factor into the game. Honestly it might be better to be good in every other category and just go for it on fourth down every time than to give up a star player for an automatic kicker. Per the fivethirtyeight College kickers last year had an average kick distance of 36.1 yds with an average FG % of 73.1 %. So the question is how much would you give up to get that extra 26.9% within 60 yds. I think it depends on the coach, for me I might give up a running back or a 2nd string receiver but I struggle to justify giving up high level talent for 3 pts. Somebody else will pull up statistics to show how wrong I am, but that is my take.