:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/18512253/20121231_jla_ak4_515.0.jpg)
Countdown to Kickoff: 4 Days...
Think about this. You're told today that Georgia Tech will go 1-11 this season. That is non-negotiable. The losses can be as close or embarrassing as you want. (Lose 222-0 to Elon? Sure.) However, in this scenario you get to pick which team we beat. Probably an obvious choice, but I'm going to make the case for a few different teams we might go with.
Duke
Nobody ever wants to lose to Duke. Even if we have to lose to Elon, I still wouldn't want to lose to Duke.
Virginia Tech
We haven't beaten them since 2009. Frank Beamer is a giant whiner. He actually may have been the inspiration for Red Beaulieu. We're playing them in our house. I'm sick of losing to them.
Miami
Their fans are terrible. I have this theory that if you took a picture of Callaway Plaza before last year's game and removed all colors and logos (or otherwise direct indications that a fan is for one team or another), it would be so easy to tell. Miami fans are like uga fans, but from the ghetto. I hate their program. I hate that they're probably going to get away with a lot of the garbage that they pulled with Nevin Shapiro, solely on a technicality of a botched investigation.
Pittsburgh
As we mentioned before, nobody wants to lose two straight Homecoming games! If we're going to put on a show this season, it may as well be in front of the alumni.
Clemson
How sweet would it be to shut Dabo up by going into Death Valley on a Thursday night and laying the wood on those guys? I would feel a little bad for their super-hospitable, friendly fans though.
uga
Alright, enough kidding around. 1-11 means that an ACC Championship appearance is way out of the question, and a loss on Homecoming could be more than made up here. As bonus collateral damage, losing to a 1-11 team would no doubt ruin uga's national perception, which would be just as glorious as anything.
Verdict
You already knew. I'd give up the other 11 games to beat uga.
Am I taking it too far? Is there another single game that's more important than that one?