SB Nation - Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

ACC Championship film review

DrB — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 01:28:34 -0000

More photos » by Chris O'Meara - AP

13 days ago: Georgia Tech safety Morgan Burnett (1) consols Clemson running back C.J. Spiller, right, after Georgia Tech defeated Clemson 39-34 during the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship NCAA college football game Saturday, Dec 5, 2009, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

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Please comment and ask questions on what you dont understand, these take a long time to do well. The goal here is to look for both good plays and bad technique. If theres anything that you would like to see or have explained, just ask.
Without knowing the exact assignment of each defender on every scheme called, I'm going to start from the assumption that the assignments on each play are the same. For most of the game that was the case: all the down linemen crash on the dive with the LB as force players (i.e., the QB) and the secondary with pitch responsibility. If its obvious on a play that this is not the case, I'll make note of it.

I am only going to cover Clemson's offensive highlights and lowlights on each drive, not the play by play review. I think most of us would agree that CJ was the offense and only the highlight clips need be seen.

ESPN Play-by-Play

1st CU Drive starts at the CU 29. 1st down catch by Palmer, but Walker was badly whipped on an inside move and Parker was nearly sacked. On 1st and 10 from the CU 41, CJ Spiller, 40 yards on an outside HB Power play

Parker to Ford, on what looks like a stop/quick-out, down to the 3. CJ cuts it in for the TD on another Power play. 7-0 CU, 7 plays 71 yards.

Good opening drive, Clemson using a little more motion than they have been during the winning streak.

Defensive drive starts from the GT 15. Conner has correct position on the QB after Bowers is cut blocked. He doesnt PRESS the pitch, but has position. Pitch goes to Roddy Jones for 22, because of Gilchrist being cut blocked and Thomas' block on Butler.... Next play is the same but Butler goes to the QB instead of the pitch man, WRONG ASSIGNMENT, Conner's man, and Roddy Jones for 21 more....

....Dive handled for 3.... Marcus Wright on a orbit-reverse pitch for 4, just well blocked.... Nesbitt gets a 1st down because Brandon Thompson fails to make the tackle, but excellent penetration, linebackers blown off the ball.... Anthony Allen stopped on a counter by Bowers, good job to stay home..... Dwyer on a pitch for 2, well-stopped by Sapp.... Roddy Jones was wide open with Maye in coverage, who stumbled, and dropped the ball inside the 5. 47 yd FG, 7-3, 9 plays 54 yards

GT does an outstanding job of WR blocking downfield, good at cracks and stalk blocks. I hope Clemson's WRs are paying attention to this in any film review they look at. Other than the two long pitch plays the defense was adequate. Its clear from the start that Paul Johnson wishes to attack Clemson on the perimeter.

2nd CU drive starts from our 26. Morgan moved to other side and whips both Austin and Hairston on the first pass to Harper, ran right through the B-gap. Spiller again limping a little after a tough 4 yard carry inside. Ellington for 18 right up the middle on a zone play. Damn he hits a hole fast. 2nd & 7 pass, thrown early, on what looked like a screen goes for nothing; Morgan was right in Parker's face. 3rd down throw to Allen was just off, but excellent coverage by GT. Jackson misses 52 yd FG, slipped on the bad footing.

The footing was very bad for this game, plays right into GT's hands really. I'm surprised the field condition would be that bad at an NFL stadium. Another good drive by CU but just couldnt get the 3rd down completion.

Defensive drive starts at the GT 35. Butler good job to stop Thomas one-on-one.... Nesbitt for 6, Sapp and Maye standing there. SAPP SHOULD HAMMER HIS ASS with Maye as backup on the pitch.... 3rd & 1, inside veer play, Bowers hammers Dwyer, but #15 has a hand on Maye's shoulder pads and he cant get free while Conner is woefully weak on the tackle-6 yard gain..... Pass to Peebles is too far in front of him, Safety late getting to him or it would've been a 20-30 yard gain, looks like CU is playing some Cover 4.... Goodman runs down Nesbitt for a short gain..... 3rd & 8 play, Maye blocked out by a Guard, and Dwyer goes for 20. GT had one WB set out wide on this play, forcing Clemson to shift the LBs over to cover him, Brandon Maye quickly ran over a little to where he'd have been standing normally and once he was blocked by the Guard head-on it was through.....

Midline keeper for 3.... Orbit pitch again for 7, well-blocked by GT, but Bowers nearly had him the backfield. END of 1st QTR. Tig Willard has bad position on Dwyer run for 10 outside.... Jenkins beats his blocker and tackles Dwyer for 2.... Pitch out strung out well, and well played by Willard outside.... Dwyer runs right behind his LT, Willard can't get a hand on him, nor can McDaniel (?) or Maye as he goes into the endzone. 10-7 GT, 12 plays 65 yards, 05:18

See the young guys make a good play, then follow it up with a bad one. Wingbacks for GT are doing TOO well against our LBs and Safeties in one-on-one blocks. Bowers played really well on this drive, getting off his blocks every time. The inside plays to Dwyer worked because they were double-teaming the NG (chavis or thompson) and then the extra blocker comes off and nails the LB (usually Maye). Guys are not ATTACKING the QB on the pitch.

CU starts at the 43, Parker pressured and throws it a little hard to Ellington, it bounces off his hands and right into the defender's hands at the GT 45. 9 times out of 10 that is not caught by the DB.

Defensive drive from their 45. Nesbitt for 2, well played by Maye (he got off his blocker and attacked). Maye overruns the next Dive play and doesnt attack the B-gap, and Lyons gets 6..... Same play again gets the 1st down, but Maye doesnt overrun it..... Maye carried for 2 yards as Anthony Allen goes for 8 on an orbit-pitch....Willard shoots his gap and manages to slow Dwyer down for a short gain.... 2 Missed tackles and CB to one side is cut-blocked on a 7 yd gain, but Thompson smacked Nesbitt right in the face, tremendous first step.... Jenkins offsides for 5.... Thompson beats his man again and blows up the Dive on a short gain.... KA is cut-blocked, and the safety reacts to the pitch as Peebles gets for 13 yard gain on a pass, same play as before that was incomplete down the seam.... Dive stopped for 1.... 3 penatlies push them back to the 17. Rennie Moore had a good sack negated on the holding call, and he was the one that got held.... Conner makes a great play on a dive and flattens Dwyer.... Jarvis Jenkins makes a great play to tackle Dwyer on a screen pass for a loss of 7. 49 yd FG, 13-7, 12 plays 23 yards, 07:40

A win for the defense on this drive. Thompson was unstoppable and in the backfield on every play. Maye being his usual self.

CU starts at the 35. 5 straight hard runs by Spiller, zone's and Iso plays. Spiller for 41 on the TD on a pitch, good perimeter blocking. Terrible snap on the XP attempt, absolutely terrible. 13-13, 5 plays 65 yards

There is no excuse for a snap thats THAT bad. It was behind Wade's head, be thankful he can handle the ball well.

Defensive drive starts from the GT 36 with 2:55 on the clock. Nesbitt overthrows wide open WR....Late pitch to Jones for 8 is fumbled when KA hits him, but Nesbitt recovers it. Whomever was playing the Nose on this play ate up Lyons again....Dwyer short dive for 1st down....Conner shoots the gap for a loss, GT calls TO....Comeback pass completed for 9, but good coverage by Butler....Dwyer dive for a couple...Thomas drops a 9 yard pass that was low....Throwback screen to Hill for 8, poor coverage by whomever was the CB on playside.....3rd &2 keeper gets the 1st down...Dwyer for a couple....3rd & 8 pass was underthrown to Hill and Butler was on his back, PI called. He didn't have to touch him. I think the pass was uncatchable....Pressure forces a throwaway....Pass into the flats for 8 to Melton, then GT kicks. 28 yd FG, 16-13 GT, 15 plays 53 yards, 02:49

PI call was an uncatchable pass. Again, the guys playing the Nose are eating up GT inside, but GT is combo blocking for one second and then the lineman goes up and pushes Maye 15 yards down the field. Kevin Alexander is essentially a non-factor, being cut blocked by the Wing or the OT is coming off and taking him on veers.

Clemson kneels to out the half.

Halftime

Defense: Clemson is doing OK with the dive. Thompson and Jenkins are unstoppable up front. LBs are being blocked by Guards 5-10 yards down the field at times. Perimeter play though, is just bad. The corners and safeties are being cut blocked by the Wings and WRs. They get chunks on 1st and 2nd down and set up 3rd & short yardage and we arent so good against the Dive that we can limit it to less than 2 yards.

170 yards rushing, 30 yards passing, 9/12 on 3rd down. 9 of those attempts were 4 yds or less.

But the GT blocking is exceptional. GT has the ball 19:41 to 10:19 in the half.

Offense: All CJ. 146 yards rushing, 27 yards passing, 2/3 on 3rd down

3RD QTR

Defensive drive starts from the GT 29. Pitch to Jones for 13, same play as to start the game. Sapp was there to force, but no secondary there to handle the pitch man....Bowers and Thompson eat up Dwyer....Nesbitt eaten up by Bowers, good tackle....3rd &10, same little wing pass to Peebles as before, for 8. I dont know why McDaniel was playing that far off....4th&2 at midfield, defense was expecting Dive and Bowers hits Dwyer in the mouth, Conner correctly forces the pitch, but Gilchrist was cut blocked by the Wingback, 7 yard gain....Maye takes Nesbitt for no gain on a busted play...15 yd gain by Nesbitt, Conner caught by a pitch fake and ends up hitting nobody, then Maye misses a tackle along with Gilchrist and Chancellor attempts a weak one (vid below of the loop scheme of blocking it, compare to the veer explained below, watch the RT)

...Dive for 2...Goodman misses Nesbitt, who gets free for 7. Gilchrist missed tackle. Branch finally hits him and both Maye and Alexander are 10 yards downfield.....3rd & 1,Nesbitt keeper off tackle for a 1st, NOBODY ATTACKS....Midline keeper by Nesbitt for the TD. 2 missed tackles, one weak one by McDaniel. KA blocked by the lead WB. As in game 1, Cumbie takes the Dive instead of controlling his blocker and waiting as he should. GT has more blockers than we do defenders here. 23-13 GT, 11 plays 71 yards

I've never seen RBs, and thats what these Wingbacks are, who block this well since Nebraska of the mid-90s. Its difficult for a LB to get off somebody who dives at his knees. Their linemen stick with the DEs just long enough for them to not eat up Nesbitt in the backfield, then veer to hit the LBs and drive them 10 yards.

CU starts from our 40. Spiller stopped for no gain because we have Jacoby trying to cut block Derrick Morgan, WTF? Palmer and Walker pancaked his ass on the next play though.... Palmer for 20 on a wide open out route, LB never picked him up....CJ for 36 on an outside Iso with orbit motion, excellent seal block by Palmer and Hairston to spring it, 23-20, 5 plays 60 yards

GT starts at their 30. Dive for 2...Ricky Sapp burst through backfield to stop Nesbitt for loss....D. Thomas for 70 yd TD on a hitch-n-go. 30-20.

Most disappointing play of the game, no way should he have been that open. He puts a double move on Butler, who is worried about a pitchout, on 3rd & 10. Gilchrist had his eyes on the WB, who was matched up man/man on a LB and didn't get his eyes over to Thomas. If he'd been there, no TD. I can't tell for sure whether we're playing Cover 4 or Cover 2, because of the alignment, but he should be there helping Butler. Defense finally gets them stopped on 1st and 2nd down, and we choke. I really believe the game was lost here.

CU starts at our 26. Harper gets good blocking on a couple plays, CJ didnt get too much of it on a Power O play, because of no push by Cloy/Smith on the right side.... Jacoby makes a great catch off the turf, but a badly low throw.....Parker intercepted by Terrant. He had time to get rid of the ball, and held onto it for too long, then Morgan comes free when Parker sees Spiller down the sideline. Parker never set his feet with Morgan coming and it sailed right into Terrant's arms. Whats bad is that we were trying to finally stretch the defense vertically there, which Billy hadn't called until now.

GT return puts them at the CU 28....Dive gets a couple...Botched play is thrown away by Nesbitt...late pitch to Allen gets 4 on the boundary, Conner forced him out. 40yd FG, 33-20.

Good job by the defense there to hold them, but the INT was killer.

CU starts on our 28. Ellington for 11 on a Power play, MCCLAIN MADE A BLOCK HOLY SHIT....Ellington for 30, good effort by Jacoby to block downfield, Palmer, and Walker....Start of 4th Qtr....Ford runs by Reed and had to wait on the ball just a little, and it bounced off his chest pads after Reed gave him a little bump to the facemask. Thats a bad no-call, would've been a TD. On 4th & 3 we call TO, then come out and go for it, which was the correct call to make with 14min left in the 4th down by 13. A quick out to Ford was thrown behind him, great catch for the first down....Parker sacked by Burnett on a busted play, CJ stumbled on an Isolation handoff, but WHY didnt Parker throw it away?...3rd & 15 and Parker scrambles for 12, good decision....4th & 3, flag thrown on Burnett for interfering with Palmer...CJ carried it in from 9 yards out on a HB Power. 33-27 GT, 10 plays 72 yards

Very clutch drive by the offense, two big 4th down conversions. Most of it was pass calls, not CJ, but again he kept us in it. Now we needed the defense to get a stop.

GT starts from their 25. Nesbitt gets 15 on the first play, because Conner and Maye can't get through their gaps. Bowers jumped off the line to take the PITCH, with the LB supposed to take the QB but nobody got through. An adjustment made by Steele there.

....Nesbitt eaten up for no gain....Dwyer runs right by the front line, and Maye just stands there and takes the blocker instead of playing with his eyes and seeing Dwyer. Chavis misses a tackle before McDaniel and Cumbie run him down for 12....

Sapp and Cumbie stop Dive for 3....McDaniel comes up on a pitch for a 3 yard gain, good hit and well played by the defense...3rd & 4, Dwyer gets 3 up the left side....4th down QB Sneak is stopped for no gain because Bowers blew right past his man inside, and Maye/Jenkins wrap him up. Turnover on downs.

Bowers jumped the count there. They double team Thompson on every play and they cant move him. If our LBs were any good then this drive wouldve gotten nowhere.

Clemson takes over on our 37. Spiller Iso for 54 yards. Excellent block by Allen and Dye to spring it....Makes a 4 yd gain out of a 4 yd loss on the next Power play....Ellington carries it in up the gut on 3rd & 1 on an Iso right behind Cloy, a GT lineman dove behind him and hit his right leg with his shoulder and you could see it break. 34-33 CU, 4 plays 63 yards

The drive was clutch again, but only took about a minute and a half. If we had taken another 2 minutes off, we win the game. I guess the defense was just too tired now because we didnt stop them again. Did I mention I love the isolation? CJ isnt taking it up the designed hole most of the time, so its mostly him.

GT gets the ball on their 14 with 6:11. Dabo told them to get a stop or they dont deserve a title, and we had them in their worst field position, and they just beat us. Crossed up play on incomplete pass, wrong route....Bowers doesnt take Nesbitt as he should, and he gets 8. 3rd down pitch to Allen, Gilchrist and Maye string it out excellently, but Thompson really ate his man up and had Nesbitt by the foot....4th and inches, of course they get it, but Jenkins was playing too high....Conner late in coverage on Dwyer, 21 yds....Dive for 3, Thompson and Bowers again....Quick throw to Thomas, Maxwell playing too far off him and he gets 7, thats scheme to play off his block on a pitch....Nesbitt right up the middle, MLB not charging his GAP....Again off tackle for 10, Maye is cut by the WB, Bowers correctly takes his pitch man, no OLB to see, I believe he was blocked by the LT who was lined up on Bowers...What they are doing is the Veer, where the LT doesnt really touch Bowers at all but lets him go free, as he cuts inside. With Bowers' assignment being the Pitch and not the QB, he just runs into him without looking at Nesbitt. The LT who is on Bowers veer blocks, meaning he goes inside of Bowers and hits the LB to the playside, or the one from the backside scraping. The MLB has the QB in this situation, and he's cut blocked so he cant make the tackle. Thats just perfect execution....Dive stopped by Cumbie for 2....Dive for 8, right by Bowers, Chavis was double teamed into the turf. Well blocked....Dive for 5....Maxwell misses the tackle on the 15 yd TD on what appears to be a counter. 39-34 GT, 13 plays 86 yards

Never forced another 3rd down after that 4th & 1 play.

This is the Veer, watch the Left side of the OL. An alternate scheme they threw at us is called the Loop, when the Tackle goes outside his DE.

CU ball at our 35 with 1:20. Holding pushes us back 10....Throw sails over Dye incomplete...Overthrows CJ on a Fly route, poor decision by Parker....Hits Dye stopped a yard short, low throw and he had to sit to catch it....Morgan stops Parker from scrambling for the 1st down. Game over.

Summarizing thoughts

My original post-championship thoughts

After watching this film, you spend much more time seeing just how good our defensive line really is. Da'Quan Bowers, Jarvis Jenkins, and Brandon Thompson are extremely good. We did get penetration all day with the first team DL, but Ricky Sapp was not really a factor. The backups, however, need some work. Jamie Cumbie does his job but doesnt get the same penetration from the 3-tech, and Miguel Chavis is nowhere near Thompson's ability level on the Nose. Nowhere near him.

Clemson did in fact control the Dive, which I didnt think we did when I watched it live. Look at all those carries for 2-3 yards. The inside guys did their job on the line. No way in hell would I want to play Georgia Tech without Brandon Thompson. I'll go ahead and tell you all now, they will run the Veer to Andre Branch/Malliciah Goodman's side of the field next year; Bowers gave them hell up front. You dont notice it as much because there were not as many TFL or sacks, but they had serious trouble with him.

Where this game was lost on defense is the perimeter. GT pounded away inside against us in Game 1, giving up on the veer, but in this game they kept going back outside, and thats how they killed us. In the first part of the game, the DEs were told to help stop the dive, and that opens up the perimeter for Nesbitt and a pitch man. Johnson took it. In the 2nd half, we started sending the DEs on the pitch man, with the LB assigned to the QB (force), but the LBs cant get off these cut blocks and the veering Olinemen. An OL on a LB is a win for the offense. Kevin Alexander can hold his position most of the time but doesnt get off the block. Maye is hopeless at dodging any blocker, doesnt jump into his gap and NO ONE ALL DAY attacked the QB. Even when the LBs were in the right gaps, they didnt run full force into anyone. They were tentative and appeared confused.

I dont agree with the scheme to send the DE on the Pitch, I'd have him on the QB and tell him to knock his ass flat every play. We did that in game 1, and didnt today, not at all that i noticed. 22 carries for 103 yards for Nesbitt, thats 22 times when he shouldve been flattened. The QB made this offense work, and we only took away the Dive.

Secondary play on the pitch, which was the scheme in the first half, was bad. However, Thomas is big for a WR, and its going to be hard to get anybody off him, thats why they run to his side. The safeties were late, and sometimes cut/arc-blocked by the WB to that side of the field.

Game was lost by being unable to stop them on 1st and 2nd down, not 3rd down. All 3rd downs were short. The 3rd & 10 TD is the only long 3rd down that comes to mind.

GT is the best cut-blocking team I've ever seen, and their OTs run the veer exceptionally well. We did not deserve to win this game, but C.J. Spiller did.

Offense: Good game plan by Napier, in contrast to his bed-wetting in Columbia. He knew to establish the run and did. CJ ate them alive: 20 carries for 233 and 4 TDs. 414 yards of total offense, 323 rushing, only 10 less than GT.

And it was mostly with the simplest play in football: the isolation

Clemson has started running the Power play behind the left side here as the season has tailed off, whereas for most of the year it was Austin as the pulling Guard. This is what I screamed for after the Maryland game.

Parker 10/17 for 91 yds and 2 INTs. GT played substantially more zone than in game 1 but played it well. Most play calls were rushes but still Parker is plagued by inaccuracy. His bullet was a factor in the first INT to Ellington, but Ellington shouldve caught the ball. The 2nd one is entirely on Parker. We were never able to stretch the field vertically but with 323 rushing it doesnt matter really. The offense did what it could do to seal this one.

The OL handled Morgan well enough, and we ran right at him several times. That much was improved over Game 1. Downfield and perimeter blocking was very good by our WRs and TEs, to spring loose nearly every one of CJ's big runs. It would've been nice to hold Morgan for one more second on the last play of the game, but you can't hold it against the line when they did as well as they did against a future 1st Rd pick. However, most of Spiller's Isolation runs did not go up the designated hole, so don't get too excited about the run blocking. Our OL did not fire off the ball the way GT did, which comes as no surprise considering their coach hasnt changed. The left side played well enough but the right side needs to work on their push..

ACC Football Decade Standings Kind to the Eagles

Brian @ BCI — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 19:52:53 -0000

This past decade was kind to the Eagles on the gridiron. While Florida State fans will be quick to point out that Virginia Tech, Miami and Boston College were fortunate enough to avoid being dominated by the Seminoles in the early part of this decade, the numbers below are certainly interesting. This comparison isn't 100 percent apples-to-apples given ACC expansion but BC still fares pretty well if you look across the entire body of work this decade.

The chart below shows how the ACC fared this decade in football. The seven bowl-bound teams (Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Miami, Clemson, North Carolina, Boston College and Florida State) have one more game to play as we wrap up the aughts.

ACC All-Decade Standings (sorted by Overall Winning Percentage)

Team	Conf.*	Pct.	Overall	Pct.	Bowls	BCS	ACC Title	NFL Draft	1st Rd.
Virginia Tech	38-10	.792	98-32	.754	10	3	3	47	4
Miami (Fla.)	25-23	.521	92-32	.742	9	4	0	63	26
Boston College	26-14	.650	88-39	.693	10	0	0	21	7
Florida State	55-25	.688	84-44	.656	10	4	4	55	13
Georgia Tech	50-30	.625	81-47	.633	10	1	1	22	1
Clemson	47-33	.588	78-47	.624	9	0	0	24	3
Maryland	41-39	.513	71-52	.577	6	1	1	26	3
NC State	34-46	.425	65-58	.528	6	0	0	27	5
Virginia	32-48	.513	65-59	.524	6	0	0	32	6
Wake Forest	32-48	.400	61-60	.504	4	1	1	17	2
North Carolina	32-48	.400	53-67	.442	4	0	0	26	4
Duke	7-73	.088	19-97	.164	0	0	0	2	0

Decade Notes

Expansion Bang For The Buck. Virginia Tech, Miami and Boston College run 1-2-3 in terms of best overall winning percentage on the decade. These three schools also account for 36 percent of all NFL Draft picks from ACC schools, as well as the same number of first-round Draft picks (37) as the rest of the pre-expansion teams combined. That number, of course, is largely propped up by Miami's 26 first-rounders.

Just How Bad Were The Carolina Schools? Pretty bad. NC State led the way with 34 conference wins, followed by Wake Forest and North Carolina at 32, and Duke managed just 7 wins in 10 years (and that included quite a few 0-8 seasons). In four less seasons, Virginia Tech managed to surpass every North Carolina schools' ACC win total. The four NC finished last in conference winning percentage, yet we continue to let these guys run the conference.

A Tale of Two Dynasties. Florida State dominated the pre-expansion ACC, winning 4 of the decade's first 6 ACC titles. Virginia Tech is the big winner post-expansion, claiming 3 of the decades final 6 titles. The Hokies and Seminoles run 1-2 in overall conference winning percentage.

A Perfect 10 for 10. Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Florida State and BC were the only ACC programs to appear in a bowl game every year this decade. Miami and Clemson appeared in 9 bowl games. Clemson fans will jump all over me if I don't mention that the Tigers were indeed bowl-eligible the one year they did not go to a bowl (2004), but they declined the invite as punishment for "The Brawl" incident in the season finale against South Carolina. On the other end of the spectrum, Duke, of course, went 0-for-bowling this decade.

The Century Mark. With a win in the Peach Bowl over Tennessee, Virginia Tech will finish one win shy of reaching the century mark for total number of wins this decade (99). Luckily for Duke, a season only had 11 games during the first half of the decade. Otherwise Duke would likely have eclipsed the century mark for total number of losses (97).

Team Notes

Boston College. If I were to tell you before 2000 that BC would produce more first-round NFL draft picks (7) than any ACC program other than Florida State (13) and Miami (26), you would have told me I was crazy, right? The Eagles .693 overall winning percentage and .650 ACC winning percentage are good for third among current ACC programs.

Clemson. The Tigers own the best ACC winning percentage (.588) of pre-expansion ACC teams that failed to win an ACC title this decade (a group that includes Virginia and all four Carolina schools). On a plus note, Clemson never turned in a losing season in ACC play over their last ten seasons.

Duke. Duke's sad trip through the aughts produced 6 winless ACC seasons. The Blue Devils waited nearly four full seasons before registering their first ACC win this decade (a 41-17 victory over Georgia Tech on November 8, 2003). This season alone, Duke earned 42 percent of their ACC victories this decade (3 of 7).

Florida State. Florida State's 55 NFL draft picks were good for second in the conference, only 8 behind Miami's 63 draft picks. However, Miami produced twice as many first-rounders as FSU this decade. The Seminoles .688 overall winning percentage is good for second in the conference, while their .656 ACC winning percentage leaves them fourth behind all three post-expansion programs. (I know, I know. Sample size, right?)

Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets have produced 22 NFL draft picks, good for 9th this decade. However, their lone first-round draft pick (Calvin Johnson, 2nd overall in 2007) is the lowest number of first round picks for an ACC program not named Duke.

Maryland. Maryland's 1-7 ACC campaign ties them with Virginia as both programs finished 2 games over .500 in ACC play this decade. Maryland, of course, gets the nod for better program over UVA with an ACC Championship and a better overall winning percentage tipping the scales in the Terps favor.

Miami. A large part of the U's success this decade came well before their jump to the ACC. The Hurricanes' 92-32 overall record is largely the result of back-to-back BCS National Championship Game appearances. All four of their BCS bowl appearances occurred while a member of the Big East. I'm unsure but have to imagine that Miami's 63 NFL Draft picks and 26 first-rounders are a decade-best (next best USC with 61 and 15?).

NC State. NC State finishes the decade on a fairly sour note. Their 2-6 ACC mark in 2009 matches a decade-worst record in conference (2006). The Wolfpack finished with more losing seasons in the ACC (5) than winning seasons (1) with several 4-4 seasons sprinkled in. Tom O'Brien's record the last three seasons (16-21) is nearly identical to Chuck Amato's final three seasons in Raleigh (15-20) before Amato was shown the door.

North Carolina. A late-decade Butch Davis rebirth couldn't stave off a below-.500 decade in the ACC for the Tar Heels. The Heels finish the decade at .400 in the ACC, tied with fellow Tobacco Road program Wake Forest. Heels fans really suffered through a good part of this decade. UNC had two winning seasons to start the decade, followed by seven straight losing/.500 seasons (they can thank the Eagles for the lone .500 season), and only a couple of 8 wins seasons under Butch Davis to finish the decade off on a high note. A win in the Car Care Bowl will give the Heels the most wins in a season since Mack Brown's final season in Chapel Hill (1997).

Virginia. UVA has produced a lot of NFL talent this decade and only has one ACC co-championship to show for it. The Cavaliers produced the fourth highest total of NFL Draft picks (32) and first-rounders (6) in the ACC this decade. Only Frank Beamer and Bobby Bowden coached in more games this decade than Al Groh (112, which leaves him tied for third with Ralph Friedgen).

Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech has dominated the ACC since joining the league, posting a 38-10 (.792) record in six seasons. Out of Virginia Tech's 10 conference losses, no team has beaten the Hokies more than the Eagles (3 times - 2006, 2007, 2008) but sadly, never when it really counted.

Wake Forest. Jim Grobe should be commended for turning around one of the ACC's doormat programs into ACC Champs in 2006. Grobe inherited a team that had gone 38-74 the decade before, largely under the leadership of Jim Caldwell (funny what a head coach can accomplish with Peyton Manning as your quarterback). Grobe's 9 seasons in Winston-Salem produced a 59-51 record that gave Wake Forest a winning record this decade (61-60).

* ACC Championship Game results were not included in the final conference W-L record. Conference records for Virginia Tech and Miami are from 2004-present. BC's conference record is from 2005-present.

Ed note: most numbers were calculated by hand so there may be a few numbers slightly off. Keep me honest in the comments section or email us at bcinterruption at gmail dot com.

Ranking the Big Ten Bowls by Difficulty

Law Buckeye — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:48:55 -0000

It appears the mainstream consensus is that the Big Ten will suffer another disastrous bowl season. Just yesterday, ESPN's Pat Forde predicted we would match last year's 1-6 performance. A single win is a long way away from the four wins necessary to escape with a winning record. That got me thinking, just how high of a mountain do we have to climb? Let's look at how the seven bowls stack up against each other in degree of difficulty (easiest to hardest), and the likelihood of a Big Ten win in each one.

Don't forget to go back and submit your Bowl Prediction sheet for another chance to win a prize. For winning the regular season OPC, Seattle Hawkeye won...a hat. You may win...something cooler. Hardest bowls to pick so far are Stanford-Oklahoma and PSU-LSU.

7. Insight Bowl (Minnesota v. Iowa State) December 31st, Tempe, AZ

It's hard to get excited about two 6-6 squads going mano a mano on the NFL Network. It's also hard for Minnesota fans to shake the stigma that Purdue would have been a better Big Ten representative on the national stage. Although the Golden Gopher's offense is sometimes been less visible than the Emperor's New Clothes, Iowa State is the epitome of mediocre. It ranked 8th in the Big 12 in total offense, and 11th in total defense during the regular season. Minnesota ranked last in the Big 10 in total offense, but finished sixth in defense. Sadly, I think this is the Big Ten's "easiest" matchup.

Big Ten's Chances of a Win: 70%

6. Champs Sports Bowl (Wisconsin v. Miami) December 29th, Orlando, FL

Four games into the season it looked the "The U" had restored its swagger and was predestined to win the ACC. The Canes held Georgia Tech to 95 rushing yards, before giving up 287 to Virginia Tech. Wisconsin's offense is beautifully balanced (206 ypg rushing, 209 ypg passing), which makes me think they can do to Miami what they couldn't do to Florida State last year: sustain consistent drives. The potential for John Clay to run downhill makes this game the second most manageable for the Big Ten.

Big Ten's Chances of a Win: 55%

5. Capital One Bowl (Penn State v. LSU) January 1st, Orlando, FL

Although neither team has a quality win, I have to give a slight edge to Penn State here because of its defense. On the other hand, LSU has swapped helmet paint with a tougher slate of opponents, and might be battle tested. It's clear that Les Miles has had issues focusing this team, and the pressure on him to win might compromise his preparations.

Big Ten's Chances of a Win: 52%

4. Outback Bowl (Northwestern v. Auburn) January 1st, Tampa, FL

Northwestern's defense has had plenty of opportunities to prepare for the spread. They also have a more than functional offense, and a coach that's as meticulous as anyone in his preparations. Auburn's defense has been MIA since August. Still, the Tigers led No. 1 Alabama for three and a half quarters, and if their performance in the Outback Bowl comes anywhere close to matching that effort, Northwestern gets bruised.

Big Ten's Chances of a Win: 45%

3. Fed Ex Orange Bowl (Iowa v. Georgia Tech) January 5th, Miami, FL

Some people might be surprised to see me place a BCS bowl in the middle of the rankings, but I think Iowa matches up nicely against the Yellow Jackets. If the Hawk's come up with a defense that contends with Tech's vaunted triple option (and that's a big "if"), the physicality of Iowa's offensive line can steal the show. I've got faith in you, Norm Parker.

Big Ten's Chances of a Win: 44%

2. Rose Bowl Game Presented by Citi (Ohio State v. Oregon) January 1st, Pasadena, CA

All eyes will be on Pasadena when the unstoppable Oregon Ducks meet the immovable Ohio State Buckeyes. But beneath the strength-versus-strength storyline there's the reality that Ohio State might not be able to finish drives against a surprisingly fast Oregon defense. So, the Buckeyes move the ball 60 yards and stall. What about Oregon? They'll be forced to to punt or settle for field goals through three and a half quarters. The difference here, is Oregon's quick-strike capability A few missed tackles in space and the Ducks can put the game out of reach. Moreover they score on any play. Ohio State can't.

Big Ten's Chances of a Win: 40%

1. Valero Alamo Bowl (Michigan State v. Texas Tech) January 2nd, San Antonio, TX

Michigan State's porous secondary spelled disaster against the Red Air-Raiders, and that was before Mark Dantonio suspended eight players. Without receivers Mark Dell and B.J. Cunningham, and defensive back Chris L. Rucker, the deck is stacked against the Spartans.

Big Ten's Chances of a Win: 25%

Tech-Iowa ATS

BirdGT — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:00:18 -0000

More photos » by John Raoux - AP

Wish I could sell some crystal and bet on the Ramblin' Reck. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

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Since 1999, Iowa has gone 77-53-1 against the spread. Paul Johnson's Tech teams have gone 15-7-1 ATS. This season, CPJ's squad was 8-4 ATS with losses to Georgie, Clemson, Miami, and Wake Forest. Ferentz's squad has gone 7-4 with losses to Northwestern, Arkansas State, Minnesota, and Michigan. "Losses" meaning the team didn't cover the spread.

It's an interesting gauge on how good/bad a team is perceived by the general public, media, and Vegas. Vegas wants the ATS record to be around 50% so they'll shoot up some ridiculous spreads just to see what the betters do. And if you look at Iowa's run under Ferentz, you'll see it's around 58.8% winning percentage.

Using the spread as a predictor, we like the fact that Vegas has Tech at -4. It shows that the general perception amongst football talking heads is a GT win. Also, seeing as Paul Johnson's record at GT is 65.2% ATS, we like GT's odds to cover against Iowa. However, the Hawkeyes are 4-0 as underdogs this season. What are your thoughts on the spread? Too low/high or just right?

7-5 > 89-27: Lane Kiffin's Plan Apparently Involves Robbing Tennessee Volunteers Fans of Math Skills and Manners

T Kyle King — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 03:19:02 -0000

Last October, when the Georgia Bulldogs lost to the Tennessee Volunteers, I was strongly critical of the Red and Black for their poor performance against a team of questionable quality. This drew quite a bit of criticism from Big Orange fans who apparently missed my point, which I thought would have been made quite clear by the apportionment of my word count to particular subjects, but time passed, I gave the Vols their due (albeit only their due and no more), and the storm blew over . . . or so I thought.

Earlier today, I received the following e-mail from a member of the Vol faithful, whose name I have omitted but who confirms the correctness of the axiom "a fish rots from the head down" by being buttholier-than-thou:

Dear, Mr. King, I went back and read your article on the complete and utter ass whipping we gave your team in October. In case you don't remember, it was 45-19 and the renaissance of Jonathan Crompton began that day. If you will, let's revisit some gems from that article...

"the Vols are a terrible football team. Simply stated, they suck."

"They aren’t going to beat anyone all year who’s any good."

"They aren't going to look competent offensively against anyone that's the least bit decent."

And, my personal favorite, "They aren't going to a bowl game."

Wow, as the season has drawn to a close, you couldn't have been more wrong.

Lane Kiffin proved you so wrong. He proved he could coach, and made you look foolish.

Not only did we destroy Georgia, we beat South Carolina, Kentucky, and almost beat Alabama.

Your theory of Kiffin not being able to coach his own talent was proven wrong when he coached up much worse talent than he was given to start with.

To add insult to injury, he has made Georgia his playground by taking commitments from several key Georgia natives including Jawuan James who Richt and Co. wanted badly.

We started 3 walk-ons, two on the the OL, and had a 1,200 yard rusher, with two walk-ons. Run that through your head. Your team's OL is too soft to even have one 1,000 yard rusher. Also, your team is one of the most penalized in the conference, if not the most. Meanwhile, Tennessee is one of the least penalized in the conference. But, hey, at least Mark Richt is a good guy.

Also, Kiffin turned the worst SEC quarterback in the last fifteen years into a guy who might get drafted. Yes, Crompton might get drafted. Not only that, we will miss him more than we will Eric Berry next year. Run that through your head for a second.

So, now that Georgia is the 3rd best team in the SEC, and possibly 4th (Would take USCe over Georgia everyday), what do you have to say 'bout Lane Kiffin?

Is he still a clown who won't win with the talent he's recruiting?

Don't even bring up the NCAA allegations because you are stupid if you think we'll actually get penalized.

So, the Lane Train keeps on rollin', and Georgia, well....I don't know what you would call Georgia's program. Slow motion, maybe? Stuck in mud? I don't know, I know Bud Foster played Mark Richt like a fiddle to get more money, and Kirby Smart turned down the job.

You'll have graduate assistants possibly calling plays in your bowl game, but hey, Mark Richt is a good man. Who cares about a football coach, right?

P.S. I wonder if Marlon Brown regrets his decision?

Frankly, I was a bit at a loss to know how to respond to that bilious screed, partly because I am a big believer in the idea of being magnanimous in victory and defiant in defeat, and partly because there is some serious cognitive dissonance going on there.

I mean, maybe we didn’t have a 1,000-yard rusher because we had, y’know, three running backs splitting time in the backfield? Just a thought. As for the gentleman’s willingness to take the South Carolina Gamecocks "over Georgia everyday," that choice would have served him well only on fourteen of the 62 days on which the Classic City Canines and the Palmetto State Poultry actually have met on the gridiron, including just one of the most recent eight. I’m not sure that even the most rabid South Carolina partisan would claim the ‘Dawgs were fourth in the Eastern Division behind the ‘Cocks, inasmuch as the two teams finished with identical overall records, Georgia had a better conference record, the Red and Black won the head-to-head meeting, and (arguably) the Big Chickens’ best win was over the Clemson Tigers, a team that lost twice to the Bulldogs’ most accomplished victim, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Methinks my not-so-humble correspondent is getting a tad too much of his corn from a jar.

In the end, I sent back the following reply, from which my correspondent’s name once again has been omitted:

Dear ______,

Congratulations on the rich full life that leaves you feeling compelled to revisit two-month old blog posts in order to mine the nuggets which are conducive to your point but which were ancillary to mine. As ought to have been clear, the point of my posting was to criticize Georgia, not Tennessee, and the subsequent firings of three coaches indicate the correctness of my position.

However, I congratulate you on the rousing success of going 7-5 overall and 4-4 in SEC play. I am glad to know that some fans are pleased with their teams, as I am dejected over going 7-5 overall and 4-4 in SEC play. I guess that is the sort of perspective one gains from having won an SEC championship---two, as a matter of fact---in the 21st century.

I applaud your dedication to your belief that Lane Kiffin is a good coach and Mark Richt is a bad one despite the fact that Lane Kiffin's best season produced results identical to Mark Richt's worst one. Personally, I have always been constrained by reality, and I therefore am willing to change my views when given evidence upon the basis of which to do so. For instance, I routinely have recognized Tennessee fans as the classiest among the Bulldogs' annual rivals. Now that I have heard from you, I will know better than to repeat that mistaken sentiment.

We'll look forward to seeing you in Athens next October 9. Happy holidays!

T. Kyle King

I don’t know about you, but I was a bit more in the Christmas spirit after that exchange, for it reminded me that there is something worse than being 7-5 and knowing that means you’re not good; you could be 7-5, mistakenly believe that means you’re good, and be a jerk about it. The first step in the direction of getting better is admitting there’s a problem. The second step is not being a jackass while in the process of taking the subsequent requisite steps toward improvement.

Obviously, I was mistaken when stating that Tennessee was not going to a bowl game; the Volunteers are headed for the Chick-fil-A Bowl, and they deserved to receive a bid to the Outback Bowl. I do not know that I was particularly wrong about Jonathan Crompton, who ranked ninth in the league in pass efficiency rating in a year in which the SEC quarterback class was not strong, and I am far from fearful about the future prospects for an aerial attack coordinated by anyone named Kippy.

I stand by the position that a team didn’t beat anyone good when that team’s victims were Western Kentucky (0-12 in the Sun Belt), Ohio (9-4 in the MAC), Georgia (7-5), South Carolina (7-5), Memphis (2-10 in Conference USA), Vanderbilt (2-10), and Kentucky (7-5), because I think beating someone good involves defeating at least one BCS conference opponent with a winning percentage over .583, but your mileage may vary. If the guy who wrote to me is made upbeat by a record that has me declaring the doom of all that is right and good, who am I to tell him he shouldn’t be willing to settle for the mediocrity for which I will not stand? To each his own, I suppose.

Go ‘Dawgs!

BLACK HEART GOLD PODCAST 17: SWINDLED

Hawkeye State — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:32:48 -0000

You'll need this for later. Trust us.

Episode 17, in the calm before the storm of bowl season, is a perfect opportunity to preview the Big Ten bowl slate with the only man who could compare LSU playcalling to a French absurdist play. That's right: It's Spencer Hall, the Artist Occasionally Known as Orson Swindle, joining your hosts to discuss Auburn's Island of Misfit Quarterbacks, how the Alamo Bowl resembles the opening scene from Monty Python's Meaning of Life, and things to do in Orlando when you're from Wisconsin.

Listen below or on iTunes.

BHGPodcast 17

Derrick Morgan vs. the Iowa OL

BirdGT — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:30:28 -0000

More photos » by Al Goldis - AP

Booyah. Sacked. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)

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Iowa's offensive line has 8 guys with solid experience. They've accounted for over 148 starts. Derrick Morgan has started in 26 games on the Flats and earned AP All America status this season. Three Iowa lineman have started in more games than Morgan: Junior Bryan Buluga (27) and seniors Kyle Calloway (36) and Rafael Eubanks (36).

Iowa is notorious for poor pass protection. They've allowed almost 30 sacks/season over the last three seasons. Reese Morgan is the offensive line coach and has been for the last 10 years.

Morgan has racked up 19.5 sacks and 29 tackles for loss in his three seasons at Tech. He saw little action his freshman year as he was behind current NFLers Michael Johnson and Darrell Robertson. Last year, Morgan built up his stats and MJ was the focus of opposing OL coaches and their double teams. This season, despite constant double teams, Derrick has continued to improve. What makes him such a force is his strength, speed, and motor (see 2:59 mark). The reason his NFL Draft stock is so high is because he plays hard on every play.

I've already pointed out the fact that Iowa is prone to pass on 3rd down and this tendency has led to a majority of their sacks. Tech fans are generally excited when they look at this match up on paper. If Iowa wants to succeed at all in the passing game, it'll require a heckuvan effort from their freshmen running backs chipping the Beast from Coatesville.

I'm assuming Bulaga, Eubanks, and Calloway are starting alongside Julian Vandervelde and Riley Reiff, the relative weak links. Reiff is a redshirt freshmen with only 12 games of experience. Reiff moved over from defensive end to play guard for the Hawkeyes. Vandervelde is a seasoned junior who's seen a bit of action but never quite had the talent to break into the starting role until attrition slid him in. Look for Morgan to pick up weaknesses in the game film and exploit them.

Poll

What do you expect from Derrick Morgan against the Iowa OL?

Demaryius Thomas vs. Amari Spievey

BirdGT — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:06:40 -0000

More photos » by Sara D. Davis - AP

Beasted. (AP Photo/Sara D. Davis)

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Note: This was supposed to publish at 8AM but it seems there has been some issues with the scheduling of posts. Either way, here you go.

Two guys. One catches all of our passes. One hits guys that catch passes. I'm not familiar with the Hawkeyes' defensive backfield philosophy (boundary/strong side/man-man) but based on talent alone I'm assuming Amari Spievey will be assigned to defend Demaryius Thomas a majority of the time. Black Heart Gold Pants said this of Spievey:

We haven't seen Spievey get "beaten" very much; usually, if someone completes a throw on him, it's a pass to the flat, and it ends with Amari putting his helmet through the player's femur and ending the play.

The match up is not the first this season for Thomas against talented players in the secondary. Thomas' statistically worst game was against the Tarheels. Two All-ACC performers in Deunta Williams and Kendric Burney were assigned to Bay Bay but in limiting Thomas, the Tarheels couldn't slow down the rushing attack. They sacrificed run support for stopping Thomas and his big plays. UNC didn't win but they limited our deep passing game.

Wake Forest limited Thomas, as well. Wake defended the edge and the pass with great discipline but sacrificed the dive. Jonathan Dwyer racked up 200 yards because of it. Wake limited the QB and A-Backs to 5.4 yards per carry but gave up a whopping 8.7 yards per carry to Dwyer and Preston Lyons. (averaged between the two)

The problem presented to defensive coordinators is that wide receivers in Paul Johnson's offense are expected to block. Thomas is a big dude and he enjoys leveling unsuspecting defensive backs - particularly safeties on the triple option. Because of his excellent blocking ability, we typically run to Demaryius' side of the field. Corners have to keep their eyes in the backfield in case it's play action or an option-pass. The worst place to be on defense when playing against a Paul Johnson offense is at the point of attack. For the most part, we'll be lead blocking all of our edge plays with Demaryius Thomas and the corner matched up with him will be catching Hell all night. If Thomas isn't picking up the corner, then a tackle or slot back will. The corner's gotta be able to take a beating and just be prepared to force the slot backs back inside or beat the block and make a tackle. If Spievey can't make 5-6 solo tackles in this game, I don't see Iowa's defense having much success at all

Outside the realm of blocking, Bay Bay has become a pretty refined wide receiver in Johnson's offense. He has an excellent ability to fake corners. He beats guys on jump balls with regularity and is fast enough to beat safeties in single coverage. Norm Parker's guys have got their hands full.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Demaryius in one on one at first just so Norm can see how the talent lines up. It would take a nasty turnover for Paul Johnson to stop going to Demaryius Thomas deep. Even then, if it were a poorly thrown ball, I wouldn't be surprised if we kept going his way. Seeing as Iowa's defense relies on the front seven, we should probably expect an unusual mix of passing to start the game. Like BHGP said, this battle could be an important part in determining the winner of the looming Iowa-GT War.

Hawkeyes vs Yellow Jackets coverage

Could Big Ten Expansion Force the SEC to Bring In a New School?

T Kyle King — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:15:09 -0000

Big Ten expansion talk is all the rage, even here in SEC country, and, while the Notre Dame Fighting Irish remain atop the list despite being obviously unattainable and the Pittsburgh Panthers make the most sense, much attention is being paid to the apparently interested Missouri Tigers, with respect to whom Big Ten aficionados not only have an idea, they have a plan.

Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that happens. Short of the Golden Domers climbing down from their high horse (which isn’t going to happen now that the arrival of Brian Kelly has ensured Notre Dame’s inevitable return to ~~relevance~~ ~~competence~~ dominance), conference expansion is a zero-sum game; if the Big Ten increases from eleven teams to twelve by poaching Mizzou, the Big 12 decreases from twelve teams to eleven. The Big 12 is going to need a new team.

Maybe it’s just the traditionalist in me, but it seems to me that there can be only one choice for Big 12 expansion should Missouri bolt for browner pastures. The Arkansas Razorbacks have a longstanding rivalry with the Texas Longhorns, currently have a series going with the Texas A&M Aggies, and have deep Southwest Conference roots. Turnabout is fair play, so a Big Ten that includes Missouri could mean a Southeastern Conference sans Arkansas.

If the first domino falls, the line could topple all the way to the SEC’s doorstep, raising the question . . . where would the SEC turn if it had to replace the Hogs? The options, it would seem, are these, in no particular order:

Louisville Cardinals: U. of L. shares an in-state rivalry with the Kentucky Wildcats and just hired longtime SEC defensive coordinator Charlie Strong. The ‘Ville would bolster the league’s basketball reputation but the Cardinals have been only intermittently good at football. Still, as a current member of an automatic BCS-qualifying conference, Louisville would have to get a look, although it’s too bad the Cards would be brought in to replace Arkansas, because a series between Bobby "Pignocchio" Petrino’s current and former schools would be fun to watch.

South Florida Bulls: I’m not saying they deserve it, but any number of SEC coaches would love another annual opportunity to travel to the recruiting hotbed of the Sunshine State. Tampa is an attractive market and USF has been consistently respectable (albeit no more than that) since making the jump to the Big East. You’d have to think the Florida Gators would scream and howl at having to add an in-state conference rival to their existing slate, though. This brings us to . . .

Florida St. Seminoles: Let’s not mince words here. If you were an SEC football fan in 1991, you thought Bobby Bowden ducked the SEC in order to pad FSU’s schedule with ACC games. It’s time to atone for that gutless decision now that the Jimbo Fisher era is underway. This would make great sense for the Gators, whose season-ender against the ‘Noles would count as a conference game, although it likely would increase the pressure on the Saurians to schedule the Miami Hurricanes more frequently. Regular trips to Tallahassee by the Georgia Bulldogs would please the conspiracy theorists among the Red and Black fan base, who would wonder regularly whether Mark Richt would just stay put once he got back to his old stomping grounds. While we’re on the subject of in-state out-of-conference rivals, I suppose I should mention . . .

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: I would be 100 per cent opposed to this idea, but you’d have to admit it makes sense. The Engineers played in the SEC for many years and were a part of some of the league’s great rivalries at one time. The Ramblin’ Wreck left the conference at the tail end of the Bobby Dodd era and had their efforts to rejoin the league rebuffed, so both sides might be lukewarm on a reconciliation. After both of this year’s ACC division champions fell to middling SEC East outfits that came into their battles for local bragging rights sporting 6-5 ledgers, it’s doubtful whether the Orange Bowl-bound Golden Tornado would want to trade a shot at a big-money bowl in the soft ACC for a lower spot in the league pecking order. In theory, Georgia Tech could enjoy home town advantage in an SEC championship game, but, honestly, that’s not much of a risk.

Clemson Tigers: Admittedly, I’m biased, but this option makes the most sense to me. The Country Gentlemen are comfortably within the SEC’s geographic footprint and share longstanding rivalries with the ‘Dawgs and the South Carolina Gamecocks. The Fort Hill Felines also share a common heritage with several other SEC schools which would make league games intriguing: Walter Riggs and John Heisman established strong ties between Clemson and the Auburn Tigers; the Alabama Crimson Tide have produced numerous coaches for the Orange and Purple, including Frank Howard, Danny Ford, and current skipper Dabo Swinney; Charley Pell landed both Clemson and Florida on probation; the LSU Tigers could host the Country Gentlemen in Death Valley before traveling to face them in Death Valley. Culturally, the Tiger faithful are a much more comfortable fit with the rabid fans of the Southeastern Conference than with the Big Ten wannabes of the Atlantic Coast Conference and an SEC association certainly wouldn’t hurt the proud Clemson baseball program. Should we be willing to trade the Razorbacks for the Tigers? Ken Hatfield certainly was, and he was an Arkansas alum.

If it were up to me, the Big Ten would add Missouri, the Big 12 would add Arkansas, the SEC would add Clemson, and the ACC would . . . actually, I don’t care what the ACC does. I say let’s ship the Hogs back to their old stomping grounds, move the Tennessee Volunteers over from the SEC East to the SEC West (where the Vols properly belong, given their natural rivalries with Alabama and Auburn), add Clemson to the SEC East, and have at it.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Getting To Know the Hawkeyes' Traditions

Winfield Featherston — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:00:25 -0000

Georgia Tech and its fans pride themselves themselves on traditions of the Institute, both in football and academia. From the Ramblin' Reck to Rat Caps to Budweiser, every tradition has a story that we know and love. Some of the best traditions in college football are traditions that can just be considered "dumb" with "dumb stories" from outsiders such as dotting the "i" in Ohio State (I didn't call it dumb), the mascots of Auburn, and yes, even Budweiser. As such a tradition-rich school like Georgia Tech, I wanted to see what type of traditions Iowa holds.

Why a Hawkeye? The term "hawkeye" was first used in the book "Last of the Mohicans" and it was later used as a term to describe those who lived in the Iowa area in the the 1840's. I could not exactly find the relation between Iowa and Last of the Mohicans. I guess it just sounds cool or something.

Mascot: Their mascot is a hawk named Herky, a reference to Hercules. Costumed Herky is older than Buzz, first taking the field in 1959. I guess it's more original than Buzz. Herky's head is made of ceramic which lets him have his mouth open at all times and seemingly willing to eat small babies in one fell swoop. Naturally this is a terrifying thought to a small child and I can only imagine how many kids run away from the sight of the Hawk running up to them, wings spread out.

Bears!: Just like Georgia Tech, Iowa also has had a bear live under the bleachers and serve as an unofficial mascot. Unlike, Georgia Tech, this bear was not a product of a Rose Bowl victory and the story does not end well. The Iowa bear's name was "Burch" and he was imported from the land of Idaho. From the years of 1908-1910, he was the school's unofficial mascot as he lived in the stadium and toured the sidelines until he drowned in the Iowa River. Yet again, Georgia Tech proves to win in the "unofficial mascot Bear war" in that "Bruin" AKA "Stumpy's Bear" outgrew his stadium and was donated to the zoo. Though, we do have "Sideways the Dog" a lovable pup who died due to eating rat poison.

Burch vs. Bruin

Fight Songs: Their fight song pales in comparison to ours. All fight songs take a backseat to ours. The songs goes as follows (click the lyrics to hear the song):

The word is "Fight! Fight! Fight! for IOWA,
Let every loyal Iowan sing;
The word is "Fight! Fight! Fight! for IOWA,"
Until the walls and rafters ring (Go Hawks!)
Come on and cheer, cheer, cheer, for IOWA
Come on and cheer until you hear the final gun.
The word is "Fight! Fight! Fight! for IOWA,"
Until the game is won.

Yes, I will take drinking and daming the rival please.

School Colors: The Iowa Hawkeyes wear black and gold and I don't know why. We wear gold because we wanted to insult the university [sic] of georgia by beating them handidly in a color they refused to wear because they believed yellow was"cowardly."

War Heroes: Both Iowa and Georgia Tech have men who are influential in Heisman Trophy history who leave their impacts beyond the gridiron. Iowa has a man by the name of Nile Kinnick who won the Heisman in 1939 and was a consensus All-American that same year. During World War II, Kinnick was a Naval pilot. In 1943, Kinnick was flying a routine training mission off the coast of Venezuela when he had to do an emergency landing in the water and died in the process. His body was never recovered. Nile Kinnick is one of two numbers retired in Iowa football history.

Georgia Tech has a similar story that we all know, the story of Clint Castleberry. In 1942, Castleberry's freshman year, the Yellow Jackets went 11-2 with Clint finishing 3rd in the Heisman race which is still the highest a freshman has ever been placed for the Heisman. After the 1942 season, Castleberry joined the Army Air Force. On November 7, 1944 Castleberry was flying a B-26 Marauder over Liberia. He never arrived at his destination point and was never heard from again. To this day, Clint Castleberry's jersey number (#19) is the only number to ever be retired in Georgia Tech football history.

I think we'll still take Georgia Tech traditions and history over Iowa traditions and history but it is always interesting to see where the other schools come from and what is special to them. Traditions are what make college football so great.

Iowa fans! Did I miss any key event or tradition?

Hawkeyes vs Yellow Jackets coverage