Thanks to our new sponsor Inteleca for helping bring back Q's Take my weekly look at things around GT and college sports from my vantage.
Georgia Tech football need to win three games to get to a bowl game for the first time since 2018 and it will be a series of six one-week seasons for the Yellow Jackets starting with Boston College this weekend at BDS. This will also be the first home ACC game for the Jackets because of the opener in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Tech is 2-0 on the road in ACC play and 0-1 in "neutral site games."
New defensive coordinator Kevin Sherrer has had a week to implement whatever quick fixes he has for the defense including changing meetings, practice or whatever other preparation methods he felt needed a shake-up.
The Eagles also bring to town one of the least favorite things for Tech fans, a running quarterback in former Ware County (Ga.) standout Thomas Castellanos who has 500 yards rushing with seven TDs and a 5+ yard per carry average. He has as 2:1 touchdown to interception ratio and has thrown the ball well at times.
The winner of this game will likely set themselves up for a bowl berth as both teams have games that are tough for them ahead with Tech having a way harder schedule both in the front and the back end.
Can the Jackets put the misery of the Bowling Green game away and play like the team that beat Miami and Wake Forest and showed signs in Louisville and Ole Miss of being a good team or will they play down to the competition and give life to the Eagles?
That is the big question heading into this game. Tech has been on the extreme ends of the spectrum all season with marvelous quarters followed by offensive outages or poor defense. That second thing cost Andrew Thacker his play-calling duties.
This is still a rebuilding program, a new culture and a new team in many ways that is very different from the GC3 era, but Key has to figure out how to have his guys ready to play their best each week down the stretch. The ceiling has been shown and the floor as well. They have yet to find consistent middle ground week to week.
BC is a team that Georgia Tech should beat, but the question remains will they take care of business and silence critics and doubters and build some momentum for the second half of the season?
After watching UNC for the third time this season, they are really good now with Tez Walker and Drake Maye is not Sam Howell, he is more of a gamer and a tougher QB. UNC's defense is still inconsistent but they are better than the last few iterations. That is going to be a very difficult game. That is as far as you can look or think at this point with the program.
Seeing Miami self-destruct the last two weeks thanks to quality performances by GT and UNC on defense also goes to show how quickly the narrative can change in CFB.
The Canes were a sexy pick to be a better team but the numbers are very funny now when you look at them and compare GT and Miami.
Both teams were 5-7 a year ago.
Cristobal is 3-7 now in ACC play as a HC, 9-9 overall, 0-5 at home in ACC play and 1-4 against ranked teams.
Key is 6-4 in now in ACC play as a HC, 7-7 overall, 1-2 at home in ACC play and 3-2 against ranked teams.
One was a team in "playoff" contention thanks to a soft non-conference schedule and the Tech had fans ready to jump off the bridge after the Bowling Green game. Now the roles have reversed.
That is what makes college football great and crazy at the same time.
Georgia Tech football need to win three games to get to a bowl game for the first time since 2018 and it will be a series of six one-week seasons for the Yellow Jackets starting with Boston College this weekend at BDS. This will also be the first home ACC game for the Jackets because of the opener in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Tech is 2-0 on the road in ACC play and 0-1 in "neutral site games."
New defensive coordinator Kevin Sherrer has had a week to implement whatever quick fixes he has for the defense including changing meetings, practice or whatever other preparation methods he felt needed a shake-up.
The Eagles also bring to town one of the least favorite things for Tech fans, a running quarterback in former Ware County (Ga.) standout Thomas Castellanos who has 500 yards rushing with seven TDs and a 5+ yard per carry average. He has as 2:1 touchdown to interception ratio and has thrown the ball well at times.
The winner of this game will likely set themselves up for a bowl berth as both teams have games that are tough for them ahead with Tech having a way harder schedule both in the front and the back end.
Can the Jackets put the misery of the Bowling Green game away and play like the team that beat Miami and Wake Forest and showed signs in Louisville and Ole Miss of being a good team or will they play down to the competition and give life to the Eagles?
That is the big question heading into this game. Tech has been on the extreme ends of the spectrum all season with marvelous quarters followed by offensive outages or poor defense. That second thing cost Andrew Thacker his play-calling duties.
This is still a rebuilding program, a new culture and a new team in many ways that is very different from the GC3 era, but Key has to figure out how to have his guys ready to play their best each week down the stretch. The ceiling has been shown and the floor as well. They have yet to find consistent middle ground week to week.
BC is a team that Georgia Tech should beat, but the question remains will they take care of business and silence critics and doubters and build some momentum for the second half of the season?
After watching UNC for the third time this season, they are really good now with Tez Walker and Drake Maye is not Sam Howell, he is more of a gamer and a tougher QB. UNC's defense is still inconsistent but they are better than the last few iterations. That is going to be a very difficult game. That is as far as you can look or think at this point with the program.
Seeing Miami self-destruct the last two weeks thanks to quality performances by GT and UNC on defense also goes to show how quickly the narrative can change in CFB.
The Canes were a sexy pick to be a better team but the numbers are very funny now when you look at them and compare GT and Miami.
Both teams were 5-7 a year ago.
Cristobal is 3-7 now in ACC play as a HC, 9-9 overall, 0-5 at home in ACC play and 1-4 against ranked teams.
Key is 6-4 in now in ACC play as a HC, 7-7 overall, 1-2 at home in ACC play and 3-2 against ranked teams.
One was a team in "playoff" contention thanks to a soft non-conference schedule and the Tech had fans ready to jump off the bridge after the Bowling Green game. Now the roles have reversed.
That is what makes college football great and crazy at the same time.
