The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets won 11 games and reached the Orange Bowl in a season that was one of their most successful in school history. They received the automatic BCS bowl bid by defeating Clemson in the ACC title game. The Orange Bowl didn't go as planned losing by 10 in a game where their powerful rushing attack was completely shutdown by the Iowa defense. 14 starters return to defend the ACC crown and continue the winning tradition under head coach Paul Johnson. The Jackets are +900 to repeat as ACC champions. View the full conference breakdown in our 2010 ACC college football predictions article.
The triple option attack is nearly extinct in college football these days, but Georgia Tech continues to run the offense built on timing and cut blocks up front. Nearly 300 yards per game were gained on the ground last season proving that the system clearly works if ran correctly. QB Josh Nesbitt is the classic option quarterback that relies on his feet to do most of the work with good enough passing skills to go over the top of defenses every now and then. He contributed over 2700 yards of total offense last year and scored 28 touchdowns. RB Jonathan Dwyer took his skills to the NFL after gaining 1400 yards as a sophomore. Anthony Allen averaged nearly 10 yards per carry in 09' and should split the majority of the carries with Roddy Jones. Both are talented running backs capable of putting up Dwyer like numbers. The biggest void to fill is going to be at the wide receiver position. Calvin Johnson dominated the ACC up until 2007 when blue chip Demaryius Thomas entered the picture. He broke the school record last season for yards/catch with over 25 and had 1154 yards in all. When Tech chose to pass, which wasn't often, the ball usually went in the direction of Thomas. Tyler Melton will likely get the first chance to prove he can be the #1 option, but Stephen Hill did produce as a true freshman and is a viable option also.
A complete overhaul was done on the defensive side of the ball. Al Groh was hired to run the defense after formally being the head coach at Virginia. A 3-4 technique will be applied to try and coral opposing rush offenses. Tech gave up over 150 yards/game on the ground, which is far too many if the 2010 squad wants to have success. Only one underclassmen is projected to start so this is an experienced unit. Eight starters do return, but they lost two heavy hitters in end Derrick Morgan (12.5 sacks) and safety Morgan Burnett (team high 4 interceptions). The secondary has six players who have started at least one game including third team ACC corner Jerrard Tarrant. Where the pass rush will come from is a concern as LB Steven Sylvester was second on the team in sacks last season with three. The top tackler from a year ago, LB Brad Jefferson, returns hoping to build on the 95 tackles he collected in 09'. I expect the defense to put up better numbers and show improvement as a whole.
Georgia Tech will be battle tested on the road after this season cumulates. Five of their six road games could possibly be against opponents ranked in the Top 25 at the time. They open ACC play with North Carolina on the road and have to travel to Blacksburg, VA to clash with preseason Coastal division favorite Virginia Tech on Nov 4th. Defending their home turf will be extremely important if Tech wants to have any shot at returning to the title game. Stealing a couple wins on the road will go along way also. I see the Ramblin' Wreck finishing with an 8-4 record.
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