Is Cuse a must-win game for Tech?
DressHerInWhiteAndGold: Place these events in the order you believe they may happen:
- Players strike Schools/Conferences for more NIL and better working conditions.
- Schools lock out Players to get more NIL money from players/TV money
- TV embargos games to demand more money from Schools/Conferences/Players
- E’rebody boycotts TV for straight cash homie.
Ben: This would be my guess: (1) TV embargo for more money, (2) Player strike, (3) TV boycott, (4) Player lockout. I would also say that 3 and 4 are things I don’t think will happen, and 2 I think is incredibly unlikely. As of right now, only student athletes at private institutions can unionize, so you’re not going to see a large-scale player strike. It’s also important to note that NIL money does not come from the institution, so they would only be striking for better working conditions.
Jack: Ben’s right. Thinking about this as a normal labor dispute isn’t the right headspace…yet. The whole system is likely heading that route, but we have a long way to go before the players are actually making a dent here.
Chris: TV embargo and then maybe a small form of player strike? Like Ben said there’s not a methodology for a large-scale labor dispute, however I could see individual schools get hit with a smaller version of it.
Partywaggin: As a follow up to last week’s question:
Is DJU even UDFA material in 2025?
Ben: The arm talent and the potential are there. I would certainly take a flyer on him if I was a team who had a pretty solid QB that was on the wrong side of 30. That way, you get some time to develop him and maybe in 2-3 years, you give him a chance to win the job. If he busts, you didn’t invest a ton of money into him, but if he hits, then you’re sitting in a great spot.
Logan: Maybe in the past I would agree more with Ben, but right now there are a ton of talented QBs in the NFL. I don’t think teams need a player like DJU as much more than a backup. Someone might still take DJU as a UDFA for his intangibles, but I think most NFL teams would pass based on what we’ve seen from him the past 3 years.
Chris: I think he could absolutely save his season and get there, but right now no. Now if he wants to be a TE…
Partywaggin: Looking at the picture, did Buzz have a custom “white-out” top or was he chilly Saturday night and had to layer up?
Ben: I don’t know if it was custom, but I assume he was just wearing white. In a mascot costume, there is never any need to layer up. Those things are hot, and mascots spend the entire game running around. They aren’t going to get cold.
Jack: They don’t have variations of the costume. Any changes are adorned on top of it.
Yeller Bug: Will we have a 1,000 yd rusher or receiver this year?
Ben: I think so, and I think we might have both! Jamal Haynes—through 2 games—is on pace for 1,050 rushing yards. Malik Rutherford currently leads the team in receiving yards and is on pace for 1,182 yards. I will say, though, that I think Haynes is more likely to eclipse 1,000 yards than Rutherford is. Georgia Tech focuses the offense more on rushing the ball.
Logan: Jamal Haynes and Haynes King could both probably end up with 1,000 yds on the ground. A 1,000 yard receiver would be more difficult because we spread the ball around and because our current game plan has been to focus on our run game. I doubt we would get a 1,000 yard receiver this year.
Chris: I think Jamal Haynes gets there for sure. I think I trend towards agreeing with Logan about a receiver; as the season progresses I think we’ll see more variety in the passing game.
gtbadcarma: I feel the Syracuse game is a must win to set the tone for the rest of the season. Do you feel the same way? Why or why not?
Ben: I think it almost has to be a must-win. Florida State was a signature win at the time, but after floundering against Boston College, that win doesn’t look so impressive anymore. And then Georgia State was an absolute mess despite Tech covering the spread in that game. The Yellow Jackets need to secure a win this weekend to really set the tone for the remainder of ACC play. I want to see them tighten things up with regards to penalties and open up the playbook a little more. More importantly, I want to see the defense put some damn pressure on Kyle McCord.
Logan: Absolutely! I think our perception of the season is pending on how we look against Syracuse. When I look at this game I think it represents most of our upcoming matchups. We have plenty of coinflip scenarios where there is a talented player we have to plan for. I think we are going to have the mindset now and in the future that we are a contender again then we need to win this game and prove we’re not just one of those ACC teams which rides on coastal chaos to be relevant. To me that is the most important impact that would come from winning this game, the mindset for both the players and fans. Also this will be our first game where someone is facing us as a ranked opponent in a long while, so we gotta get used to the idea of winning as the favorite and not the underdog. Definitely requires a different mentality for those games.
Chris: Yup! I’ve said it a bunch of times, but these are the games that we have to start winning comfortably if we want to be a strong program. It’s okay to have tough games and losses against the conference elite (whoever that is now), but we have to be consistently beating the mediocre teams. A win here would give me a lot of confidence in our ability to take down Duke, UNC, VT, and maybe more, but a loss would make me question all those games.
chilidogringsFO: What will it take for the national sports media to stop saying things such as “The ACC is bad this year because FSU/Clemson/UNC/Miami are bad.” This is such garbage. The national sports media are who make those teams the alleged juggernaut they are by hyping them into preseason polls annually and then declaring the whole conference bad when they lose to other conference members.
Ben: It will take beating other teams in the ACC showing that they can contend with the other top teams in the country. Yeah, FSU and Clemson aren’t that great this year. But Miami put on a show against Florida. Tech and Louisville seem promising. It’s too early to say that a whole conference is bad. They haven’t played anyone yet!
Logan: Our topped ranked teams in the ACC can’t lose twice in a row to unranked teams, our dark horses like VT can’t show up and fall on their faces against Vandy with 3⁄4 of the opponent stadium cheering for them, and we need teams that consistently win down the line. Obviously all these big televised games of our “top” ACC teams losing is not great, but the real problem is when they don’t bounce back. The FSU situation is pretty obviously bad for the ACC (ironically), but I think Clemson is still ok as long as they don’t lay another egg down the line. I love the upsets in the ACC and the surprises some teams pull off, but it’s hard to take your conference seriously when all the good teams in your conference seem to suffer 1 or 2 upsets every year. It’s also tough to take the teams that pull the upsets seriously when they end the year with a 6-6 record. The top teams in the SEC and BIG10 are consistently winning 10 or more games every year, and you can argue about the talent of the other opponents they face in conference but they do win consistently against the talent they face. Consistency is a big deal, and generally speaking ACC teams are not consistent.
Chris: It’ll take one or two other teams getting to the 9-win mark for several seasons in a row. The whole media system in any sport is built on endlessly covering and hyping the teams/players at the top; until someone else consistently reaches that peak then we’re stuck with it being FSU/Clemson.
TheCalvinist: Be honest, did you let a tear fall when you saw we are ranked for the first time since 2015? I sure as heck did.
Jack: Who didn’t? I wasn’t even a Tech fan or student yet last time they were ranked! Is this reality? What do I do with my arms? Should I be running laps around the stadium?
Logan: I jumped up and down a bit. I do feel like it is a bit early, I was kind of expecting it to happen after this week if we win, but I can’t help but be pumped. #23 that is awesome!
Chris: It was an incredible feeling and I hope it starts happening often enough that the novelty wears off. Now if we can get Syracuse under our belt and smash VMI a bit maybe we’ll get some pole momentum going and be able to stay in all season.
GTalbatross: Who gets All America nods on GT volleyball team this year?
Jack: Bianca Bertolino. She very well could be first team if she plays up to her full potential. Otene would need to make a leap to make second or third team. A good Bertolino season probably also means Emiliano had a great season as well that could get her a nod.
Notwima13: I have Direct TV, how can I watch the game this weekend?
Ben: The way I see it, you have several options: (1) You fly to New York and go see the game in person, (2) You mooch off of a friend or relative that doesn’t have DTV and use their login to stream the game, (3) You force DTV and Disney into an agreement prior to Saturday, (4) You listen to the radio call online.
Jack: You can’t sadly unless between now and kickoff DTV and Disney get an agreement in place.
Logan: I suggest finding a sports bar… although I guess most of those also use Direct TV… I dunno dude. You may just have to get a free trial on YouTubeTV or HULU TV and look at cancelling DirectTV down the line.