Georgia Tech Football

Georgia Tech is an anomaly in the college football landscape.

For one, they are the only team with BCS conference talent that runs the flexbone offense, or the "triple option" as it is commonly known. Two, they're one of the few early 20th-century powerhouses to survive the test of time. Other early 1900s warhorses like Army, Harvard, Fordham and the like have since been relegated to lower levels of competition.

For this accomplishment, Tech is rewarded by being treated as the bastard stepchild of modern-day college football, due mostly to Paul Johnson's run-heavy, team-oriented system. As Brandon Spano so eloquently puts it, "people hate different!"

For the last five years, the Ramblin' Wreck has been an anti-big media juggernaut, racking up points, wins and derisive smirks from the usual talking heads. All winning and no big-hype guy makes the media a dull bore.

Tech fans have heard it all—gimmick offense, throwback to rugby days, can't win the big ones, fall behind and they're dead. But in 2012, a seasoned Tevin Washington, a crack offensive line and an improved defense has offered hope in the land of Heisman.

Maybe the Ramblin' Wreck could firebomb the ACC and maybe, possibly win a BCS bowl. As conference champs, Tech could lead a renaissance of old-school football that would finally force cynics to admit that Johnson is onto something.

Monday night, against Virginia Tech, the head coach at last appeared to have his ducks in a row. The Yellow Jackets defense, a crippling weakness for years, played lights-out for 59 minutes and 47 seconds, allowing Johnson to work the kinks out of his running attack.

Down 14-10, GT unveiled a new Pistol formation that allowed Washington to display his passing arm. The senior QB did brilliantly, finishing the game 10-of-15, completing a fantastic scramble-throw on 4th-and-6 with three minutes left and throwing a touchdown pass with a scant 44 seconds on the clock.

Finally! A Georgia Tech team that could pass efficiently, play great defense and come from behind! The 17-14 win might have sent an uneasy shiver through the ACC and the media establishment—if only it happened.

With a play or three left in the game, Tech D-coordinator Al Groh, as respected a name as there is in college football, made one of the worst blunders the Geek has ever witnessed, single-handedly losing the game (and probably the ACC) for the snake-bitten Jackets. He blitzed.

There were 13 seconds on the clock. Home-standing Virginia Tech faced a fourth down on the GT 47-yard line. The Hokies' mountain of a QB, Logan Thomas, had struggled up to that point against Rod Sweeting and the Jackets' talented secondary. VT kicker Cody Journell had missed a 38-yard FG earlier in the game. There was absolutely no way that the hosts could move the ball into reasonable field-goal range, even with two quick passes and two quick timeouts.

That is, until Groh decided to play Russian roulette. With five bullets.

On the next play, Groh inexplicably rushed five defenders, brought half of the secondary up in press coverage and gift-wrapped the game for the Hokies. Thomas, like Giant Baba on Christmas morning, made a routine slant throw to open WR Corey Fuller, who evaded two out-of-position tacklers and rambled to the 24. Two Journell chip shots and a Washington OT pick later, Virginia and the national football media celebrated as the Rugby Rats were vanquished again, 20-17.

It didn't have to be this way. Tom Landry once wrote that the most important question a coach can ask himself is: What is the easiest way we can lose?

Well, the easiest way for GT to lose with 13 seconds left was to give Thomas a chance to make a play downfield, without having to stand in the pocket and use time. A "prevent" defense, the butt of throwaway jokes by armchair coaches, is an underrated weapon when there's Hail Mary time on the clock and an opponent far from field-goal range.

As big (and I do mean BIG) of a force as the 6'6", 260-pound Thomas is for the Hokies, throwing hurry-up check-downs in six seconds or less is not his strong suit. There was simply no way VT could have completed two passes for 25 yards in 12 seconds if Georgia Tech simply chose the sane option of dropping back in coverage.

Blitzing was more than GT's easiest way to lose—save a miracle jump-ball in the end zone, it was the only way they could lose.

Now the pundits and cynics can have their fun again. Whenever a glamor team from the ACC visits  Bobby Dodd Stadium, analysts will smirk at one another, make a few cliche remarks about the triple option being hard to adjust to and insinuate that the best scenario would be for hyped superstar X to go ahead and outscore the Yellow Jackets so that we can all get on with real football, where QBs compete to see who can complete more bubble-screen passes in one game. Unless the Hokies lose a couple of conference games and allow GT back into the hunt, this will be hard to take.

With all due respect to Al Groh, who has rebuilt the Georgia Tech defense, on Monday night there was exactly one losing move on the chess board—and he made it. For that devastating blunder, he should be forced to watch every rerun of ESPN's The Experts during the 2012 season, especially for the 15 seconds of each episode where Georgia Tech is brought up and sneered at again. It's only fair.

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The ACC's Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will return home to Atlanta this weekend looking for their first win of the 2012 College Football season against Big South opponent Presbyterian.

Georgia Tech lost a heart-breaker to ACC Coastal division rival Virginia Tech in Blacksburg on Monday night, falling 20-17 in overtime. 

Meanwhile, Presbyterian College, located in Clinton, South Carolina, enters its Week 2 clash 1-0 after throttling Brevard College in its home opener this past weekend. 

The crowd at Bobby Dodd Stadium will surely be loud and out of control as they welcome home their beloved Yellow Jackets. 

Here is everything you need to know for Saturday's gridiron battle between Georgia Tech and Presbyterian in Atlanta. 

Where: Bobby Dodd Stadium, Atlanta, GA

When: Saturday, September 8 at 7 p.m. ET

Watch: ESPN3

Listen: WKRI 91.9 FM (Clinton), 790 AM The Zone (Atlanta)

Live Streaming: RamblinWreck.com

Betting Line: TBA

Key Storyline

The overwhelming topic of conversation heading into Saturday night's game will be Georgia Tech's missed opportunities against the Virginia Tech Hokies down the stretch in their season opener. The Yellow Jackets could have and should have won on Monday night, but instead find themselves 0-1 going into Week 2.

Their matchup with FCS opponent Presbyterian will no doubt turn into a blowout quickly as Georgia Tech is by far the superior team. Once the game gets out of reach the conversation will shift back to the Yellow Jackets' miscues in Blacksburg, which have cost them early BCS consideration this fall.

Who May Not Play for Presbyterian

*According to USA Today

No significant injuries to report.

Who May Not Play for Georgia Tech

*According to USA Today

OL Morgan Bailey (Undisclosed), questionable for Saturday

S Fred Holton (Undisclosed), questionable for Saturday

CB Louis Young (Suspension), questionable for Saturday

Top-25 Implications

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets entered Week 1 outside of the Top 25. But after watching them push No. 16 Virginia Tech to the brink of defeat on Monday night in Blacksburg, it's safe to say that Georgia Tech will finish the season in the Top 25 if they can win the games they are favored in this fall.

Aside from No. 14 Clemson and No. 6 Georgia, the Yellow Jackets' schedule looks favorable this season. They won't have to play No. 7 Florida State and should win eight or nine games this fall assuming they slip up on the road against the Tigers and Bulldogs. 

Saturday's showdown with Presbyterian won't have any bearing on their position in the Top 25 since they are projected and expected to win big over the Blue Hose at home.

What They're Saying

Georgia Tech quarterback Tevin Washington is looking forward to Saturday's game against Presbyterian after a painful season-opening overtime loss at Virginia Tech (via The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Ken Sugiura):

I think it’s good we have a game on Saturday. Hopefully, we can get this thing going in the right way and get a win on Saturday.

Washington and the Yellow Jackets are clearly focused on the Blue Hose and that could lead to an unpleasant rout this weekend in Atlanta.

Presbyterian Player to Watch

Running back Lance Byrd rushed for 109 yards on just 13 carries last Saturday against Brevard College. The senior has played in 34 career games for Presbyterian and promises to be a featured playmaker for the Blue Hose once again this fall.

Averaging 8.4 yards per carry coming into Saturday night's matchup with Georgia Tech, Byrd will be the player to watch when Presbyterian takes over on offense. At 5'8", 185 pounds, Byrd is an elusive back capable of breaking free from the Yellow Jackets' defense. 

Georgia Tech Player to Watch

Senior quarterback Tevin Washington is a dual threat player in Paul Johnson's option attack. Washington completed 10-of-15 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown against Virginia Tech in a season-opening loss. Washington also rushed for 63 yards on 19 carries.

Last season as a junior, Washington threw for more than 1,600 yards, rushed for nearly 1,000 yards and scored 25 total touchdowns on the ground and through the air. His experience running the offense and ability to threaten the defense in a variety of ways makes him the Yellow Jackets player to watch this weekend. 

Key Matchup

The key matchup in this weekend's showdown in Atlanta will be the Yellow Jackets' patented option attack versus the Blue Hose's run stoppers. Presbyterian allowed 179 yards rushing from Brevard College on 50 carries last weekend.

Georgia Tech ran the ball 55 times for 192 yards against Virginia Tech. Expect Johnson and the Yellow Jackets coaching staff to run the ball consistently against Presbyterian's suspect defense on Saturday.

On the Hot Seat

Georgia Tech's Paul Johnson is in his fifth year as Yellow Jackets head coach, and although he boasts a 43-23 record during his time in Atlanta, he has yet to win a bowl game at Georgia Tech. Johnson's squad lost in the Hyundai Sun Bowl to Utah last winter, and hasn't finished the year in the AP or Coaches Top 25 since 2009.

Georgia Tech started off 6-0 a year ago before finishing the season 8-5 and unranked. Johnson has gone 2-6 as head coach in Atlanta since the Yellow Jackets' hot start in 2011. 

Prediction 

The difference between the amount of talent on Georgia Tech's roster and on Presbyterian's is mighty, which is why I fully expect the Yellow Jackets to turn Saturday night's matchup into a blowout. After suffering a gut-wrenching overtime loss at Virginia Tech in its opener, Georgia Tech will be looking to take its frustration out on an inferior opponent at home.

Georgia Tech 56, Presbyterian 10

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Atlantic Coast Conference contenders collide when Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech open their 2012 seasons Monday night in Blacksburg, Va. (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).

The Yellow Jackets sat as 7.5-point underdogs early Monday at most shops tracked by OddsShark.com but arrived in Virginia knowing they had covered the last three trips there.

In fact, road teams have been great bets in this ACC series: They are 5-1 ATS in the past six meetings, according to the college-football database at OddsShark.com. And with Virginia Tech struggling as favorites in recent years (3-9 ATS in 12 recent games), Georgia Tech backers could be feeling good about this matchup.

The Yellow Jackets, though, have slumped as an underdog in the past few years, going 1-8 in their past nine.

Georgia Tech gets 13 starters back from a team that went 8-5 last year (5-3 in the ACC) and lost a bowl game to Utah. Seven starters return on offense, including senior QB Tevin Washington (25 total touchdowns last year), RBs David Sims and Orwin Smith (a combined 18 TDs last season) and four along the offensive line.

Six starters come back on defense, but that unit needs some improving after allowing 30 or more points in the Wreck's last four games last season.

The Hokies, meanwhile, get back 12 starters from a team that went 11-3 last season and won the ACC's Coastal Division but lost the conference championship game to Clemson. Virginia Tech later lost to Michigan in the Sugar Bowl.

Nine starters, including the entire front seven, are back from a defense that ranked 10th in the country last year by allowing 305 YPG. But Virginia Tech only returns three starters on offense and will have to replace leading rusher David Wilson and four starters along the offensive line.

These teams combined to score 63 points in their matchup last year, sending that game "over" its total of 49. But the previous four games in this series all played "under" on the totals. The total was sitting at 48.5 at Top Bet this morning.

Free Virginia Tech vs. Georgia Tech Pick, Courtesy of PickShark.com

This looks like good matchup, pitting Virginia Tech's vaunted defense against Georgia Tech's triple option and the Hokies' young offense vs. the Jackets' questionable defense.

When in doubt, we go defense, so we'll take Virginia Tech minus the points Monday night, despite the underdog and road trends at play.

Both Georgia and Virginia Tech will kick off their college football seasons Sept. 3 with the Yellow Jackets attempting to move into the top 25 teams of the nation while bringing the Hokies down in the process.

Virginia Tech enters 2012 with a Heisman hopeful quarterback in Logan Thomas on offense and one of the NCAAs' best defenses on the other side of the football.

Georgia Tech on the other hand will be looking to finally turn the program back to its former glory with the triple option offense. The one derailing factor to this quest back to relevance for the Yellow Jackets will be if the defense cannot improve from its 2011 mark.

Thomas and the Hokies will be looking to exploit a defense that gave up 28 or more points in six contests last year.

The Yellow Jackets triple option did help the team win four of those games, where the defense let up that many points last season, however. The Hokies defense will be tested in this contest and it would be a huge feather in the cap of the Georgia Tech attack to put up considerable points on this unit.

Before diving too much into the nuts and bolts of this game, here's all the information you need to make sure you can tune into this Week 1 battle of the Techs.

When: Monday, Sept. 3 at 8 p.m. ET

Where: Lane Stadium, Blacksburg, VA

Watch: ESPN

Live Stream: Watch ESPN

Listen: 790 AM or 106.7 FM (GA) and 106.7 FM (VA)

What They're Saying

The Hokies are entering the new season feeling especially proud of their defensive unit, with cornerback Antone Exum telling Mike Barber of the Richmond Times-Dispatch (via WSLS) "we feel like we have the talent on our side of the ball to be the best defense that's ever come through here."

Those are some pretty big words considering Virginia Tech has had a football team since before the 1900s, but when you look at the statistics this team put up last year, it's hard to argue with Exum.

As Barber noted, defensive coordinator Bud Foster's unit finished second in total defense, against the run and scoring defense in 2011. This squad will look to better those numbers this year, starting against Georgia Tech.

Meanwhile, it may have nothing to do with X's and O's, but the Yellow Jackets did make waves through the Internet recently regarding a possible new helmet scheme. Georgia Tech quarterback Synjyn Days tweeted out a Yellow Jackets helmet featuring a honeycomb design.

He has since deleted the tweet, but The Hive has yet to take down its retweet from the quarterback:

RT @sdays10: New Helmets...Lets Get It 9/3 instagr.am/p/O63dLulA44/

—The Hive GT (@TheHiveGT) August 29, 2012

There's been no official word from the team if Georgia Tech will indeed don these new helmets against the Hokies, but hey, there's one more reason to tune into this game.

Georgia Tech Player to Watch: RB David Sims

Technically in the Yellow Jackets offense, Sims is defined as a "B-back" in the triple option and he thinks that this offensive scheme should do well against the Hokies in Week 1. The rusher told the Associated Press (via the Cedartown Standard) "[Virginia Tech] has guys who've played against our offense, but if we come out and do what we're supposed to do, we should be pretty successful."

That offense might not be able to fire on all cylinders however, as Sims is coming off an offseason filled with shin injury woes.

No matter how much practice a player has been involved in, game-time speed can't be replicated. It will be interesting to see how effective Sims can be given his recent shin issues.

Virginia Tech Player to Watch: QB Logan Thomas

Last year when Thomas' Hokies defeated the Yellow Jackets, he racked up five total touchdowns in the game. That kind of success could be repeated against the 2012 Georgia Tech defense who has not seen much change from the rather lackluster unit of the previous year.

Thomas has proven that both his legs and arm can give the Yellow Jackets fits defensively. Considering the fact that he threw for 19 touchdowns through the air and scored 11 on the ground last season, Georgia Tech can at least say it wasn't the only team to have troubles with the dual-threat QB.

If Thomas wants to start convincing voters that he is Heisman worthy, he needs to replicate his 2011 performance against his Week 1 opponent and continue on from there.

Prediction: Hokies 42, Yellow Jackets 23

Virginia Tech just has too much offensive firepower and is simply going against the weaker defense in this one. The Yellow Jackets are going to have a hard time moving the football against this stingy Hokies defense.

Thomas and company should break through the Georgia Tech defense at some point during the game and that will be the deciding factor in this contest.

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and Virginia Tech Hokies will close out college football’s opening week, as the two Atlantic Coast Conference rivals meet inside Lane Stadium on Monday night in front of a nationally-televised audience on ESPN.

Sports bettors will find that the Hokies are listed as seven-point home favorites in the college football betting odds (courtesy of SBR Forum), while the total has continued to fluctuate between 48.5 and 49.

Head coach Paul Johnson always makes the Yellow Jackets a dangerous underdog, considering he’s enjoyed a 21-8 against-the-spread (ATS) run when getting points away from home.

Georgia Tech has started a new campaign in the victory column in five straight seasons, while also winning its last four conference openers. The program has a great opportunity to extend both of those streaks, considering it welcomes back 13 starters and both kicking specialists from a year ago.

Tevin Washington is the key to running Johnson’s triple-option attack, entering as the school’s all-time leader in rushing at the quarterback position. He led the team with 986 yards on the ground during his junior season.

Virginia Tech has won six of nine meetings in this rivalry, including a 37-26 victory as two-point road favorites last season. The Hokies out-gained the Yellow Jackets by 136 yards in that affair, as they limited Washington to 77 yards on 24 carries.

The Hokies need to get off to a quick start in order to cover this spread, but they’ve failed to score a first-quarter point in the last four meetings in this series. It’s imperative that the team’s junior signal-caller builds off his performance the last time he faced this defense.

Logan Thomas managed to throw three touchdowns at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta, while scoring two more times on the ground. He ultimately finished with a school-record 3,862 yards of total offense in 2011.

From a betting perspective, it’s hard to ignore that the underdog is 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings.

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Georgia Tech might be featuring a new set of helmets when the Yellow Jackets play Virginia Tech on Monday night. Even though the school hasn't officially announced the new design, pictures have made their way to Twitter.

Ken Sugiura of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution talked with a Georgia Tech spokesperson who would only confirm that the team has been testing a helmet in practice for potential use, but didn't say when, or even if, it would be used this season.

Let's break down the design, which represents a pretty major change from the team's usual headgear, a plain gold helmet with basic lettering.

Wow Factor: 6 of 10

At first glance, the helmet doesn't jump off the page. Since there aren't any crazy color combinations or wacky designs like many of those put out by schools in recent years, it takes a little bit of time to dissect.

If the Yellow Jackets do wear these on Monday night, it will be interesting to see how well they show up on television. It seems like a somewhat faint design, which might not translate well for viewers at home, especially on camera shots from a distance.

That said, that Georgia Tech might break out a new helmet is a wow factor in itself. And because it was  kept under wraps until so close to the opener, there's more excitement as well.

Design: 8 of 10

Once you get past the initial reaction and actually take a harder look at the helmet, it's actually pretty cool. The honeycomb design is unique, yet not over the top just for the sake of being different—unlike other designs college football fans have seen.

The gold stripe down the middle of the helmet keeps a little bit of the tradition alive, while the dark face mask provides great contrast.

It's these little things that help make it a design fans should be happy with when they finally see it paired with the uniform.

Overall Grade: 7 of 10

All told, it's hard not to like the design. While some people might have preferred a more comprehensive style, sometimes keeping things low key actually works out better in the long run. That should be the case here.

With so many teams breaking out new uniforms, helmets and accessories, the Georgia Tech helmet will probably get lost in the shuffle, but it would be a nice addition to the rotation.

Now fans just have to sit back and see if the Yellow Jackets decide to debut them on Monday.

No other team in the nation runs a triple-option exactly the way the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets do.

Paul Johnson is an innovative head coach. Many so-called experts believed his offense would never work in the ACC, but the Yellow Jackets continue to prove those naysayers wrong.

After a subpar season in 2010, Georgia Tech bounced back with an 8-5 record in 2011. The Yellow Jackets didn’t have any trouble moving the football last year, but stopping their opponent was a different story.

Offensively, Georgia Tech averaged 34.3 points and 459 total yards per game in 2011. Defensively, the Yellow Jackets allowed 26.1 points and 359 total yards per game.

The most concerning part about that for the Georgia Tech Ramblin’ Wreck is that it was the fourth straight season that the defense did worse than the previous year.

Florida State is expected to be a national power this year, and Virginia Tech has eight straight seasons of double-digit wins. Georgia Tech returns 13 starters from last year’s team. The Yellow Jackets would like to get back to the top of the ACC like they did in 2009.

Does this team have what it takes to get back to the apex of this conference?

Coaching

Johnson is 33-19 in his five-year career with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. He has done a great job quieting the critics of his triple-option offense.

Georgia Tech runs the option in a way that just about everyone can know it is coming, but they still can’t stop it. Johnson’s version of the triple-option has even more gadgets and running possibilities than most. The Yellow Jackets seem to have an endless amount of runners ready to break a big-gainer.

Al Groh is the man in charge of turning the defense around. Groh is a highly-respected coach, and he is trying to put his imprint on this Yellow Jackets defense.

Offense

Tevin Washington may not be a very good passer, but he is tremendous at running the triple-option, which makes him fit beautifully into Johnson’s system. Washington threw for 11 touchdowns and ran for 14 last season. He was the team’s leading rusher with 986 yards on the ground.

The team has been toying with the idea of using a shotgun formation a bit more to try to help the passing game.

Georgia Tech running backs averaged more than 300 yards per game last year. The Yellow Jackets have finished fourth or higher in the nation in rushing yards each of the last four seasons.

David Sims is the B-Back and Orwin Smith the A-Back for the Yellow Jackets. Sims looked a bit confused in the offense last year, but the coaching staff is very high on his potential. Smith averaged more than 10 yards per carry last year, and is the quintessential home-run hitter in the backfield.

The Yellow Jackets have plenty of young talented backs who will see action in 2012.

Georgia Tech’s starting wide receivers this year have combined for zero receptions in their career. The Yellow Jackets don’t throw it very often, but it has to be frightening to have no experience on the outside.

The news is better along the offensive front, where Georgia Tech has a combined 83 starts returning. Four of five starters from last year are back, and the coaching staff is high on this group.

Defense

Georgia Tech’s defense allowed 30 or more points in each of their last six games. Opponents scored touchdowns on almost 67 percent of their red zone trips against the Yellow Jackets in 2011.

Coach Groh hopes this is the year where the defense gets going in the right direction again.

Seven of the team’s top nine tacklers from a year ago return in 2012.

The problem with this defense has been the defensive line. The line picked up only six sacks in 2011. Only one starter returns from last year, and the Yellow Jackets appear to be quite thin on the front line heading into the new season. Izaan Cross is the lone returning starter, and the coaching staff is counting on a big season from him.

The secondary was an area of strength last year. Georgia Tech allowed only 198 passing yards per contest in 2011. Opposing quarterbacks completed just 56 percent of their passes against this secondary.

All-ACC cornerback Rod Sweeting is the leader of this secondary, but Isaiah Johnson is a smart free safety who does a great job at the back of the defense. Five guys return with starting experience at the linebacker positions.

The back seven is solid, but the Yellow Jackets will need the front line to pick up the production.

2012 Schedule Analysis

The league action begins on the season opener for the Yellow Jackets, and it won’t be an easy test.

Georgia Tech must travel to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech in a nationally-televised game on Labor Day. Virginia Tech is Georgia Tech’s top competition in the ACC Coastal Division, so if they could somehow pull off an upset it could be the sign of big things to come.

Road games at Clemson and at North Carolina will be major tests for the team later in the season.

Overall, Georgia Tech’s schedule starts out difficult and gets easier as the season moves along in ACC action. The final regular season game of the year is at Georgia, and that rivalry game is always a hard-fought battle.

2012 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets ACC and BCS Odds

The oddsmakers aren’t too high on the Yellow Jackets chances in 2012.

5Dimes lists Georgia Tech at +40,000 to win the BCS Championship and +11,000 to play in the BCS title game. Georgia Tech is listed as the fifth favorite at +1,500 to win the ACC Conference at JustBet. BetOnline lists the Yellow Jackets at +500 to win the ACC Coastal Division.

Virginia Tech is the heavy favorite at -125. According to 5Dimes, the Yellow Jackets are a big eight-point underdog in their season opener at Virginia Tech. Georgia Tech’s season win total is set at 8.5.

2012 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Football Predictions

I’m definitely a believer in the offense that Johnson has this Yellow Jackets team running. Very few teams have been able to stop it, even when they have weeks to prepare.

Georgia Tech may not be able to throw the ball much this year, but they’ll still score a bunch of points. The big question mark is whether they can keep the opposition off the board enough to win some big games.

It looks like Florida State and Virginia Tech are head and shoulders above the rest of the ACC right now. The Yellow Jackets can run the ball with the best of them, but their defensive front concerns are likely to be a major problem inside the ACC.

The Yellow Jackets will likely pull an upset or two, but their weakness on the defensive line will likely lead to a surprising loss or two as well. I don’t see any value on this team’s futures odds until the defense shows some serious improvement.

Look for the Yellow Jackets to finish right around the eight-win mark again this year.