Tuesday Rundown: Georgia Tech Links and Thoughts

Two days down before Georgia Tech kicks off its long-awaited 2009 ACC schedule against Clemson in a marquee Thursday-night matchup.

Without too much pomp or circumstance, here are a few random thoughts about a few random thoughts.

Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal Constitution says the road to the ACC title got tougher for the Jackets last night with the re-emergence of Florida State and Miami. While I don't like placing stock in one game, it's tough to argue with Christian Ponder and Jacory Harris' stat lines from last night.

Still, if you didn't see this coming before the season anyway...shame, shame. 

Tech has to travel to both schools, and it was easy to recognize last year that Ponder and Harris were quarterbacks on the rise. These schools always have weapons, they just haven't had anyone in recent years to use them (can someone put out an APB for Chris Rix?).

Both of these schools have defaulted on once-proud traditions, so they were always going to be fighting like a cornered tiger to get that respect back anyway. Maybe I overestimated both Miami and Florida State, but these two games always looked like Tech's toughest out there.

Also consider: win every other ACC game, and Tech could possibly afford to lose one of the two and still make the ACC Championship. Not ideal, but possible.

This from the Tech Rivals folks, talking about Tech's defensive approach against Clemson.

I'm not trying to underestimate the Tigers, but can someone really explain to me which players exactly are the "many weapons" Clemson possesses?

I know about C.J. Spiller and the other couple of backs, and Jacoby Ford is a good enough wide out. But this is a team that put up 361 total yards on Middle Tennessee State, so let's not talk about them like they're the second coming.

Maybe I'm underestimating them. It's entirely possible. I guess I just don't see the same multi-tooled, high-powered offense everyone else does.

Lastly, we turn to the Worldwide Leader, where Heather Dinich (a fellow alum of The Indiana University) puts the Jackets at the top of her Week 1 ACC Power Rankings.

No surprise, the Jackets are consensus top three in the conference, alongside Virginia Tech and perhaps Miami.

What is remarkable is how big the drop-off is halfway down the list. NC State, Maryland, Wake Forest, and, oh heavens, Duke and Virginia, all looked pretty rough their first week out.

Wake might get a reprieve, since Baylor is much better than in previous years, but Maryland got drilled, NC State's offense looked anemic at best and Duke and Virginia lost to Football Championship Subdivision schools. The difference between topside and bottomed out in the ACC this year is going to be stark.

Reports confirm Roddy Jones will play against Clemson. Paul Johnson said he was available against Jacksonville State, but it was never likely the former Parade All-American would see the field in that kind of game.

That same Rivals' report says Jaybo Shaw began throwing this week, but is still at least two or three weeks away from recovery with a broken collarbone.

Tech-Clemson begins a rather unheard of stretch that sees Tech play two Thursday night games in succession—home against Clemson then at Miami—and then getting the extended week off before getting a ranked North Carolina at home.

That stretch could define the 2009 season for the Jackets. Come out 4-0 and they're in the driver's seat in the ACC Coastal. Lose one, or worse, two, and that might be that.