Bad Advice, Bold Prediction and Something Else: Week Eight

(Can Bay-Bay Thomas stand tall against the Wahoos on Saturday?)

I know it's a day early, but I thought I'd start bringing you your pre-game fix, just so everybody has a day to digest and comment, etc.

Week 8, as you surely now by now, sees the Jackets head north to Charlottesville, where the Wahoos live.

What's a Wahoo? I'm glad you ask—had to turn on my investigative journalism lava lamp to find out. I asked my friend who went to UVA, and he directed me here . Behold:

"Legend has it that Washington & Lee baseball fans dubbed the Virginia players "Wahoos" during the fiercely contested rivalry that existed between the two in-state schools in the 1890s. By 1940, "Wahoos" was in general use around Grounds to denote University students or events relating to them. The abbreviated "Hoos" sprang up later in student newspapers and has gained growing popularity in recent years."

A Wahoo is ... a nickname given derisively by an opponent that assumedly no longer cares nearly as much about Virginia today as they did 112 years ago.

Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.

Anyway. Back to the game.

This is basically it for Georgia Tech. Win and you can two-step your way to the Georgia game after Thanksgiving. Lose, and fans of the bee can start getting pumped about buying overpriced shirts that say "Champs Sports Bowl" on them.

The Cavaliers have had their own little Greek tragedy going on this season. Death, rebirth, rumor, speculation, Vic Hall playing every position except center.

But wonder of wonders, the dust has settled, and they are 2-0 atop the ACC Coastal, ahead of the three teams that everyone assumes are the conference's best.

They'll play the first of those three, Georgia Tech, on Saturday at noon. So let's waste no more time, shall we?

Bad advice

The run game has to find its legs behind Msrs. Nesbitt and Dwyer.

Unlike every other team on Tech's schedule this season, the Cavs run the 3-4, which I like against the option for the simple reason that it puts more defenders at the second level.

This helps in two ways. First, linebackers have more time and better sightlines to read plays as they develop, and they're more athletic. Second, and perhaps more important, it forces offensive linemen to have to get to the second level to make key blocks because there are only three down linemen defensively.

Last season, Tech scored 14 quick points at home against Virginia, then never touched end zone grass again.

Is that why? I don't know, but it's plausible, for sure.

Bring in Nesbitt and Dwyer, who are Tech's two best options up the middle.

They both run low. They're both strong and powerful running between the hashes. They both happen to be Tech's most productive rushers, as well.

It's a lot easier for offensive linemen to make plays at that second level if they can just run straight downhill, with the play right behind them.

Give Virginia's defense a good, steady dose of Dwyer and Nesbitt early, tire down the rush and get those linebackers diving inside, then you can open things up on the edge.

Bold prediction

Not going to lie, I'm pretty well lacking in bold predictions this week. I've run out of them.

So this might be the least bold I've ever been when I piggyback off my bad advice and say I think Jonathan Dwyer has a big day Saturday. I think Tech will need the inside run game, I think it's hard to stop Dwyer once he's at the second level. I like Dwyer to put up big, big numbers in the run game for Georgia Tech against Virginia.

I guess this is mostly bold because frankly, Dwyer has not been himself this year. Only two 100-yard-plus games this season, and just one them was more than 110 yards (158 against UNC).

Dwyer is too good to be held down for too long, I'll go for the big day for No. 21 on Saturday.

Something else

It has been nearly 20 years since Georgia Tech beat Virginia in Charlottesville. That's three separate Bush presidencies.

But that night in Charlottesville is one Tech fans will remember for a very long time. Scott Scisson, the pride of Marietta, Ga. (much more proud of him than me, lord knows), hit a 37-yard field goal (see above) to put the Jackets ahead late, and they held on to beat the No. 1 Cavaliers 41-38 en route to a co-national championship with Colorado.

Should the Jackets break their aforementioned win duck in Charlottesville this weekend, could it be a similar springboard into a memorable season?

Finally, a score

Yet again, I find myself conflicted. I know, I say this every week (except Miami, I was sure Tech would lose there), but I honestly have spent most of the week turning and returning on this one.

Then, I saw this wonderful quote from Al Groh in a story by Heather Dinich yesterday:

Speaking about Georgia Tech: "They’ve passed a lot more tests than we have."

Al's right about that.

Virginia's turnaround has been impressive, almost magnificent, even if it speaks to some of the ACC's inherent weaknesses. They deserve an even shot at the Coastal Division, and they're going to get one.

That said, Georgia Tech has passed more tests than Virginia, and therein lies the key.

The Jackets could have folded against Clemson, when they played truly terrible but found a way.

They could have packed it in after the loss to Miami, let the season slip.

No one, absolutely no one, would have found fault in their losing at Florida State, given the nature of the environment in which that game was played.

And they could have lost a close one to Virginia Tech last weekend, though in truth, they never really looked like they would, did they?

Georgia Tech is 6-1 right now, No. 12 in the nation.

We've just passed the point in the season at which pretender teams (this year: Nebraska, Auburn, Cal) slide out of the national picture. The actual players in conference championship races work their way out of the jungle, and we get down to the business of watching exciting football.

I like Virginia's defense against Georgia Tech, I really do. I think they match up well, I think they've got a good approach, and they're saying the right kinds of things.

But Georgia Tech has passed those tests, they have emerged from this jungle. They are a genuine contender, and genuine contenders lose these games. Also, I hear that Paul Johnson guy is a pretty good coach.

Final score: Georgia Tech 32, Virginia 21.

And if I'm wrong, at least I left you with a smile.