Georgia Tech-Virginia: Winning Ugly a Great Sign for Yellow Jackets

(Josh Nesbitt didn't even have to finish Saturday's game.)

Good teams win great games. Bad teams win no games. Great teams win bad games.

It wasn't always pretty. The weather was terrible, the offense sputtered early, and Virginia hung around stubbornly.

But Georgia Tech found a way, and a close game morphed quickly into a laugher in Charlottesville on Saturday, marking the first time since Tech's 1990 championship season that the Jackets pulled a win at Virginia.

Though not the kind we're used to, this was absolutely a statement game for the Yellow Jackets.

The Jackets proved they deserve to be in the national picture with wins at Florida State and at home against Virginia Tech. But it's an entirely different proposition, coming out of the tunnel with the target on your back instead.

Georgia Tech certainly struggled with that early this year, in lacking wins against Jacksonville State and Clemson. But pulling down a convincing 34-9 win over the best defense they've faced so far this year puts the Jackets in control of their own destiny.

Now 7-1 with a view to a Top 10 ranking, Georgia Tech has the following games remaining: Wake Forest, Vanderbilt, Duke, and Georgia. It should be favored in each, and frankly, Georgia should be the only one of these that's close.

Should Tech win out, the opportunities could be endless: ACC Championship, BCS bowl, who knows? More on this win after all of today's action.

For the record, Miami and Clemson kick off at 3:30 p.m. So, right now.