Perception Is Everything, and for Georgia Tech, It Ain't Peachy

Like a good roast, I've been letting this issue stew awhile, waiting until it was just right for consumption. But with Tech just one win away from the ACC title game and two wins away from an 11-win season, there is no longer a time like the present to bring up it up.

National perception is working against Georgia Tech's slim national title hopes, from several different angles.

Here's the situation: The 9-1 Yellow Jackets are currently ranked No. 7 in the nation in every poll or ranking anyone cares about—AP, coaches, BCS, ESPN power rank...wait, never mind.

If you believe the good folks at the AJC , or the Worldwide Leader , or me, for that matter, the idea of Georgia Tech playing for the BCS title, should they win out, isn't impossible, but it ain't probable.

Essentially, the chance that the Jackets could pass the six undefeated teams in front of them via late-season loss and still not get relegated behind big-ticket contenders like Alabama or Texas is slimmer than the salad line at the Varsity.

Yes, the Jackets would probably pass Cincinnati, TCU or Boise State, should any of them lose. Florida, 'Bama or the Longhorns? Not so much.

But why? Well, there isn't just one answer.

1. The Conference

The ACC's prestige, or lack thereof, hurts. Last year, the Conference sent 10 teams to bowl games, but went a paltry 4-6.

This year, the disappointing performances handed in by traditional powers like Florida State and Virginia Tech has coupled with the failure of programs seemingly on the rise to achieve loftier things (see: UNC, NC State) to create the perception that the ACC is regressing, not progressing, since its merger.

Yes, there have been feel-good stories, but is anyone really going to get excited about Duke being 5-4?

Georgia Tech has done nearly everything asked of it thus far in conference, but the lack of power in the conference means that nationally, no one's impressed.

2. The Schedule

On paper, Tech's schedule looks good for a national title run. Assuming Georgia Tech wins out, (which frankly, shouldn't be assumed yet) their loss came early to a team that is almost assured of a Top 25 finish at season's end.

The Jackets will have won their conference and their greatest rivalry game, and finished the season on a 10-game win streak, all supposedly impressive in the eyes of influential pollsters.

But it's not just the weak ACC working against Tech here. There aren't any big-name opponents on the late-season schedule other than Georgia, and this year, the Dogs ain't what they usually are.

Essentially, Tech's schedule peaked at Virginia Tech, and while SEC opponents get their championship game and Cincinnati's schedule is backloaded with tough conference games, Tech's run is unexciting.

3. National Perception

What do I mean by national perception? Well, frankly, Georgia Tech just doesn't mean the same thing as Alabama, or Florida, or USC.

Yes, the Jackets have some solid history—four national titles, Bobby Dodd, John Heisman. Hey, they've won a title (co-title, though they only needed four downs to do it) more recently than Notre Dame.

But when it comes down to brass tacks, the Jackets just don't have the national staying power, at least not right now.

Consider the Georgia Tech-Miami game earlier this season.

Miami comes into the game ranked No. 20 in the AP poll, Tech No. 14. The game was at Miami, the Hurricanes won convincingly, 33-17. The next week, the AP poll puts Miami at No. 9, while Tech dropped out of the Top 25 completely.

Why? Well partially because the Yellow Jackets were awfully unconvincing in their first two wins (oh, but if preseason polls did not exist, and teams like Clemson got more early-season respect).

But primarily, it was because when Miami makes a statement, people listen, because Miami's recent history is littered with silverware.

And when Georgia Tech falls flat on its face, it's equally easy to assume that the Jackets are just repeating the same cycle they've been in for awhile now—good, never great, no matter what.

Obviously, the Jackets have taken the rest of the season and tried their damnedest to prove the that idea wrong. They've still got a ways to go, Duke, Georgia, maybe Clemson, they won't be easy outs.

But in the end, it probably still won't matter, whether it should or not.