If the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets have any lingering fantasies of contending in the ACC this season, they're going to have to upset the No. 22 Virginia Tech Hokies in Blacksburg a year after upsetting them in Atlanta. Which looks like a longshot. Since their still-inconceivable loss to James Madison, the Hokies have peeled off six straight wins of two or more scores and are one of only four BCS conference teams with no conference losses.
The Techie Convention has quickly become the Jackets' second most heated rivalry, since who could ever really get all that worked up at the Clemson Tigers when their fans are so chill and courtly? The winner of this matchup has won the ACC Coastal every year since the Coastal was formed, which is a nice way of saying the Gold and White has gone 2-4 against Virginia Poly since ACC realignment.
A year after spending part of their offseason huddling with Georgia Bulldogs coaches in a brainstorming effort aimed at stopping Paul Johnson's flexbone offense, the Hokies left the Southeast to meet with the Iowa Hawkeyes staff that held Tech to its worst outing in Johnson's tenure. Iowa's first tip -- sign Adrian Clayborn -- didn't change things all that much, but their other insights aren't likely to help the Jackets chances any.
To remain alive in conference play, the Jackets need to run the table from here on out. The Techmo Bowl (© From The Rumble Seat) will be their toughest test all season, and they've shown no signs of being able to consistently pass even the simplest of tests.
Johnson likes to remind his players that good teams don't lose two games in a row. This Jackets team hasn't convinced anyone it's a good team, and this is likely its last chance.