One of the many beautiful things about college football is how fortunes can swing in only a matter of weeks.
Count the Georgia Tech football program among those, as things were looking pretty bleak for the Yellow Jackets just three short weeks ago. Fresh off of their third loss in four games, they had just fired their struggling head coach and were frantically looking for answers. Now, they are sitting at 3-3 (2-1 in the ACC) and only a game back of North Carolina (6-1, 3-0) in the ACC Coastal.
ACC Analyst Roddy Jones joined the Morning Show to discuss the sudden change in their fortunes and how a run at the Coastal is still in the cards for the Yellow Jackets.
"Yeah, you definitely could [make a case for Georgia Tech],” Jones told the Morning Show about their chance at winning the Coastal Conference. “I think a lot of it comes down for these teams left in the Coastal. Obviously, you have to win but I think there's gonna be some cannibalization if anybody can score with North Carolina.”
Georgia Tech, while still far from a juggernaut on offense, has increased its effectiveness in the two games that Brent Key has been running the team. The offense has elevated its per-game yardage output from 308 yards per game to 373, and its scoring from 13.75 points per game to 24.5.
Fresh off its bye, Georgia Tech still has a viable path to winning the division. That has a lot to do with who they play, who they have already beaten, and who North Carolina still has in store.
"Who do you play on the other side?" Jones asked rhetorically. "Carolina has NC State and Wake Forest -- which you know two weeks ago looked very formidable, now Wake Forest looks formidable, and NC State looks a little less than what they were certainly with Devin Leary -- but I think it's possible that they've got Florida State and they are a really good team. They've lost three straight, but still really good. So, I would be concerned about that game. Virginia Tech is beatable, Virginia very beatable, and the other one is Miami and they have been very up and down."
Georgia Tech now has wins over Coastal compatriots Duke and Pittsburgh, with its remaining opponents - excluding the obvious must-win game against North Carolina - coming in with a combined conference record of 4-10. Meanwhile, Mack Brown and North Carolina will have showdowns with #13 Wake Forest and #23 NC State that it must contend with.
Regardless, the Tar Heels are likely the class of the division, according to Jones, and should still be the proverbial favorite, but Georgia Tech deserve ample credit for the way they have rejuvenated their season under interim head coach Brent Key.