#22 Georgia (8-4) vs. #16 Virginia Tech (10-2)
Georgia was expected to take a few steps back with the graduation of QB D.J. Shockley, and those fears were well-founded. Georgia's defense, #9 nationally in yardage, helped them win 8 games, but the two-headed QB of senior Joe Tereshinski and superfrosh Matthew Stafford had trouble getting anything done for most of the year. Still, the Bulldogs have played their best football over the last two games, holding Auburn and Georgia Tech under 200 yards (the only I-A teams they did so to all year,) and Stafford looked good in both efforts.
VT was in a similar situation going into this year; expected to take a step back with graduations and departures, but having enough talent to still be a good team. They've pretty much done exactly that, and might be the best team in the ACC at the moment. They have the #1 defense in the country, and only Georgia Tech was able to crack 300 yards against the Hokies. The Tech offense has mostly consisted of RB Branden Ore, who quietly had a great campaign (1095 yards, 14 TD), though young QB Sean Glennon had a decent year (2097 yards, 11/8 TD/INT.)
Tech's had the great defensive numbers, but, well, there really aren't any great offenses in the ACC. The Hokies held Clemson to 172 yards, which is the one feather in their cap, but Georgia Tech had about 350, and past that you're looking at Wake Forest, North Carolina, and Cincinnati, which aren't exactly juggernauts. And on the offensive side of things, surprise -- Virginia Tech hasn't even gained as many yards per game as the much-maligned Georgia offense. The Bulldogs have been more impressive lately, playing their best games to finish the year against GT and Auburn, while Tech's looked good but not great against Miami, Kent State, and Wake Forest. They killed Virginia, but hey, Virginia. Georgia looks to be on track, and at the current time, that makes them a better team than the Hokies (who should still be very optimistic about the future.)
My Pick: Georgia
Confidence (out of 5): 1
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