Nov. 29, 2010
By The Bowl Guru
Special to Sting Daily
The Bowl Guru, who operates his (or is it her?) own highly-acclaimed web site, is a friend of Sting Daily. The web site, while it does not make projections for bowl games, does offer the very latest in news, rumors and possible scenarios. Make sure to check it out.
Today, Bowl Guru turns his/her attention to Georgia Tech and the Yellow Jackets’ possible bowl scenarios.
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
December 30th – Nashville, Tenn.
In its 13th year, the annual holiday event in Nashville is one of two games which annually features an ACC vs. SEC bowl match-up. Just three-plus hours northwest of downtown Atlanta, Georgia Tech has never played in the Music City Bowl, which will welcome an ACC team to LP Field for the sixth time.
Georgia Tech vs. Tennessee – One of Tech’s most frequent opponents over the years, Georgia Tech has faced Tennessee 41 times. However, despite its close proximity, the two schools haven’t met since 1987 and have never met in a bowl game.
Georgia Tech vs. Kentucky – The Jackets and Wildcats have met 19 times on the gridiron, but haven’t played in 50 years, the last meeting being a 1960 Tech win at Grant Field. Kentucky would be making its fourth appearance in five years in Nashville’s holiday bowl game, should it be selected.
Advocare V100 Independence Bowl
December 27th – Shreveport, La.
A new addition to the ACC bowl lineup for the 2010 season, the Advocare V100 Independence Bowl will feature an ACC team for the first time since 1994. In its 35th season, the Shreveport-based game is among the games in which the Yellow Jackets have never participated. Among currently operating bowl games, only the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl has existed longer without a visit by Georgia Tech.
Georgia Tech vs. Air Force – Troy Calhoun’s Falcons are the most likely Mountain West selection for the 2010 Independence Bowl. Georgia Tech and Air Force currently stand as the top two rushing offenses in the nation, and would feature two similar offensive attacks. Tech has won all three prior match-ups with the Academy, the most recent of which was in Atlanta in 1979. In Tech’s 1978 win in Colorado Springs, Eddie Lee Ivery ran for a school-record 356 yards.
Tech’s Roddy Jones has a brother, Darius, who plays for the Falcons.
If Tech is selected for this bowl and this match-up, Jacket fans will need to buy enough tickets to make this a neutral site game — Barksdale Air Force Base is located not far from Shreveport. And don’t you think the Falcons would like a shot at Paul Johnson? While at Navy, Johnson and the Mids defeated Air Force five consecutive times.
Georgia Tech vs. Utah – The Jackets and Utes have met just once, five years back, in the 2005 Emerald Bowl in San Francisco. Tech fans might want to forget that game — a 38-10 loss. Utah (10-2) stands at 20th in this week’s BCS rankings.
Georgia Tech vs. BYU – Tech and BYU would square off for the first time in the postseason, as the only two prior meetings between the Cougars and Yellow Jackets occurred in 2002 and 2003, with the home team winning each game. Tech is scheduled to face BYU four times in the next seven years as part of a recently scheduled series.
Military Bowl
December 29th – Washington, DC
The Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman is held at Washington’s RFK Stadium, former home of the Washington Redskins, Senators and Nationals. The seventh selection after the BCS from the ACC will face an opponent from Conference USA. This is the third edition of the Military Bowl, with Wake Forest being the only ACC team to have previously played in the Washington bowl game.
Georgia Tech vs. East Carolina – The Pirates stand as the most likely Conference USA foe in Washington, and a meeting between Tech and ECU would be the first between the two schools. East Carolina would be the fifth school from the state of North Carolina on Tech’s 2010 slate should they face off in the postseason.Tech fans may remember that former coach Bill Lewis came to the Flats directly from ECU, which was fresh off a then-called-Peach Bowl win over NC State.
Georgia Tech vs. UCF – Should UCF fall in Saturday’s Conference USA Championship game, the Golden Knights could end up in the nation’s capital, setting up a match-up between Tech and former head coach George O’Leary’s squad. Tech and UCF squared off three times between 1996-2000, all at Bobby Dodd Stadium, and all won by the Jackets.
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl
January 9th – San Francisco, Calif.
With the Pac-10 Conference not filling its designated bowl tie-ins, the Atlantic Coast Conference will leverage a provisional tie-in with the Kraft Hunger Bowl to send its eighth selection after the BCS to the January game at AT&T Park. The ACC has provided teams to this game, previously known as the Emerald Bowl, in each of the last five years, including Tech’s trip west to face Utah in 2005. The opponent will be the first selection from the Western Athletic Conference, which features two top-20 teams in the current BCS standings.
This game falls the night before the BCS national championship game.
Georgia Tech vs. Boise State – The Jackets and Broncos would meet for the first time should they collide in San Francisco. Boise State, currently 11th in the BCS standings, could leave Tech with a top-10 opponent in a bowl game for the second consecutive season and only the second time since 1978.
Georgia Tech vs. Nevada – Tech also has never faced the Wolf Pack (two words, unlike the NC State Wolfpack) on the gridiron, however, defeated Nevada in the Sweet 16 of the 2004 NCAA Basketball Tournament en route to Tech’s National Championship appearance in San Antonio. A match-up between Paul Johnson and Dr. Chris Ault’s squads would feature two of the top four rushing offenses in the nation.
Remember, Tech fans, you can purchase bowl game tickets online at ramblinwreck.com/tickets.
