Georgia Tech clinches ACC Coastal title; will play Florida State for ACC Championship

The 2014 edition of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets entered the football season with modest expectations. Now, Paul Johnson’s team has clinched the ACC Coastal Championship and a right to play for the ACC title on December 6 in Charlotte.

By nature of Duke’s somewhat unexpected 45-20 loss to North Carolina on Thursday evening, the Jackets will finish will the best record in the division at 6-2, and while they needed the Blue Devils to lose two of their final three conference games to get there by nature of the lost tie-breaker, the football gods were looking out for Tech in this instance. The Jackets were picked to finish fifth (!) in the ACC Coastal prior to the season, garnering exactly one first-place vote (out of 112) in the preseason poll, but that clearly did not deter this group.

It is somewhat unusual that both parties are set for the ACC Championship Game on November 20, but that is the case here, as the Jackets will square off with the undefeated, defending national champion Florida State Seminoles. Regardless of the outcome of Florida State’s remaining schedule, Georgia Tech will enter as a significant underdog in the game, but in the same breath, the ‘Noles have appeared vulnerable in recent weeks, and there is little doubt that this year’s offense will be able to put points on the board against Florida State.

There will be plenty of time to look ahead to that contest, but of course, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets have a pretty important game before that. The Georgia Bulldogs will be the next opponent for Paul Johnson and his crew on November 29 at Sanford Stadium in Athens, but until then, it would be wise to celebrate an unexpectedly splendid season for the Jackets.