Nick Saban, Kirk Herbstreit Pick Georgia Tech to Make the ACC Championship Game

When debating who would be in Charlotte for the ACC Championship on College Gameday this morning, everyone picked Miami to be there, but Kirk Herbstreit and Nick Saban said they would be playing Georgia Tech when they got there:

This is certainly within the realm of possibility, especially for the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech is going to be favored in every ACC game the rest of the way, but they have to show they can beat these teams as well, which is easier said than done.

Playoff chances?

The Yellow Jackets are one of the favorites to win the ACC after their win over the Tigers and in a recent article from ESPN's Heather Dinich, she assessed the Yellow Jackets playoff chances and put the playoff spotlight on them:

"Following its win against Clemson, Georgia Tech now has the second-best chance to reach the ACC title game (39.9%) behind Miami (67.8%). ESPN Analytics projects the Jackets will win each of their remaining games except for the regular-season finale against rival Georgia -- a playoff team they pushed to eight overtimes last year. With two September wins against Power 4 teams Colorado and Clemson, Georgia Tech isn't flying under the radar, but it still falls under the "more work to do" category below because its best wins came against teams that are now 1-2. If Georgia Tech wins the ACC, it's a playoff lock, but if it doesn't -- and its only two losses are to Georgia and whatever ranked opponent it faces in the ACC title game (Florida State or Miami?) -- the committee will have a debate about the two-loss ACC runner-up. Georgia Tech's number of wins against ranked opponents depends on if Clemson can get itself together. The Yellow Jackets currently have the 63rd-toughest remaining schedule, according to ESPN Analytics. They don't play the ACC's toughest teams -- Miami, Florida State or SMU."

But the Yellow Jackets' focus is squarely on the Temple Owls today, and head coach Brent Key has been impressed with what he has seen on tape:

“Yeah, so they started out 2-0,  played a really good Oklahoma team this past weekend.  New coaching staff there, who's had a lot of success everywhere they've been.  Really good football coach. You can tell that they're  a well-coached team. Offensively, these guys shift in motion. They're 77 % of the plays, they're motion, and they have eye candy.  They're second in the country in most times they motion. Defensively, they pose a lot of problems with you. They play three down front. They kick it to four down. They play bear a lot of different things in the back end that are a little unorthodox from what we've seen the last three or four weeks. They play hard. They've got length on their defense. You know you can tell they're coached the right way. They are sound on special teams, and they're not doing things to beat themselves.  Everybody is gonna make mistakes out there. I think the future is really, really bright for this football team and this coaching staff. I've been very impressed watching the way they play the game.”

The Yellow Jackets have a clear path in front of them, but they have to take it one game at a time.