Tony’s Take | GA Tech | UGA | THE SWAMP | CFP + NFL Picks

GEORGIA TECH. The 28-23 upset over No. 4 Miami (9-1 | 5-1) improved Yellow Jackets (6-4 | 4-3) third-year head coach Brent Key to a 6-1 record against ranked ACC opponents. This is also Key’s first win over a top-five opponent in a program-defining win. Georgia Tech fans can now begin preparing for additional travel to a bowl game.

Tech QB Haynes King returned from missing several weeks of action and played a gritty game. King orchestrated the offense to lead time of possession by 10 minutes while running and passing for a touchdown and gaining 93 yards rushing.

Tech executed the formula to slow down the Canes QB Heisman front-runner, and it came down to winning the trenches. The Jackets rushed for 271 while holding the U to 88 rushing yards. I heard Key say on 680 the Fan that his college coach, George O’Leary, had a 180-yard rushing goal for every game as a key to victory. O’Leary called Key the night of the win and reminded him of how that formula continues to equal success.

“Good football game, if you believe in running the ball and stopping the run and time of possession,” Key said. “Those types of things still work.”

Miami entered the contest averaging 47 points per game.

UGA. The Bulldogs must put the 28-10 loss at Ole Miss behind them and prepare for Tennessee. This was UGA’s first regular season loss other than Alabama since 2020.

Kirby Smart’s challenge is to balance prep for the Vols while working on deficiencies exposed by the Rebels. The most glaring issue in Oxford was UGA’s O line’s inability to block Mississippi’s D line. The 2023 version of the Dawgs dominated the Rebel’s D front. Can you say transfer portal? If the Vols’ talented, platooning D Line is as good as Kirby described in his weekly presser, that unit will be a problem in Athens coupled with the offensive challenges that plague this version of the Dawgs.

The (7-2 | 5-2) Dawgs face off with an (8-1 | 5-1) Vols in a game that could end UGA’s CFP hopes. The key for the Dawgs will be disrupting the Vols’ QB Lamaleava, who boasts 1879 pass yards, 11 TDs, 4 INTs and a 64.3 QBR. By comparison, UGA’s QB Carson Beck has 2,488 pass yards, 17 TDs, 12 INTs and 72.9 QBR. Dialing pressure on the Vols’ QB will be a determining factor for UGA between the hedges.

UGA is currently on the outside looking in following the second CFP rankings.

THE SWAMP. Gators AD Scott Stricklin announced football head coach Billy Napier would be retained in 2025. This move is partially self-preservation as SEC ADs do not generally get the opportunity to hire a third head football coach. Aligning the university president and major boosters who invest in the Gator’s NIL collective was a major undertaking. It is the right move, as UF is loaded with underclassman talent and a rising star freshman quarterback.

Several days after the above announcement, the University of Florida student-run newspaper outlined details of the allegations against head men’s basketball coach Todd Golden.

The story outlines “claims regarding sexual harassment, which could also include sexual exploitation, cited sending photos and videos of his genitalia while traveling for UF, unwanted sexual advances on Instagram, requesting sexual favors, and various occasions of stalking.”

According to the Alligator Newspaper, Golden has recently blocked at least 20 women connected to the Gators basketball program. If true, that gives me pause. Golden has retained a defamation attorney.

It can be argued that AD Stricklin mishandled women’s basketball and soccer programs, which led to a resignation and firing. It is not uncommon for universities at every level to hold ADs responsible for a decision by a head coach. While this is questionable, trust me, it occurs.

Keep an eye on future developments in Gainesville.

SEC & CFP. Seven SEC teams are alive in the 12-team CFP playoff conversation. Tennessee and Texas have one loss. Alabama, Georgia, Mizzou, Ole Miss and TX A&M have two losses.

At this point, the only pathway I see a three-loss SEC team making the CFP is if the third loss is in the SEC championship. This could change based on how the remainder of the season plays out.

SUPER 6 + 1. | #6 Tennessee @ #11 UGA | #17 CLEMSON @ Pittsburgh | Troy @ GA SOUTHERN | Falcons @ BRONCOS | Jaguars @ LIONS | RAVENS @ Steelers | Commanders @ EAGLES | BOLD = Winner | RECORD 36 – 20

Tony Duckworth is a native of Macon and currently resides in Albany. Tony worked in intercollegiate athletics for thirty-one years. Between 2007 – 2023 he was an NCAA Division II Director of Athletics at three different universities, including Albany State, following ten years as a head men’s basketball coach at two colleges. Follow Tony on the X platform at @tonyduckworthsr.