Paul Johnson (Georgia Tech 45, Georgia 42)

[NYC Duke Fan]

This is in no way to diminish what Coach Cutliffe has done this year at Duke, but Paul Johnson has done one fabulous job at Georgia Tech. I don't know if he was ever a serious candidate for Duke or not,but if he was Duke should have grabbed him right away.

I believe that Tech is playing with a lot of Sophs and freshman , and if that is the case look for them to be close to a National Championship soon especially with Johnson as their coach. He is one of the best there is.

[throatybeard]

He was. He got a better offer.

[FireOgilvie]

Beating Georgia is not that impressive. Rich (UGA coach) is terrible when the game actually matters. Georgia was 2-3 against ranked competition and was blown out against Florida and Alabama. They were the preseason number 1.

Cutcliffe would have gone undefeated at Ga. Tech.

[Bluedog]

He was. He got a better offer.

Better off in prospects (easier to do well at GT than Duke; didn't need to completely resurrect a sad program, facilities, etc.). I'd guess the salary figures were similar, since Johnson gets $1.6M (http://www.coacheshotseat.com/PaulJohnson.htm) at GT while Cutcliffe is pulling in around $1.5M (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3155086). Interesting that Johnson was the highest paid federal employee in the country while at Navy, with a salary of $1M.


Beating Georgia is not that impressive. Rich (UGA coach) is terrible when the game actually matters.

Well, GT had lost the last seven games in a row, so I think it's a pretty big and impressive win for the GT fanbase. I wouldn't consider it an enormous upset, however. But certainly I find it impressive as ESPN analysts would have you believe that it's impossible for a 5-3 ACC team to beat a 6-2 SEC team, the greatest conference in the history of the world. :rolleyes:

[sandinmyshoes]

I think Duke and GT both got the coach between the two of them that was the best fit for the personel on hand at each program.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

This is in no way to diminish what Coach Cutliffe has done this year at Duke, but Paul Johnson has done one fabulous job at Georgia Tech. I don't know if he was ever a serious candidate for Duke or not,but if he was Duke should have grabbed him right away.

I believe that Tech is playing with a lot of Sophs and freshman , and if that is the case look for them to be close to a National Championship soon especially with Johnson as their coach. He is one of the best there is.

Coach Cutcliffe is a much better fit for Duke. Had Paul Johnson gotten the job, I believe he would not have stayed long. Coach Cutcliffe's in it for the long haul.

[SupaDave]

GO TECH!! We're going bonkers in Tech Land!!

It's big for a NUMBER of reasons. The reason the last coach is GONE is b/c HE couldn't beat GA. Believe it or not, it is a much bigger rivalry than you think. Our school song has direct references to Georgia and there are traditions that go back decades.

Plus, the SEC in all their football huff seem to be slowly coming back to earth while it looks like the ACC just might be on the rise.

Don't believe me? Just look at the coaching hires - Butch Davis, Cutcliffe, PJ. It's getting serious and I think this was the intention in the first place when the ACC expanded.

Programs like FSU and Miami are on the rise and Virginia Tech and Boston College should remain competitive. With the emergence of Wake Forest the ACC is quietly becoming a power conference.

Oh yeah - Go Tech!!!

[Devilsfan]

Congrats to Tech. Coach Cut has impressed me so much I wouldn't trade him for any other coach in the ACC including your triple option chop blocking Paul. I am glad we finally decided to pay for a football HC and were smart enough to get the right coach!

[Olympic Fan]

With the ACC going 3-1 against the SEC Saturday, that brings the ACC to 6-4 on the season against the "best conference in college football" (plus the ACC is 4-0 against the Big 12 ... the acknowledged best this season).

I actually hope this can lead to a rational evaluation of conferences. I'm not putting the SEC down -- its a great conference -- only not as great as the over-the-top butt-kissing from ESPN and company makes it seem.

Conferences are like teams -- they go up and down in cycles. The SEC has been very, VERY good for the 2-3 previous years. But before 2006, they ranked FIFTH among BCS conferences against other BCS leagues and third in bowl winning percentage. Between 1981 and 2005, the ACC actually won more national titles than the SEC (not even counting the titles Miami won before joining the league).

As I said, in 2006 and 2007, the SEC was VERY, VERY good. This year, it's come down to earth.

The SEC has two special teams -- Florida and Alabama (which are a combined 3-0 against the ACC). The rest of the league is no better ... maybe worse ... than the ACC. The Big 12 has three great teams .... and a bunch of teams that look like middle-of-the-road ACC teams. The Pac 10 has one great team ... the Big 10 maybe one or two.

The problem with the ACC is that we don't have a great team. Not one. We may have more good teams than anybody in college football, but that's not the way to win acclaim. But 10 of 12 ACC teams are bowl eligible and the other two barely missed (even Duke needed one play in the Northwestern and Wake games to be eligible).

I applaud Paul Johnson for going on the road and beating the SEC's third-best team (think about it ... that's what Georgia is). His offense, which I remember was criticized by some Duke fans when it appeared he was a candidate for our job (I heard the same thing from State fans when he was a candidate for their job), rolled up more the 400 rushing yards on Georgia's defense. Of course, when he played Miss State, he put 38 points up on a team that had just limited Auburn to three in the previous week.

Too bad Duke didn't get to play more SEC teams ... the Blue Devils, 1-7 in the ACC, went on the road and knocked off a Vandy team that was 4-4 in the SEC. Wake Forest, which also beat the 'Dores, beat Ole Miss the week before Ole Miss beat Florida. Clemson manhandled bowl-bound South Carolina.

Just thinking, two years ago, the Triangle coaches were Bill Bunting, Chuck Amato and Ted Roof -- a trio who had exactly ZERO Division 1-A wins when they were hired. Today, Butch Davis, Tom O'Brien and David Cutcliffe coach in the Triangle -- they had a combined 170 1-A wins when they were hired.

Quite an upgrade ... if I had to evaluate, I can't think of a time when the ACC's head coaching fraternity was stronger or deeper ...

Sorry for the rambling thoughts, but just wanted to think about this stuff. I think the ACC is a couple of outstanding QBs away from challenging the SEC and Big 12 as the nation's best conference.

[throatybeard]

With the ACC going 3-1 against the SEC Saturday, that brings the ACC to 6-4 on the season against the "best conference in college football" (plus the ACC is 4-0 against the Big 12 ... the acknowledged best this season).

I actually hope this can lead to a rational evaluation of conferences.

A rational evaluation has to take SOS into account. Three of our six wins over the SEC are against Vanderbilt and Mississippi State.

The reason the Big 12 is the acknowledged best this year is becuase of UT, TTU, OU and to a lesser extent MU. The ACC has played none of them. FSU beat 5-7 Colorado in Tallahassee. Miami beat A&M, who's awful. Virginia Tech did win at [mediocre] Nebraska, a team Wake Forest couldn't beat even in their Orange Bowl season. And Wake Forest beat Baylor.

[jimsumner]

When the SEC has a bunch of teams around .500, it demonstrates their balance and how many good teams they have.

When the ACC has a bunch of teams around .500, it demonstrates the league's mediocrity and the absence of great teams.

[Wander]

A rational evaluation has to take SOS into account. Three of our six wins over the SEC are against Vanderbilt and Mississippi State.

I'm close to 100% sure the SOS argument favors the ACC, not the SEC.

Of the four games the SEC won, three of them were by Alabama and Florida. Meanwhile, the ACC's two division winners didn't participate in any of the ten games.

There are six SEC teams with losing conference records. The ACC played one of those six (MSU), and only once. The ACC didn't get to play Auburn, Tennessee, Kentucky, LSU, or Arkansas. True, the conference played Vanderbilt twice - but the opponents were Wake and Duke! That's a 4-4 ACC team and a 1-7 ACC team beating a 4-4 SEC team.

Georgia Tech-MSU is a mismatch, sure, but it's the only one out of the 10 games that heavily favors the ACC. The SEC is approximately five million times better at the top, but at this point I think I'm ready to say it: the ACC is a better conference overall this year.

[Exiled_Devil]

Interesting that Johnson was the highest paid federal employee in the country while at Navy, with a salary of $1M.


That makes me sad. It would venture into PPB realm to discuss why, but really, I can think of a lot more people who deserve a salary higher than a football coach.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

That makes me sad. It would venture into PPB realm to discuss why, but really, I can think of a lot more people who deserve a salary higher than a football coach.
Surely you're not suggesting that the President of the United State should paid more than a football coach. :eek:

[Indoor66]

Surely you're not suggesting that the President of the United State should make more than a football coach. :eek:

Maybe it depends on who has the better year. :)

[jimsumner]

Oh, an obscure Babe Ruth reference. I love it. :)

[Highlander]

Until the ACC manages to have someone in serious consideration for the National Championship, they will continue to be seen as a second tier Football conference.

[rockymtn devil]

Until the ACC manages to have someone in serious consideration for the National Championship, they will continue to be seen as a second tier Football conference.

Or win a BCS game, which no ACC team has done since 1999. That win is the conferences only BCS Bowl victory in the system's 10 year existence.

The ACC is a solid league. Nobody's great. Nobody's terrible. But, like Highlander notes, without a national power, it's marginally ahead of the Big East. No one cares that Duke is better than Vanderbilt. All that matters to the CFB world is that Florida is better than VT/BC.

[killerleft]

This is in no way to diminish what Coach Cutliffe has done this year at Duke, but Paul Johnson has done one fabulous job at Georgia Tech. I don't know if he was ever a serious candidate for Duke or not,but if he was Duke should have grabbed him right away.

I believe that Tech is playing with a lot of Sophs and freshman , and if that is the case look for them to be close to a National Championship soon especially with Johnson as their coach. He is one of the best there is.

Back on topic.

I think it is way too early to declare Paul Johnson a better coach than David Cutcliffe. Why don't we wait and see how they match up in five years or so?

As mentioned, Coach Cutcliffe had the guts to take on one of the toughest coaching jobs in America. Paul Johnson had the chance and took an easier route. I want the tough guy.

The tough guy got four wins (and almost six or seven) from a program that had only won four games in the previous four years.

The tough guy made Duke competitive with at least ten of our opponents.

The tough guy inspires loyalty (just look at the assistants, and just about anyone who knows him).

You want Paul Johnson? Pull for Georgia Tech! I believe Duke has the man it has needed for years.

I don't want to diminish what Paul Johnson has done at GT, but I think that David Cutcliffe's first year at Duke is every bit as impressive.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Back on topic.

I think it is way too early to declare Paul Johnson a better coach than David Cutcliffe. Why don't we wait and see how they match up in five years or so?

As mentioned, Coach Cutcliffe had the guts to take on one of the toughest coaching jobs in America. Paul Johnson had the chance and took an easier route. I want the tough guy.

The tough guy got four wins (and almost six or seven) from a program that had only won four games in the previous four years.

The tough guy made Duke competitive with at least ten of our opponents.

The tough guy inspires loyalty (just look at the assistants, and just about anyone who knows him).

You want Paul Johnson? Pull for Georgia Tech! I believe Duke has the man it has needed for years.

I don't want to diminish what Paul Johnson has done at GT, but I think that David Cutcliffe's first year at Duke is every bit as impressive.

Amen, brother!

[SupaDave]

Back on topic.

I think it is way too early to declare Paul Johnson a better coach than David Cutcliffe. Why don't we wait and see how they match up in five years or so?

As mentioned, Coach Cutcliffe had the guts to take on one of the toughest coaching jobs in America. Paul Johnson had the chance and took an easier route. I want the tough guy.

The tough guy got four wins (and almost six or seven) from a program that had only won four games in the previous four years.

The tough guy made Duke competitive with at least ten of our opponents.

The tough guy inspires loyalty (just look at the assistants, and just about anyone who knows him).

You want Paul Johnson? Pull for Georgia Tech! I believe Duke has the man it has needed for years.

I don't want to diminish what Paul Johnson has done at GT, but I think that David Cutcliffe's first year at Duke is every bit as impressive.

Different coaches. Different situations. Both are rebuilding programs. The ACC is fortunate to have both of them.

[AtlDuke72]

Beating Georgia is not that impressive. Rich (UGA coach) is terrible when the game actually matters. Georgia was 2-3 against ranked competition and was blown out against Florida and Alabama. They were the preseason number 1.

Cutcliffe would have gone undefeated at Ga. Tech.

Wow - undefeated!!! Seriously, losing to Alabama and Florida is not grounds for labelling Richt as terrible. Last time I checked they were ranked number 1 and 4 and Florida is probably going to win it all. Also hard to say the ACC is better when the SEC has those two teams. From there down the ACC may be better. Of course, the SEC is probably better in basketball if you throw out the Heels and the Devils.

[ugadevil]

Wow - undefeated!!! Seriously, losing to Alabama and Florida is not grounds for labelling Richt as terrible. Last time I checked they were ranked number 1 and 4 and Florida is probably going to win it all.

The previous poster didn't actually label Mark RICHT as terrible, instead calling Coach Rich terrible. If someone is going to rip a program and coach (with a winning percentage that is excellent & shows a level of character that is unquestionable), get your facts straight.

[calltheobvious]

The previous poster didn't actually label Mark RICHT as terrible, instead calling Coach Rich terrible. If someone is going to rip a program and coach (with a winning percentage that is excellent & shows a level of character that is unquestionable), get your facts straight.

What you said.

Beyond being the classiest major-program coach in the country (in a conference that tends to chew up and spit out nice guys), Richt faced not only devastating injuries to key players, but also one of the toughest schedules anyone's ever seen. Nobody on the Georgia team has ANYTHING to be ashamed of this season. Georgia lost three games. Nobody in the country could have played their schedule and lost fewer than two, and I'm frankly not sure anyone would have bested the Bulldogs' performance.

[ugadevil]

What you said.

Beyond being the classiest major-program coach in the country (in a conference that tends to chew up and spit out nice guys), Richt faced not only devastating injuries to key players, but also one of the toughest schedules anyone's ever seen. Nobody on the Georgia team has ANYTHING to be ashamed of this season. Georgia lost three games. Nobody in the country could have played their schedule and lost fewer than two, and I'm frankly not sure anyone would have bested the Bulldogs' performance.

After reading that post about Coach Rich, I decided to look up the history on Mark Richt's tenure at UGA. I won't list the results because it's not worth my time but the man has brought the Georgia program to a point where they are consistently strong. His winning percentage is excellent, his record against ranked teams is solid, and his record in away games is unbelievable. And as I said before, UGA and the Athens community could not have a better representative.

[calltheobvious]

After reading that post about Coach Rich, I decided to look up the history on Mark Richt's tenure at UGA. I won't list the results because it's not worth my time but the man has brought the Georgia program to a point where they are consistently strong. His winning percentage is excellent, his record against ranked teams is solid, and his record in away games is unbelievable. And as I said before, UGA and the Athens community could not have a better representative.

Honestly, we've both already spent too much time responding to that tripe. Anybody with any doubts about Richt as a football coach or a man has more dollars than sense.

[dkbaseball]

Honestly, we've both already spent too much time responding to that tripe. Anybody with any doubts about Richt as a football coach or a man has more dollars than sense.

Just to add a talking point re Richt's bona fides as a coach: consider the fate of Bobby Bowden's Fla. St. teams. With Richt on the staff they averaged about one and a half losses per season, in the eight seasons since he left it's gone up to four and a half.