On winning and sanity. A few questions.

[Randy Carson]

Isn’t college football supposed to be fun and entertaining? Are we having fun right now? Or dying with every report of another defection?

Which is greater?

1. The joy of winning on a handful of Saturdays every fall, or
2. the anxiety & stress of the coaching carousel and the transfer portal every off-season?

Is it possible that the FCS schools have happier fans than all but a tiny number of elite FBS programs?
Is the fight to reach the top worth the effort expended if it is unsuccessful?
Or is the fight part of the fun?

What is a reasonable expected outcome, and how do we optimize our happiness?

 

[doobie]

For the time being, I think the best way to do it is to pay as little attention to the roster as possible in the winter. If they make it through spring practice I’ll be excited, but until then it’s not worth the energy.

NIL and Transfer portal and ESPN and conference realignment, despite their best efforts, have not ruined college football yet, and the games are still great.

They have, however, totally ruined recruiting for fans, and the days of following a kid in high school, watching him develop in your program and succeed as an upperclassmen, are over.

Root hard for the guys who end up in white and gold in the fall, and find other hobbies in the offseason.

 

[Combo1HotLemonPepper]

Nothing compares to fall Saturdays in Bobby Dodd with friends and family. At least for me, I haven’t lost that feeling yet and everything else is secondary. Maybe one day the money and the portal will make me change my mind and I’ll lose interest, but for now I’m here for anyone that chooses to put on the white and gold and attend my alma mater.

 

[L41k18]

As I've said before... take a break, enjoy Christmas, watch baseball in the spring & summer, maybe some Nascar & IndyCar. Then in August check back in & see who we have as Jackets. Those are our guys for a season, that's our team for a season, cheer them on & see what happens.

Much much less stressful & better for our sanity.

 

[gtee91]

Nothing compares to fall Saturdays in Bobby Dodd with friends and family. At least for me, I haven’t lost that feeling yet and everything else is secondary. Maybe one day the money and the portal will make me change my mind and I’ll lose interest, but for now I’m here for anyone that chooses to put on the white and gold and attend my alma mater.

I hear you but I am not interested in buying tickets for a 2 or 3 win team...just not any fun. So we shall see if they can hold this together or fall into total buffoonery

 

[5277hike]

I’ve been a Tech legacy and fan all my life. A Tech grad for almost 50 years. I have always cheered for whoever wanted to play for Tech and proudly wear the White and Gold. Next year will be no different. Go Jackets, and THWG!

 

[cpf2001]

There’s a difference between being a fan of the game and a fan of winning.

A year like this year is the hardest because the hope gets raised then dashed.

But logically, if winning is more compelling to you than the chase and the process, college sports are the dumbest sports to follow unless you just root for Alabama or such… few other games are as stacked against the smaller players outside of the A’s and such in MLB.

 

[AlabamaBuzz]

I have had to take a more "distant" approach myself. I can't invest my time/emotions into what is essentially a professional football system that is chaos.

I know that the Institute will most likely always have less to expend for football success than the factories. That has always been true, but now it is so sad to see guys come to GT, improve themselves, and then bolt for the highest bidder (or where they believe football will be even a bigger event, like most SEC schools).

It is what it is, to take a phrase from one of my all time favorite coaches. Even my wife, a Bammer, doesn't like it when she hears something like "player A played 2 years at school A, then a year at school B, and is now finishing up at school C." It is ridiculous.

 

[L41k18]

I hear you but I am not interested in buying tickets for a 2 or 3 win team...just not any fun. So we shall see if they can hold this together or fall into total buffoonery

The last time we won 2 or fewer games was 1994. That's 31 years ago. I don't think we're in any kind of danger of that happening anytime soon. Even under Clown we won 3 games in each of his full seasons.

 

[BleedGoldNWhite21]

The last time we won 2 or fewer games was 1994. That's 31 years ago. I don't think we're in any kind of danger of that happening anytime soon. Even under Clown we won 3 games in each of his full seasons.

This is completely missing his point based on a slight technicality

 

[L41k18]

There’s a difference between being a fan of the game and a fan of winning.
A year like this year is the hardest because the hope gets raised then dashed.

I'm a fan of the game. If someone is only a fan of winning, they are in for a long sad life no matter what team they follow.
I also disagree that this was a hard year. This was a d*** fine year; we won 9 games and have a chance at winning 10 for only the 5th time in almost 70 years.

 

[L41k18]

This is completely missing his point based on a slight technicality

I got his point; he was using hyperbole to make said point. So was I, to make mine.
The sky is not falling & we're in no immediate danger of the bottom dropping out.

 

[BleedGoldNWhite21]

I got his point; he was using hyperbole to make said point.
So was I.

We’re only three years removed from a four year stretch where we won a total of 14 games. We went 11-3 in 2014 and went 3-9 the very next year. I’m not sure he was using hyperbole. The defense wasn’t very good last year. If we make the wrong hire on OC, we very will could be headed back in that direction. I don’t think we will, but the chances of 2-10 are just as high as 10-2 right now.

 

[L41k18]

We’re only three years removed from a four year stretch where we won a total of 14 games. We went 11-3 in 2014 and went 3-9 the very next year. I’m not sure he was using hyperbole. The defense wasn’t very good last year. If we make the wrong hire on OC, we very will could be headed back in that direction.

So now you're saying he was literally talking about 2-3 win seasons???
We can agree to disagree then.

 

[cpf2001]

I'm a fan of the game. If someone is only a fan of winning, they are in for a long sad life no matter what team they follow.
I also disagree that this was a hard year. This was a d*** fine year; we won 9 games and have a chance at winning 10 for only the 5th time in almost 70 years.

I think sequencing is everything for how people feel about it.

We’d be happier if we started out 0-3 and ripped off 9 straight. Even if they were exactly the same wins and losses and nothing changed except random chance.

 

[L41k18]

I think sequencing is everything for how people feel about it.

We’d be happier if we started out 0-3 and ripped off 9 straight. Even if they were exactly the same wins and losses and nothing changed except random chance.

You are correct of course.
I guess living a long time & being a Tech fan since 1963 helps me have more of a "big picture" mindset.

 

[SOWEGA Jacket]

Yes, I’m having fun because I don’t get attached to players like a teenage girl and make some fantasyland where they are “my guys”. Philo transferring is no different than if he tore an ACL in spring practice - we deal with it.

For every guy we lose we will gain one. We finally have a roster where other good programs want our players. Hopefully that keeps happening. If not, the coach will be shown the door and we’ll try the next guy. When we get to the point no one wants our players I guess some of you will be fine watching players for 4 years in an empty stadium.

GT football is in good hands.

 

[UgaBlows]

I have to be honest I was REALLY looking forward to watching Philo the next 2-3 seasons, this one hurt more than normal.

 

[MtnWasp]

Staying out of the sausage factory is a good idea.

But I do want an even playing field. Gt has always had some disadvantages and what I have been looking for is that changes in the industry would help level the playing field. It looks like the opposite is panning out. The big budget programs are distancing themselves from the pack. It is an out of control spiral. The coaching changes are madness. The player moves are even worse, if that is possible.

It isn't working for me.

 

[gtee91]

Yes, I’m having fun because I don’t get attached to players like a teenage girl and make some fantasyland where they are “my guys”. Philo transferring is no different than if he tore an ACL in spring practice - we deal with it.

For every guy we lose we will gain one. We finally have a roster where other good programs want our players. Hopefully that keeps happening. If not, the coach will be shown the door and we’ll try the next guy. When we get to the point no one wants our players I guess some of you will be fine watching players for 4 years in an empty stadium.

GT football is in good hands.

I want to believe you...but it is getting tougher each day.
No guarantee that the players we bring in are comparable to the ones that leave.
No guarantee that the next coach would be better.
I am not even saying it is anyone's fault at GT just that the system is so broken that outside of the SEC and Big10 it is a long slide to irrelevance