Fulton County’s least historic rivalry
After an inspired performance across the pond to knock off a top-10 team, the Jackets return home for a duel between midtown and downtown Atlanta: the first-ever game between Georgia Tech and Georgia State, aka the MARTA Bowl* (as coined by Jack Purdy).
It’s a bit weird that State (they don’t get to be called GSU, as they lost to Georgia Southern last year) and Tech have never played even though State has been at the FBS level since 2013. One interpretation is that it never made much sense for Tech to put this game on the calendar, as it offers high risk for little reward. Another is that games are scheduled many years in advance and it took a while to find an opening. Yet another is that State scurred Pawwwwwwwl
We don’t yet know whom State will roll out there at QB. One option is Zach Gibson, who spent the past two years at Tech and, depending on whom you ask, is best known for either 1) helping to lead Tech to a win over ranked UNC or 2) playing like his controller was broken against Virginia. The other option is former Penn State QB Christian Veilleux, whose last name is not pronounced with any of the sounds one would expect based on any of the letters in that name. Either way, though, it’ll be someone with starting experience…
…which is good, because after their coach randomly ditched in February to become (of all things) South Carolina’s tight ends coach, State will roll out a head coach with no experience in Dell McGee, previously UGA’s running backs coach. McGee’s name was floated early and often for the Tech job in 2022, but he was set aside because “idk recruited some dudes at uga I guess” was, understandably, not enough of a resume for Tech. But it was apparently enough for a desperate late-cycle hire at State.
And so Saturday will be a battle between a Tech team with extensive continuity and a State team that just tore down the house and rebuilt the foundation. It’s a dangerous game for Tech in that 1) State is a total unknown in almost every regard and 2) a loss would be very bad for the team’s image within its own city. Hoeven, the corollary to 2 is that it would have extremely funny implications for the national perception of Florida State. So in that regard, it wouldn’t be the worst thing imaginable… but with luck we’ll avoid having to think about that scenario too much.
This will also be the final transmission from the FTRS Ireland Correspondents’ Desk, so we’ll be back to reality next week with snark that wasn’t written in the middle of a vacation.
* This is a good time to note that this. weekend’s game will not be complete without a secondary ACCN stream that covers half the screen with the MARTA Bus from the infamous/legendary Georgia Dome implosion video.