Ga. Tech embraces unusual role

ATLANTA— CoachPaulJohnsonknowsthatGeorgia Tech is at a strange crossroads to a bizarre season.

If the Yellow Jackets upset No. 13 Florida State in the ACC championship game, they will earn a spot in the Orange Bowl.

If they lose, it might take an NCAA waiver for a lowertier bowl even to offer an invitation.

But Johnson said he isn’t concerned about Georgia Tech’s postseason status with a conference title at stake Saturday night in Charlotte, N.C.

After the Jackets’ four-game winning streak ended last week with an embarrassing loss at No. 3 Georgia, Johnson wants his players concentrating on what they can control.

“It’s like I said when I talked to the team, ‘There’s a lot of teams in the country that would love to change places with you and have a chance to go play in the conference championship game,’ ” Johnson said Tuesday. “Is it a challenge? Sure, we’re playing a really good team, but it’s also an opportunity.”

At 6-6, Georgia Tech faces an uncomfortable quandary. Awinover Florida State solves everything, but a loss to the Seminoles leaves the Jackets relying on bowl scenario circumstances to fall in their favor. Just to be safe, Georgia Tech and the Atlantic Coast Conference office earlier this week filed a preliminary waiver with the NCAA to ensure that a seventh loss would not discredit a sub.-500 team and make it ineligible for a bowl.