It’s almost that time of year again! In August and September I’m always eager to talk about football. By November, I’m sick of it. But! It’s August! I’m ready to talk about football! Yay!

So, out with the old and in with the new. Paul Johnson has arrived at Tech after the malaise of the last couple years of football and at the very least has got people talking. No one really knows what kind of team he will field this year, mostly because he is going to be introducing a lot of young talent (8 sophmores or freshman on offense and 7 on defense. Yikes.), but also because he’s bringing his vaunted triple option offense to Tech. What is the triple option?

Well, there you go.

The offense has been the source of much conversation this offseason. How’s it going to work against fast defenses? Can you really move the ball and protect the quarterback without a tight end? Is the offense just smoke and mirrors? When someone in the press asked Johnson if the offense could work in the ACC, Johnson dryly responded “well, they [Tech] weren’t lighting up the scoreboard with their pro-style offense last year, were they?”

One thing is for sure, the offense is made for a quarterback with legs and Josh Nesbitt fits the bill, even if he hasn’t played in an option offense before. Now the question is does he have the instinct to know when to pitch and when to keep the ball? That’s the question on everyone’s mind. Hearing about fumbles in practice does nothing to ease the mind here.

Certainly the option offense is going to benefit by recruiting players with that kind of experience. I personally don’t think the triple option is going to be fully realized at Tech until Johnson recruits his very own runaway beer truck.

There’s also questions about the defense. Jon Tenuta and his “BLITZ! BLITZ!” defense has gone to Notre Dame

3rd and 2? TA-NOOH-TA BLITZ!

In comes Dave Wommack and, hopefully, a little more diversity in defensive coverage. But will it be better than the Top 10 nationally ranked Tech defenses that they have had the last couple of years? No one really knows.

So, what we know so far is that Tech’s football team is a mystery wrapped in an enigma. We’re about to find out soon, though as Jacksonville State arrives in town next Thursday night. They sport newly transferred Ryan Perriloux from LSU who might cause our new defense fits, but do they have the O-Line to stop our defensive line (arguably our greatest strength this year)? Is it going to be a shootout if the newly unveiled Tech offense gets rolling? Lots of questions are on the table and hopefuly next Thursday we’ll at least have the beginning to some answers.

What do you think about your team this year? What are their chances? Conference championship? National championship? Getting to a bowl?