College Football Preview: Wake Forest vs. Georgia Tech

Associated Press

ATLANTA — Two is a crucial number for both Georgia Tech and Wake Forest.

The No. 10 Yellow Jackets are chasing the higher prize, needing two wins to clinch a spot in the ACC championship game. But two victories also would be meaningful for Wake Forest, which is trying to become eligible for its fourth straight bowl trip.

With larger goals looming over their seasons, both teams are trying to keep the focus on today's game.

"We don't want to get caught up in that stuff," Georgia Tech defensive end Derrick Morgan said. "It could be gone in the blink of an eye."

The Yellow Jackets (8-1, 5-1 ACC) would lock up a spot in the ACC championship game by beating the Demon Deacons (4-5, 2-3) and winning again at Duke next weekend. Georgia Tech hasn't won an outright conference title since 1990, also the season they finished No. 1 in the coaches' poll.

"That was a long time ago. I was a 1-year-old," Morgan said with a chuckle. "That is on everybody's mind. We're just trying to take Georgia Tech to the next level. We've done a good job so far, but we've got to keep pushing."

And keep running like they have. The Yellow Jackets rank second nationally with an average of 304 yards per game on the ground, and the spread option has really kicked it into high gear the last five weeks. During that span, the team is averaging 42 points and 483 yards per game.

Coach Paul Johnson has certainly defied the skeptics who said a triple-option, run-oriented offense would never work in a big-time conference.