Nathan over at Golden Tornado was kind enough to offer a "blog exchange" this week in preparation for the upcoming Carolina/Georgia Tech game. He'd preview the Jackets for HeelsBlog if I'd return the favor at his site. It's a great idea to familiarize you and me with our opponent, and to really think about our own team. When someone asks you to, you analyze your team more than you ever would yourself. Why would I think too much about RB depth when it worries me? Well, to be truly fair, I had to look into such things. So thanks, Nathan. And good luck. Just not Saturday.

Georgia Tech, land of nerds. Where the female of the human species is an endangered creature. Where LB/SS Chris Reis famously said in an ESPN.com article titled "Football as Rocket Science" that "You have to understand, half the students here don't even know that we have a football team." But something funny happens when you walk into Bobby Dodd stadium at Grant Field (the oldest on-campus football facility in the South) - there's 4 National Championships listed, and banners from victories in every major bowl. Somehow this southern version of MIT has found the time to have something of a football history. GT is the all-time winningest football program in the ACC, just ahead of UNC. Back when F$U was still a girl's school, Tech was capping a 50 year run of national prominence.

Yes, more recently GT's basketball team has garnered the national spotlight, but make no mistake - at it's core GT is still a football school. And this year we have one of the most talented teams in recent history, and excitement for the season is as high as I can remember since Joe Hamilton's Heisman run in 1999. This week marks the first time since Chan Gailey took over the program that it's been ranking in the top 25, and most of the fanbase is cautiously optimistic that we can win 8 games or more and continue our string of 8 straight bowl games in the process.

So who exactly is on this team that has the Ramblin Wreck faithful so excited? I'm going to try and break down the major positions as honestly as I can (I'm a bit biased, sue me) so that UNC fans have an idea what to look for from a fan's perspective down in Atlanta this weekend.

Quarterbacks:
There's a reason I picked a picture of Reggie Ball running. He's pretty darn lethal with his legs. GT likes to move the pocket with him not only because he's a threat to run, but also because he's fairly short and has had trouble at times throwing over bigger defensive lines. Ball completes less than 50% of his passes, and has been known to make just back breakingingly poor decisions at times. When's he playing at his best he's very good. When he's playing at his worst, he's very bad. In the Auburn game earlier this year he showed a lot of maturity and made good decisions all game long. Joe Hamilton turned the corner in his junior season, maybe Reggie is going to do the same this year. If he plays well, GT is very tough to beat. If he plays poorly, it's a whole different story. No single player has more impact on how we play than #1. His backup is an inexperienced redshirt freshman with a ton of talent named Taylor Bennett. While a lot of people in Atlanta would love to see him play, if he's on the field in any situation that's not a blowout it's not going to be a good thing.

Running Backs:
P.J Daniels is the engine that makes the Ramblin' Wreck go. If Ball is the one player capable of losing a game for this team, Daniels is one player capable of winning one. He looked dominant and healthy in the opener against Auburn, back to his 2003 form when he led the ACC in rushing with 1,447 yards. He very well might be the best running back in the ACC, with a punishing straight ahead style that fits perfectly with Chan Gailey's gameplan for a power running attack. You can count on one hand the number of times in his career that the first hit has brought him down, and he seems to target out defensive backs for punishing hits.Backing Daniels up is a transfer from Oklahoma, Tashard Choice. He's a bit more of a breakaway threat and a very talented back as well. Tailback is the deepest position on the GT roster, though Daniels is the emotional leader of the team, and GT is clearly better when he's healthy and playing. I would expect Gailey to use both backs in a straight ahead running attack on Saturday, everything in the GT offense keys off that. Mike Cox is a young fullback who seems to be an extremely capable blocker. He played a terrific game against Auburn, blowing people up and putting on a great seal block on Daniel's TD run. Expect to see him on the field a lot as a lead blocker, and possibly used in the passing game.

Offensive Line:
Very young, very athletic and very inexperienced. The biggest question heading into the season for GT was the play of the o-line, but they held up well against a very good Auburn defense, giving up only 1 sack and opening huge holes for P.J to run through. Brad Honeycutt is the only really experienced member of the line, and he's playing tackle for the first time as a starter. Overall, probably the weekest part of GT's offense - but they really surprised people with how well they played on the plains. If they can keep up that level of production, this could be a very good offense.

Wide Receivers:
Some F$U fan called Calvin Johnson "Frisbee Dog" ... which is probably the most fitting nickname I have heard for him. Throw it up, and he'll go get it. He's the closest thing to Randy Moss I've seen, with ridiculous size, body control, leaping ability and speed. Unfortunately, Ball seems more willing to throw up jump balls than really stretch out CJ's deep speed. If that's something they can add this year, Johnson has a realistic chance at 50+ catches for over 1,000 yards. He's the best pure WR in the country already as a sophmore and will only get better. The other wideouts have the athletic abilites to be very good, if not the experience. Damarius Bilbo is a converted QB and is probably the strongest WR on the team. He's got great size, speed and strength but is still raw as a WR. He had a nice game against Auburn, and if he can continue to develop into a second threat for this offense that will help take some of the load (and double teams) off C.J. The rest of the wideouts (Clark, Johnson and McGuire) are fairly raw, and any contribution by them is a bonus - though Clark did show flashes against AU as well.

Defensive Line:
Eric Henderson is a bad, bad man. Once he found out his sisters were safe from Katrina at half time of the Auburn game, he came out a one man wrecking crew, finishing with 5 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 sacks and 1 forced fumble - while matched up against a senior tackle who will be a first round pick in the NFL draft. EH led the ACC in sacks with 11.5 in 2003 and is one of the best run stopping DE's in college football. Chad Anoai is a very good defensive tackle, and together with EH is the heart of the defensive line. The rest of the line rotation is solid, though not as deep as it would have been before offseason attrition to grades and injuries. The starters are one of the best lines in the ACC, depth is a real concern though. Against a team with a power running game, there is the worry that they could wear down in the second half and get pushed around. While not exceptionally large, the line is very quick and extensively uses stunts and zone blitzes to get pressure on the QB. Expect to see Henderson drop into zone coverage from time to time as well, a strategy that worked well in the opener.

Linebackers:
Gerris Wilkinson at MLB is the senior leader of a very experienced linebacking crew. Without a single dominant NFL prospect like UVa and F$U have, this is more of an interchangable group - especially at OLB. Philip Wheeler and KaMichael Hall should see plenty of time on the field after strong games against Auburn as well as Gary Guyton. The GT linebackers are a versatile group, they have to be to be able to play Tenuta's continually changing blitz schemes. 3 of GT's 4 interceptions against Auburn were by the linebackers, and expect to see them in coverage a lot in addition to run stuffing and pass rush duties. Depth again can be somewhat of a concern. The front-line talent is very good, but questions about their ability to hold up over a 60 minute period haven't been answered yet - they did appear a bit worn down at the end of the game last weekend.

Defensive Backfield:
The weakest part of GT's defense, though they are still fairly good. Losing Rueben Houston during the offseason took away one of the best cover corners in the ACC and forced people into different roles. Kenny Scott and Dennis Davis man the corners, with Jamal Lewis as the nickel back. They all have good size, and Lewis showed he's a ferocious tackler last weekend. Scott and Davis have to tackle well because they are almost always on an island with the continual blizting GT does. Chris Reis and Dawan Landry are the safeties, with Reis a converted linebacker more suited to run support than coverage. They are both agressive hitters. The defensive backfield is talented, but how well they work together as a unit yet is open to question.

In short, GT is very talented in the starting lineup with one of the best offenses and defenses in the ACC. Depth is a very real concern at several positions, and we have a QB who still hasn't proven he's over the brutal lapses of concentration and poor decision making that killed us at times last year. If GT comes out and plays up to it's talent level each week, this will be one of the best teams in the ACC and a challenger for the Coastal Division title. Any lapses though, such as the ones that have plauged Gailey's tenure on the flats and it coule be another 7-4 season and a trip to some bowl I've never heard of. The game this weekend in Atlanta is a must win for Tech with a brutal road schedule ahead, and the team should be fired up with revenge on the mind. Of course, nothing ever seems to work out the way it seems in Atlanta the past few years, so who knows. It'll be a fun ride whatever happens.