Hard to believe, but the defending ACC champs enter 2010 with a chip on their collective shoulder.
The ACC media picked Georgia Tech to finish third in the Coastal Division, mainly because the Yellow Jackets lost four juniors to the NFL.
"People are looking for us not to be the same team," said senior Joshua Nesbitt, the dual-threat quarterback and Heisman candidate. "We need to prove everybody wrong."
Nesbitt's durability is the key to Tech's season. He needs 692 yards to become the ACC's all-time rushing leader among quarterbacks. Last year, he accounted for 28 touchdowns running and passing and played every game despite taking a pounding in the option attack.
As long as he's in the lineup, the Jackets will put up around 30 points per game.
Nesbitt and inside linebacker Brad Jefferson recently were named team captains.
"A captain is someone everybody can come to, that they look up to and respect," said Nesbitt, who definitely fits that criteria. "I think people on the team respect us and expect us to do right."