Offensive MVP

Calvin Johnson: The sophomore receiver was named first-team All-America by the American Football Coaches Association, the school's first first-teamer in five years. The 6-foot-4, 230-pounder caught 52 passes for 869 yards and six touchdowns. Of course, he needed a good passer in junior quarterback Reggie Ball, who passed for 1,907 yards.

Defensive MVP

Dawan Landry: The senior safety was third on the team in tackles with 68 and led the seventh best team in the nation for interceptions with four picks. He also led the Yellow Jackets in pass breakups and fumble recoveries.

Team weakness

Placekicking: After making his first five field goals of the season, Travis Bell only made 5 of 15 the rest of the season, including six straight misses over a five-game stretch. Seven of his misses were from 40 yards or longer, but Bell's inconsistency is a concern for the Yellow Jackets, particularly in a close game.

Team strength

The defense: Georgia Tech finished 10th in the nation in total defense, allowing 296.4 yards per game, and was also 11th in rushing defense, 14th in pass efficiency defense and 16th in scoring defense. Besides Landry, the defense features defensive lineman Eric Henderson, linebacker Gerris Wilkinson and strong safety Chris Reis.

How they got there

The Yellow Jackets got the season rolling with an upset win at Auburn, a team that went undefeated a year ago. After upsetting Miami on Nov. 19, the same day Utah beat BYU, the Yellow Jackets figured they would go to the Music City Bowl in Nashville or the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte. Instead, those bowls opted for Virginia and North Carolina State, respectively, sending Georgia Tech to San Francisco.

High point

A week after losing to an average Virginia team, the Yellow Jackets went to Miami and shocked the No. 3 Hurricanes, knocking them out of a BCS bowl game. In the 14-10 victory, the Yellow Jackets held Miami to just 30 yards rushing and 237 yards total offense.

Low point