2012 Record: 6-6 (5-3 ACC)

Starters returning: 18 total, seven offensive, nine defensive and two specialists

The Yellow Jackets are by far the most underwhelming team in the country playing for a conference championship this week. Georgia Tech has allowed opponents to score 40 points or more in six games this season.

GT lost to Middle Tennessee State 49-28 in Bobby Dodd Stadium. Head coach Paul Johnson fired defensive coordinator Al Groh just six games into the season.

The Yellow Jackets were awarded the Coastal Division title after Miami elected to self-imposed a bowl ban for the second straight year. North Carolina is serving a one-year bowl ban handed down by the NCAA infractions committee. The Yellow Jackets enter the game fresh off a 42-10 loss to Georgia.

GT won the ACC title in the 2009 (it was later vacated). Florida State leads the all-time series 12-9-1. It is the first matchup played at a neutral site.

Through the air

Player to watch:

QB Tevin Washington (R-Sr.)

2012 Passing: 68-114 for 1,097 yards, seven TDs and three interceptions

It's no secret that passing the ball is not the focal point of Johnson's offense. Still when GT does the pass the ball it's for a big play, the team averages 17.7 yards per reception.

Redshirt senior QB Tevin Washington has a passer efficiency rating of 155.48, which would rank him third in the ACC if he had enough attempts. Washington is completing 59.6 percent of his passes.

Wide receiver Jeff Greene leads the team with 18 receptions for 284 yards and two touchdowns. A- back Robert Godhigh leads the team with fourth touchdown catches. He has 15 catches for 227 yards. Fellow running back Zach Laskey has just six catches on the season, two for touchdowns.

Pounding the ground

Player to watch:

AB Orwin Smith (Sr.)

2012 Rushing: 75 rushes for 673 yards and five touchdowns

Johnson's triple-option is what GT is known for. The Yellow Jackets average 323.3 yards per game on the ground, and 5.6 per attempt.

Washington has a team-high 18 touchdowns to go with 618 yards rushing. Fellow QB Vad Lee has nine touchdowns and 489 yards rushing. Lee has GT's longest run of the season at 77 yards.

A-back Orwin Smith missed the UGA game with an ankle injury, but expects to play on Saturday. Smith has a team-high 673 yards rushing, five touchdowns and averages a robust nine yards per carry.

Laskey has 623 yards rushing, just one touchdown, but has lost just one yard all season. Godhigh and David Sims each have four touchdowns rushing, and Matt Connors has two scores.

Getting defensive

Player to watch:

S Isaiah Johnson (Jr.)

2012 Stats: 82 tackles, 4.5 for loss, one sack, one interception and a fumble recovery.

Georgia Tech's defense has been the team's Achilles heel this season. Opponents average 30.7 points per game, and 391.9 yards of total offense. Teams average 143.9 yards rushing per game and 248 yards passing.

Safety Isaiah Johnson leads the team with 82 total tackles, 52 of which are solo. Junior linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu has been a wrecking ball this season with 10 tackles for loss, including eight sacks.

Defensive end Euclid Cummings has three sacks on the year. Linebacker Brandon Watts has 7.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.

Defensive back Jemea Thomas is having a nice season with 74 tackles, a team-high 54 tackles and a team-high three interceptions. He also has six pass breakups.