Georgia Tech football wants to improve on last year's 7-6 record and make another bowl game and win, but it'll be a tough test to overcome, even with an easier non-conference schedule. Georgia Tech's ACC schedule opens with a matchup against defending champion Florida State and includes games against Syracuse, Louisville, Duke, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Miami and NC State.
According to college football expert Phil Steele, Georgia Tech has the second-toughest conference schedule in the ACC. This is only an evaluation of the ACC schedule and does not evaluate the non-conference schedules that include the Yellow Jackets Georgia and Notre Dame. Steele said Duke has the toughest conference schedule in the ACC and North Carolina State has the loosest conference schedule.
247Sports analyst Brad Crawford rated the Yellow Jackets' 2024 schedule as the sixth-toughest in the country.
“As one of two ACC teams ranked in our toughest schedule rankings, Georgia Tech has a tough road ahead of it, especially with the Yellow Jackets finishing their season against Miami, NC State and Georgia in November. Coach Brent Key will need to get this team ready every week or it will be difficult to achieve bowl eligibility.”
Seven of Georgia Tech's opponents appeared in 247Sports' post-spring Top 25. Eleven of Georgia Tech's 12 opponents appeared in a bowl game last season. With such a tough schedule, could Georgia Tech make it to the ACC Championship?
How will Georgia Tech need to perform against this schedule if they want to compete for an ACC Championship Game berth this season?
They're likely going to be facing some of the best teams in the ACC, so they don't have much room for error. A loss to Florida State would mean losing the tiebreaker, but Florida State has one of the easier schedules in the ACC, so that's unlikely. Miami, NC State, and Virginia Tech are also in the mix. Georgia Tech would have to go 6-2 in ACC games at worst to have a shot at winning the league.
What is the most likely way they can get to 6-2? On paper, Florida State and Miami are the two best teams Georgia Tech will face in the conference. Both teams are tied for the most wins in the ACC with 9.5 wins and are expected to compete for the conference title. Can the Yellow Jackets pull off wins against Syracuse, Louisville, Duke, North Carolina, Virginia Tech and NC State? They won't be easy, but these are winnable games and that's what Brent Key has shown as head coach and as interim coach before that. He beat Miami and North Carolina as big underdogs last season and almost beat Louisville. Georgia Tech will be underdogs against Florida State, Miami, Louisville, NC State and North Carolina. They could be underdogs against Syracuse because it's an away game, but it won't be by a huge margin.
Some of these teams will be disappointing, and some of them will be. Virginia Tech has high expectations heading into this season, but they didn't have any notable wins from last year. The Hokies return a lot from last year's team, but they may not live up to expectations. As anyone who follows ACC football knows, Miami and NC State often disappoint when expectations are too high. NC State has never been more than 10 wins, and they lose a couple of games each year that they shouldn't have. Dave Doeren has a great program, but there's a reason they've never made it to the ACC title game, even though there were years when it looked like they could.
It's no exaggeration to say that Miami boasts the best recruiting depth in the ACC. This offseason, Miami has acquired consecutive top 10 players and also landed one of the best transfer portal classes in the country. The question is, can Mario Cristobal maximize this talent and ultimately win big for Miami? Until he proves he can, the questions will remain.
Louisville may have a better defense, but they lost some good players and is Tyler Shaw better than Jake Plummer? Georgia Tech beat the Cardinals easily last year but will be tough to beat on the road. Duke, North Carolina and Syracuse are all winnable games.
If Georgia Tech can improve its defense and not let its offense sag, this team should be even stronger. If some of the teams on the schedule disappoint, Georgia Tech can take advantage and finish with a 6-2 record or better in the ACC. Georgia Tech could get to Charlotte with an 8-4 record (with two ACC losses to Notre Dame and Georgia), as they nearly got there last season at 6-6.
I don't expect Georgia Tech to make the ACC Championship Game, but there is a slight chance they will. This team hasn't received enough attention heading into the season with most people only focusing on the schedule. If the defense makes a big enough jump and cuts down on turnovers, I wouldn't completely rule out a trip to Charlotte.
