College football is back on the calendar this weekend, and even though Georgia Tech isn’t part of the Week Zero slate, the Yellow Jackets have plenty to watch.
NC State travels to Charlottesville to meet Virginia in an early ACC matchup, while Stanford takes on Hawaii later in the day. Georgia Tech won’t play either of those teams this season, but both are part of the same crowded conference picture the Yellow Jackets are trying to navigate.
Brent Key’s team does, however, head west to face Stanford on Sept. 26.
Georgia Tech opens its own season on Sept. 3 against Colorado, a game it is favored to win, before welcoming Tennessee to Atlanta in Week 2.
With fall camp complete, the betting market hasn’t moved much on the Yellow Jackets. Their win total sits at 6.5, and FanDuel Sportsbook has Georgia Tech at +3500 to win the ACC, which places it ninth in the league.
Miami is the clear favorite to win the conference, with SMU and Louisville viewed as the strongest challengers. After that, the pack tightens up quickly.
Here’s how FanDuel lines up the ACC heading into Week Zero:
- Miami (-150)
- SMU (+750)
- Louisville (+750)
- Clemson (+1500)
- Virginia (+2000)
- Pittsburgh (+2200)
- Virginia Tech (+2500)
- NC State (+2500)
- Georgia Tech (+3500)
- California (+4000)
- Florida State (+4000)
- Duke (+7000)
- Wake Forest (+8000)
- Syracuse (+10000)
- North Carolina (+12500)
- Stanford (+40000)
- Boston College (+40000)
Georgia Tech’s path avoids the two teams projected at the top of the ACC, and oddsmakers view the Nov. 7 home game against Louisville as its toughest test. The rest of the schedule includes Clemson, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, Duke, Wake Forest, Stanford, and Boston College, giving the Yellow Jackets a mix of conference contenders and teams not expected to be in the bowl conversation.
Brent Key has cleared his projected win total in each of his three seasons as Georgia Tech’s head coach.
That 6.5 number fits the shape of this schedule. Georgia Tech is expected to be favored in six games - Colorado, Mercer, Stanford, Duke, Boston College, and Wake Forest - and an underdog in six others - Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Clemson, and Georgia.
The underdog spots are there, but the Yellow Jackets don’t figure to be huge underdogs very often. The exception is Georgia. Key has already shown he can squeeze more out of his teams than the market expects, and that gives Georgia Tech a wide range of possible outcomes this fall.
That uncertainty also makes the Yellow Jackets one of the more intriguing teams in the ACC, with the potential to play spoiler and a real path to ending up in Charlotte.
In Other News...
Georgia Tech Still Has Two Big Concerns Heading Into Week 1
Fall camp is over, and Georgia Tech now turns its attention to a season opener at home against Colorado, a rematch of last years game that should offer an early measuring stick for a roster with plenty of turnover. Brent Key has a much different group to work with on both sides of the ball, and the continuity from year to year largely comes from the men on the sideline, with Key and Deion Sanders still in place as head coaches.
Even with camp complete, a couple of the biggest questions around the Yellow Jackets have not gone away. The defense still has key roles to sort out, and the offensive line remains a major point of focus as Tech tries to build a steadier foundation and get off to a fast start. In a game that already carries some familiarity, the first week should say a lot about how ready this team is to make real progress. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Tech Camp Buzz Points To A Different Defensive Outlook
Fall camp has wrapped for Georgia Tech, and the attention now shifts to what the defense might look like when the Yellow Jackets open against Colorado. There has been a clear sense from the staff that this group is in a better place than it was a year ago, with coaches pointing to Amontrae Bradford, Outlaw, Harris and Garrett as players expected to carry more of the load this season.
What makes that optimism notable is how much of it is built from within. Georgia Tech did not use the transfer portal to bring in linebackers or defensive backs, so the staff is counting on player development rather than outside fixes. If the defense is going to match the confidence coming out of camp, those internal steps forward will have to show up early and often. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Techs New Tight End Signals A More Physical Offensive Plan
Spencer Merman arrived at Georgia Tech with the kind of profile that usually tells you where a coaching staff wants to go next. The Yale transfer has played in 24 games over three seasons and brought with him a reputation built more on blocking than catching passes, even if he did chip in two touchdown receptions in 2025. For a Yellow Jackets offense that wants its tight ends involved in more than just the box score, that makes him a pretty natural fit.
Merman is still sorting through the details of Georgia Techs scheme, where the tight end spots are used differently and the run game sits at the center of everything. He also has had a front-row view of the learning curve that comes with joining a program that expects physical play at the line of scrimmage, especially against the defensive linemen in practice. For a team looking to lean into a tougher offensive identity, that adjustment could matter as much as any catch he makes. [Read more 🡒]