Georgia Tech enters the 2026 season with a familiar goal under Brent Key: keep the bowl streak alive and, if things break right, push beyond that. The Yellow Jackets have reached the postseason in every year of Key’s tenure after missing out each season under Geoff Collins, and the hope in Atlanta is that the program can keep climbing rather than simply settling for another bowl berth.
That said, the preseason picture around the ACC doesn’t have Georgia Tech anywhere near the top of the league’s pecking order. Miami is the clear favorite to win the conference and land a College Football Playoff spot, while the rest of the league is being sorted into a wide range of bowl possibilities. With the season still 12 days away, the early projections for Georgia Tech are all over the map.
ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura has the Yellow Jackets headed to the Puerto Rico Bowl against Wyoming. ESPN’s Mark Schlabach slots them into the Pinstripe Bowl against Illinois. CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford projects Georgia Tech in the Military Bowl against Navy.
Those are three very different landing spots, and each says something about how uncertain the Yellow Jackets’ season looks on paper. A trip to the Puerto Rico Bowl would feel like a step back for a team trying to build momentum.
Illinois would present a tougher-looking matchup, especially with Brett Bielema’s program having turned into one of the Big Ten’s more reliable teams and coming off recent bowl wins against South Carolina and Tennessee. Navy, meanwhile, brings its own challenge, with the Midshipmen expected to be in the mix for the Group of Six College Football Playoff bid.
My own preseason game-by-game prediction had Georgia Tech finishing 8-4, and that record would point toward the Dukes Mayo Bowl against an SEC or Big Ten opponent. That would be a new destination for the Yellow Jackets under Key and a chance to test themselves against a team from one of the country’s top conferences.
If Georgia Tech did land there, Missouri would be the opponent I’d peg. The Tigers are projected to be a 6-8 win team and are annual bowl contenders in the SEC, which would make for a strong measuring-stick game. It would also be Georgia Tech’s third matchup against an ACC opponent this season, after regular-season meetings with Tennessee and Georgia.
Of course, all of this is still just preseason projection work. The real answer won’t come until the games are played.
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 🡒]