Georgia Tech sat out Week 5, but the weekend still did plenty to shape the rest of its season.
A handful of the Yellow Jackets’ upcoming opponents were in action, and the results created a mixed bag. Virginia Tech had been on track for a 5-0 start before Pitt stormed back to win, even after losing its star quarterback midway through.
Boston College stayed close with SMU but came up short. Louisville suffered another surprise loss, this time to NC State.
Clemson was blown out by Miami. Wake Forest and Georgia both turned in impressive wins.
All of that fed into ESPN’s Football Power Index, which updated its outlook for Georgia Tech’s final eight games. The short version: FPI still doesn’t think much of the Yellow Jackets’ chances, and several of the individual win probabilities barely moved.
That’s not exactly shocking based on how Georgia Tech has played so far. The more frustrating part is what the numbers suggest about the bigger picture.
The ACC race is wide open, but Georgia Tech may not be in position to take advantage. Miami remains the clear favorite to reach Charlotte, while the opponent on the other side is still unsettled.
Georgia Tech is technically still alive in the conference race thanks to having only one loss in ACC play, but the team is going to need a major jump over the next seven weeks to change that conversation.
The next chance comes Saturday against Duke, a 4-0 team that has its eyes on getting back to the ACC Championship and winning it again. For Manny Diaz, the start has been especially impressive considering Duke lost Darian Mensah, Cooper Barkate and others through the transfer portal. Even so, the Blue Devils have built an identity around running back Nate Sheppard and an aggressive defense.
If FPI’s current read holds and Georgia Tech finishes 2-10, that would be a brutal outcome. Brent Key has helped the program make steady progress in each of his first three seasons, so a drop from three straight bowl appearances to a 2-10 finish would be a major step backward.
In Other News...
Georgia Tech Returns To An ACC Race That Still Feels Wide Open
The ACC picture remains unsettled after another weekend of results that shuffled the league without really clarifying it. Miami has looked every bit like the conferences standard-bearer, but behind the Hurricanes there is still plenty of traffic, with teams like Clemson, Louisville, Virginia and Georgia Tech all trying to find enough consistency to stay in the race as the schedule tightens.
For the Yellow Jackets, that matters because the opening is still there even as other programs deal with injuries, uneven play and the kind of missed chances that have defined the league so far. Pitt has already lost quarterback Mason Heintschel for the season, Stanford and Florida State are still searching for answers, and the next stretch of games will go a long way toward showing which teams are real contenders and which ones are simply hanging around in a conference that has yet to sort itself out. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia And Alabama Are Fueling A Debate Georgia Tech Fans Should Watch
Paul Finebaum had plenty to celebrate after Alabamas 56-23 win over Mississippi State, pointing to a defense that kept quarterback Kamario Taylor in check while the Crimson Tide turned every red-zone trip into points. The performance only added to the sense that Alabama is gathering momentum again, especially after setting an SEC home mark for points against a ranked opponent.
Across the league, ESPN analyst Heather Dinich is making a different case, labeling Georgia the SECs most complete team based on the numbers and its offensive efficiency. With Alabama looming on Georgias schedule, the discussion is now about how the two powers stack up, and whether that matchup will settle which program is best positioned as the conference race tightens. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Tech Faces An Early ACC Gut Check Against Duke
After a bye week, Georgia Tech is headed into what looks like an early measuring-stick game against Duke next Saturday, and the number attached to it tells the story: FanDuel Sportsbook has the Blue Devils favored by 6.5 points. The Jackets have had time to regroup, but they also have several injuries on both sides of the ball that could make the return from the break a little trickier than usual.
Duke has already shown it can handle business this season, including a decisive win over Stanford, a result that stands out around these parts because Georgia Tech lost to Stanford after holding a halftime lead. For the Jackets, the matchup is less about the line and more about whether they can clean up the issues that have surfaced early and answer a conference test before the league race starts to tighten. [Read more 🡒]