Stanford gets Georgia Tech on Saturday night in a game that carries a few clear pressure points for both sides.
The Cardinal are 1-2 overall and 0-2 in the ACC, and the path ahead only gets steeper with Notre Dame, SMU and Louisville still on the schedule. That makes home games like this one against an unranked opponent hard to waste if Stanford wants to get back to a bowl game for the first time since 2018. Georgia Tech comes in at 1-2 and 0-0 in conference play, but the Yellow Jackets have their own concerns after struggling offensively without 2025 ACC Player of the Year Haynes King.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Stanford Stadium, with ESPN carrying the game and KNBR 1050 AM on the radio.
This will be the first meeting between the schools as ACC opponents, though Georgia Tech has won the previous two matchups, in the 2001 Seattle Bowl and the 1991 Aloha Bowl.
For Stanford, the encouraging part has been ball security. The offense has not turned it over, and quarterback Davis Warren has started his Stanford career with 107 straight pass attempts without an interception.
He is one of four ACC quarterbacks without a pick. Still, the Cardinal need more explosive plays if they want to break through for their first ACC victory.
The defense has done its part in a few key areas. Stanford has committed just one turnover all season and has forced at least one takeaway in every game.
The Cardinal have also been better at home lately, going 6-3 in their last nine games at Stanford Stadium dating to 2024. Over that stretch, they have averaged nearly 26 points per game at home, compared with under 15 on the road.
Georgia Tech’s biggest edge may be on special teams and in the secondary. The Yellow Jackets lead the nation in kickoff returns at 49.6 yards per return, and they also top the ACC in pass defense while ranking ninth nationally at 124.7 yards allowed per game. Fifth-year linebacker Matt Rose is tied for second in the conference with 27 tackles.
One other wrinkle: the travel. Georgia Tech is playing a regular-season game in California for the first time since 1968, with kickoff landing at 10:30 p.m. Eastern.