What will Georgia Tech’s record be in 2024?

Phil Steele’s predictions mark the approach of football season, a time when fans eagerly anticipate his insights. As an influential figure in the sport, his predictions are closely followed every off-season. Now, where does Steele place Georgia Tech in this year’s ACC? Expectations are high for the Yellow Jackets, yet their challenging schedule makes it difficult to foresee their final standing.

According to Steele, the Yellow Jackets are projected to finish tied for 10th place in the ACC, alongside 2021 ACC Champion Pitt. Steele’s predictions also include a three-way tie for first place between Clemson, Florida State, and Miami, a four-way tie for 4th place between SMU, Virginia Tech, NC State, and Louisville, followed by North Carolina in 8th place, and Cal in 9th, just ahead of Georgia Tech.

While this projection may seem reasonable for Georgia Tech, it’s believed they could outperform North Carolina and Cal, and some are less optimistic about SMU in their inaugural ACC season. If they were to finish 10th as projected, it could likely result in a 6-6 or 7-5 record this season.

Although the initial projected win total stands at 5.5, 247Sports Analyst Grant Hughes recently expressed the view that the Yellow Jackets could surpass this and achieve a 7-5 record, potentially securing 9th place in the ACC.

Victories: Georgia State, VMI, Duke, on the road against Louisville, North Carolina, on the road against Syracuse, on the road against Virginia Tech

Defeats: Florida State, Notre Dame, on the road against Georgia, Miami, North Carolina State

Despite being one of the strongest Georgia Tech teams in recent years, the road to securing a bowl berth in 2024 appears challenging due to an extremely difficult schedule. The Yellow Jackets are anticipated to triumph in closely contested matchups against Louisville, North Carolina, and Virginia Tech. Nevertheless, Brent Key’s squad will contend with College Football Playoff hopefuls in the initial five weeks and will encounter several ACC title contenders such as Miami and NC State shortly thereafter. Georgia Tech stands alone as the sole ACC team featured in our ranking of the most demanding overall schedules, securing the No. 6 position overall.

I believe that achieving a 7-5 record against this challenging schedule should be considered a significant achievement. Last year, 11 of Georgia Tech’s 12 opponents participated in bowl games, and I suspect that as many as seven of their upcoming opponents could be ranked in the top 25 at the start of the season.

While the schedule is formidable, I don’t think Georgia Tech is receiving adequate recognition for the upcoming season. In the previous season, several first-year head coaches emerged in college football. Despite guiding his team to a bowl game for the first time since 2018 and securing a bowl victory for the first time since 2016, Brent Key did not receive the same level of attention as coaches like Deion Sanders at Colorado or Matt Rhule at Nebraska. Both Sanders and Rhule fell short of a bowl game and lacked notable victories. In contrast, Key led Georgia Tech to victories over Miami, North Carolina, put up a strong performance against Georgia, and emerged victorious against UCF in the bowl game. He inherited a program that had become forgotten under the previous head coach, Geoff Collins (now at North Carolina), and immediately made them competitive. It’s worth noting that if Georgia Tech hadn’t relinquished a double-digit lead against Louisville in the season opener, they could have contended for the ACC Championship.

Indeed, the Yellow Jackets finished in 4th place in the ACC, following Florida State, Louisville, and NC State. With a few games going their way, they might have vied against the Seminoles for the ACC crown in Charlotte.

Unfortunately, this fact seems to have been overlooked when discussing the ACC race this year. Other ACC teams, particularly Virginia Tech, seem to be receiving more attention in early top 25 rankings this off-season, despite not defeating quality opponents as Georgia Tech did last year and not possessing the same offensive firepower.

In a recent episode of the Late Kick, Pate referred to the Yellow Jackets as one of the most underrated teams in the nation heading into the upcoming season.

Georgia Tech could also be considered underrated. The distinction with Georgia Tech lies in their demanding schedule, particularly with the perennial presence of Georgia. They concluded last year with a 7-5 record, and their win total is set at 5.5, largely due to the formidable nature of their schedule. Haynes King remains as their quarterback, and their offense boasts a top-ten ranking in returning production this year, alongside a deep wide receiver corps. Although their defense struggled last year, ranking 123rd in yards allowed, they have undergone an overhaul in their defensive coaching staff and roster. They present a contrasting situation to Nebraska – if they can deliver defensive performances ranging from C+ to B-, it should position them well to exceed 5.5 wins.

Georgia Tech isn’t flawless, but the strides they’ve taken under Key and the considerable talent they retain for the upcoming season aren’t receiving adequate attention. It may not be long before the Yellow Jackets start to turn heads this season. They are set to play a nationally televised game on ESPN against Florida State in week zero, attracting attention from across the country. This presents an opportunity for them to demonstrate why they are considered one of the most underrated teams as they enter 2024.