A Way Too Early Breakdown Of Georgia Tech Football 2026 Opponents

Georgia Tech matchup in th Pop Tarts Bowl against BYU is rapidly approaching and they will play in two weeks on ABC. The college football offseason is also happening at the same time with players hitting the transfer portal and deciding where they will play next. Let's take a look at some of the opponents next year and an early look at how the teams will look.

Colorado

latest — Nov 22, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Julian Lewis (10) scrambles in the first quarter against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Colorado had one of its worst seasons in the Deion Sanders era and struggled offensively and defensively this past season. The Buffaloes finished 3-9. The one beacon of hope was true freshman quarterback Julian Lewis, who looks like he will be the quarterback of the future and a player to build around for the Buffaloes. It is hard to assess who will stay or go, and even what the composition of the team will look like, because of how volatile the roster is during the transfer portal. A lot of players enter and leave, while there is a bevvy of players who are coming in. However, we do know who will be the starting quarterback next year for Colorado.

Tennessee

The Volunteers finished the year at 8-4 and had one of the best offenses in the country, led by Joey Aguilar. The Vols finished No.4 in total offense, averaging 482 yards per game. A lot of the roster will return, especially offensively. Tennessee true freshman all-American David Sanders will be back on the offensive line. Mike Matthews and SEC Freshman of the Year Braylon Staley. The Vols will also return Desean Bishop and Peyton Lewis. A big question mark is Aguilar, who is currently suing the NCAA in hopes of getting one more year of eligibility. That case is still ongoing and will probably go into the offseason to see what happens. The defense for Tennessee was not good in 2025, and they let go of their defensive coordinator, Tim Banks. Tennessee recently hired Jim Knowles, who comes over from Penn State. The defense will look a lot different in 2026.

Mercer

Mercer is a team that is consistently good in FCS football and made the playoffs this past season, going 9-2. Their former head coach, Mike Jacobs left for the University of Toledo job after compiling a 20-6 record and multiple SoCon conference titles. Defensive coordinator Joel Taylor was promoted to head coach for the Bears and to lead the football team moving forward. With new coaching at the forefront, it will be interesting to see how they look next season.

Georgia

The Bulldogs are the Bulldogs and will always be a tough opponent. They missed out on the sweepstakes for five-star quarterback Jared Curtis, but will likely get Gunner Stockton back for another year. That will be a storyline to follow in the offseason. As always, Georgia is going to be a team that runs the football and leans into its play-action prowess. On defense, you can expect more of the same physical defense and one that improved as the season wore on. You saw it against Georgia Tech and Alabama, how the defense put the clamps down. The more scary sight is a lot of the players are young for Georgia who will play for years to come. Players like Demello Jones, Ellis Robinson, Elijah Griffin, Raseasn Dinkins, and Zayden Walker. Georgia will continue to be a force as long as Kirby Smart is the head coach.

Boston College

The Eagles will be an intriguing team to watch this offseason. Their offense played fairly well and got better as the season wore on. Quarterback Dylan Longergan looks like a player you can build around. He threw for 2,025 and 12 touchdowns as a sophomore. Sophomore WR Reed Harris also broke out this season for the Eagles. He finished with 39 catches for 673 yards and five touchdowns. The key will be to fix the defense and get it to play at a higher level. If they can do that in 2026, Boston College could shock some people and be an even more competitive team.

Duke

The ACC champions in 2025. Duke has an elite quarterback and should be viewed as one of the best quarterbacks in the country in 2026. Mensah was a second-team All-ACC selection and finished his sophomore campaign with 3,646 yards and 30 touchdowns. The Blue Devils also have a young stud running back in Nate Sheppard, who was just a true freshman this year. Sheppard finished with 962 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. After going 8-5 and winning the ACC, you have to think Duke under head coach Manny Diaz will have another impressive team in 2026.

Louisville

Louisville is a team that didn’t quite have the year it expected after finishing 8-4 and losing three of its last four games. The Cardinals will also lose Miller Moss at the quarterback position, who played his senior season with the Cardinals. The Cardinals will also lose stud WR Chris Bell, who is likely to enter the NFL Draft. One building block for the Cardinals is how good they are at the running back position. They have two studs in Isaac Brown and Keyjuan Brown, who just played their sophomore seasons. They are some of the best backs in the ACC and play at a high level. On defense, they are led by their defensive front seven. The Cardinals should be back at the top of the ACC if they can hit on their next quarterback.

Wake Forest

The Demon Deacons had a surprise season under head coach Jake Dickert, winning eight games in 2025. They have a few cornerstone pieces to build around in Demond Claibrone and Christopher Barnes on offense. With a good season, they can also add some players from the transfer portal who can contribute next season. The quarterback situation will be interesting for Wake Forest. Do they give the keys to Deshawn Purdie, or do they look to get a quarterback in the portal?

Clemson

The Tigers, despite winning seven games, had a disappointing season. It was a team expected to make it to the College Football Playoff and the national championship. The Tigers didn’t even get to an ACC title game after dominating and making appearances regularly. Clemson will lose a good amount of their elite players, including Aveion Terrel, Peter Woods, TJ Parker, Khalil Barnes, Adam Randall, and Cade Klubnik. The Tigers in 2026 will look different from the one constructed in 2025. They will still have one of the best coaches in the sport at the helm in Dabo Swinney.

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh had a number of golden opportunities ahead of them in 2025, but couldn’t capitalize when it mattered most. Pittsburgh will always be a formidable bunch under Pat Narduzzi. They can build around players like true freshman QB Mason Heintschel and running back Ja’Kyrian Turner on offense. Francis Brewu, Isaiah Neal and Shawn Lee Jr will be players to build around on defense. The Panthers should be right back competing at the top of the conference in 2026. They have the right coach and quarterback in place to win the ACC.

Stanford

The Cardinals moved in a different direction and hired Tavita Pritchard to be the new head coach of the program in late November. Pritchard comes over from the Washington Commanders and has a good relationship with the Cardinals GM, Andrew Luck. Stanford is a team that is rebuilding and looking to turn its program around. It will likely be a few years until they are back to the top of the sport.

Virginia Tech

The Hokies are a team that will look vastly different as well in 2026. They hired one of the best coaches in college football, James Franklin. Who is already making headway with Virginia Tech. He flipped a top 100 recruiting class to a top 25 recruiting class in a matter of a month. The talent that will be at Virginia Tech will be top-tier. Coach Franklin also brought back former Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry, who will serve as his defensive coordinator. Their relationship dates back decades. The Hokies are another team that will be hard to predict how they will look, but they will be competitive and a tough opponent under Franklin.

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