ACC Championship Scenarios For Georgia Tech Heading Into Rivalry Week

How can Georgia Tech make the ACC Championship After Their Loss to Pittsburgh last night?

Nov 22, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets wide receiver Isiah Canion (4) catches a touchdown pass against the Pittsburgh Panthers in the fourth quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

With a chance to clinch a spot in the ACC Championship game, Georgia Tech came out flat, fell behind 28-0, and could not catch up vs Pittsburgh. The Yellow Jackets were playing their biggest game in years and far too many times, it looked like the moment was just too big for them.

Now, making the ACC Championship game is going to be nearly impossible, and with that, Georgia Tech's college football playoff hopes. Not too long ago, Georgia Tech was 8-0 and looking like a sure bet to make the ACC Championship.

However remote the possibility might be, there are still scenarios for Georgia Tech to make the ACC Championship game and have a shot at a bid in the College Football Playoff. It is highly unlikely, but if enough chaos happens this weekend, then it is possible.

Let's break down each scenario.

Scenario No. 1

If Pittsburgh beats Miami, Virginia Tech beats Virginia, Duke loses to Wake Forest, and SMU loses to Cal, Georgia Tech would face Pittsburgh in the ACC Championship on Dec. 6th.

Scenario No. 2

If Miami defeats Pittsburgh, California defeats SMU, Duke loses to Wake Forest, Boston College defeats Syracuse, NC State defeats North Carolina, and Virginia beats Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech would clinch a spot in the ACC Championship game and face UVA

Scenario No. 3

If Miami defeats Pittsburgh, Cal beats SMU, Virginia Tech beats Virginia, Boston College beats Syracuse, and NC State beats North Carolina, then Georgia Tech will face Miami in the ACC Championship game.

ACC Champ game clinching scenarios:
*tiebreakers determined by strength of schedule or SportSource Analytics rankings
-Virginia
Win OR
SMU loss + PITT loss + Clinch tiebreaker over GT/MIA/SMU/PITT

-SMU
Win OR
PITT loss + Clinch tiebreaker over MIA/GT/SMU/UVA

-Pittsburgh
Win +…

— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) November 23, 2025

Simple enough?

Disappointing night

I would not have to discuss tiebreaker scenarios for Georgia Tech if they had simply taken care of business last night against the Panthers.

It was a disappointing outcome for Georgia Tech last night considering what was on the line in the game and the fact that it was at home. Why did the team come out flat and fall behind 28-0? Brent Key tried to answer that after the game:

"If you had a checklist, I could probably check all the boxes. I mean, we couldn't establish, you know, we couldn't run the football. Couldn't, you know, we had drops, we had poor protection. You know, we definitely got our tails whooped at the line of scrimmage. You know, penalties carried on throughout the game. And so, really absolutely everything."

Key also talked about rallying the team when they were down 28-0:

"Yeah, I mean, that's just, and that's an expectation. We got down 28 to nothing. You know, called them together at the end of the first quarter, but end of the day, and there's no justification for it. You lose a game. Loss is a loss. So, you know, they did have a, you know, play the next play mentality, and we're able to keep playing and try to cut it close. But, I mean, that's, like I said, an insurmountable deficit we put ourselves in."

Now, Georgia Tech needs a miracle in ACC play next week to somehow get to Charlotte and still have a shot at the college football playoff. Considering how everything seemed to be lining up for this program this season, this game and how they played might be hard to stomach for a bit.

Georgia Tech ends their regular season next Friday against Georgia (3:30 p.m. ET ABC).