ESPN's FPI Predicts Outcome For Georgia Tech-Colorado Week One Matchup

Week zero is now in the books for college football and now the attention turns to week one. There will be more college football coming this Thursday and the top matchup of the night is going to be between Georgia Tech and Colorado, a rematch of last year's week game.

The Yellow Jackets and Buffaloes are coming into this game with a lot of unknowns, but like every program this time of year, there is a lot of hope. Georgia Tech is hoping to continue its progress as a program under Brent Key and build upon the good parts of last year's 9-4 season while correcting what went wrong in its 1-4 finish to the year.

Colorado is hoping to bounce back from a 3-9 season in Deion Sanders fourth season as the head coach. The Buffaloes went 9-4 in 2024, but a multitude of things went wrong and they tumbled back towards the bottom of the Big 12. They have mad significant coaching changes and brought in a new roster via the transfer portal in hopes of getting back to a bowl game and maybe becoming a dark horse in the Big 12 race.

There are a lot of unknowns in this game, but one thing that has remained steady is that Georgia Tech is seen as the slight favorite in the game, and that is true even with power ratings and advanced analytics. ESPN's FPI (Football Power Index) is one of the most used tools to predict games and outcomes, and heading into Thursday night, FPI is giving Georgia Tech a 59% chance to win the game against Colorado and start 1-0.

Too low or too high?

Malachi Hosley Georgia Tec — Dec 27, 2025; Orlando, FL, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets running back Malachi Hosley (0) runs the ball against the BYU Cougars in the third quarter during the Pop-Tarts Bowl at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Georgia Tech being slightly favored in this game has been the sentiment from just about anywhere you look since the first lines started being released for the first college football games of the year.

With so much change for both teams, that feels like the right read going into the game. Georgia Tech has the home-field advantage, where they have won 10 of their last 11 home games. The Yellow Jackets are 2-1 in season openers under Brent Key and this will actually be the first time since 2021 that Georgia Tech is going to open the season at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Under Key, Georgia Tech has played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Ireland, and Boulder, CO for their season openers. Not this year.

Georgia Tech is debuting two new coordinators, a new quarterback making his first ever start, an inexperienced WR room in terms of P4 snaps, and multiple new starters along the offensive line. Not only that, but the Yellow Jackets are going to have to prove they are better on defense against a Colorado offense that has talent.

The Buffaloes are in similar position. They have new coordinators, a newish starting QB, new skill players on the outside, and a new-look defense.

This is a fascinating game and I think what continues to give Georgia Tech a slight edge in the eyes of oddsmakers is the homefield advantage, Brent Key's consistency as a head coach (three bowl teams in three years), and Colorado having two 3-9 seasons under Deion Sanders. But these are different teams than last season and the Yellow Jackets are going to have to earn the season opening win.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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