Georgia Tech Football: Updated Bowl Projections For the Yellow Jackets After Regular Season Ends

Where is Georgia Tech projected to play following their regular season loss to Georgia?

Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King (10) throws a pass during the first half of a NCAA college football game against Georgia Tech in Athens, Ga., on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. / Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Georgia Tech finished its regular season with a loss to Georgia in eight overtimes and now the Yellow Jackets wait for next Sunday to see where they are headed for their bowl game. While the Yellow Jackets missed out on a chance to finish the season 8-4, they were still able to make a bowl game for the second consecutive season.

With the regular season around the country finished up, the bowl projections are going to become more clear. Conference Championships are the only thing remaining now and then bowl games and the College Football Playoff.

So with Georgia Tech's season wrapped up, where are they projected to play in the postseason?

Two of the major outlets are in consensus about where the Yellow Jackets are going. Jerry Palm at CBS Sports has Georgia Tech going to El Paso, TX to face USC in the Sun Bowl. That is also the projection from Brad Crawford at 247Sports. Yellow Jackets fans will remember facing the Trojans in the Sun Bowl back in 2012, a game Georgia Tech won 21-7. It would be the 5th all-time meeting between the two teams.

Both ESPN analysts Mark Schlabach and Kyle Bonagura have Georgia Tech in the Pinstripe Bowl (played at Yankee Stadium) against Minnesota. This would be the second ever meeting between the Yellow Jackets and the Golden Gophers, with Minnesota winning the only matchup to date in the 2018 Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit 34-10.

It will be interesting to see how things shakeout after the weekend. The ACC still has a chance to get two teams in the playoff and that will impact who gets selected for what game.

It was one of the greatest games in the storied rivalries history, but Georgia Tech came out on the wrong end of a 44-42 eight overtime loss to the Georgia Bulldogs on Friday night. The Yellow Jackets have not won in this rivalry game since 2016, but this was by far their best chance to do so.

Georgia Tech led the game by 14 points with 5:37 left and it looked like they were going to get their first win over the Bulldogs since 2016, but everything fell apart for them afterward. They allowed a quick score, fumbled on 3rd and 1, and then let Georgia tie the game with one minute remaining. Instead of trying to win the game in the first overtime with a two-point conversion, Georgia Tech opted to keep the game going. Georgia was able to outlast the Yellow Jackets and add to their winning streak.

After the game, Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key called the loss perhaps the toughest of his career and maybe even his life.:

"I think it is. Yeah. Probably my career, my life."

This was one of the gutsiest performances in Georgia Tech history tonight from Haynes King. King threw for 303 yards and two touchdowns as well as running for 110 yards and three touchdowns. After the game, Key spoke about him and his performance, as well as what this game signals for the program moving forward:

""He's a warrior. He's one of the toughest kids I've ever been around in my life. He wills others around. Proud of him. Proud of all of them.

"Correct, but, the game's-- there's so much about college football that's special, And there's so many things that as a college football coach that you take pride in. Yeah, the judgment comes from when the scoreboard hits zero. But the things we do with these kids and to see these kids grow and mature, to see them do what they do in school, do what they do socially, do what they do each week on the football field, they're special. They're special. And it hurts. It hurts them. That locker room, I've never seen anything like that. What I know about these kids, what I know about this team, what I know about this school, this emotion will turn into fuel, and we'll use that fuel."

Additional Links:

Georgia Tech Basketball: Key Takeaways From Yellow Jackets 2nd Consecutive Win At Home

Georgia Tech Football: Big Takeaways From Georgia Tech's Crushing Defeat to Bitter Rival Georgia In 8 OT

Georgia Tech Football: Brent Key Shares His Message to The Team After Eight Overtime Loss to Georgia