Georgia Tech Inches Closer To Earning Top-25 Ranking In AP Poll

Georgia Tech moved up nearly 10 spots and garnered a lot more votes in this week's AP Poll Release

Aug 29, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King (10) carries the ball for a touchdown in the second quarter against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Georgia Tech went on the road this past weekend and earned a 27-20 win over Colorado to start their season 1-0. The newest AP Top 25 was released this afternoon and while the win over Colorado did not earn the Yellow Jackets a spot in Top 25, the moved up nine spots, from 37th to 28th, just on the outside.

Inching closer to a national ranking

Aug 29, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King (10) prepares to pass the ball in the second quarter against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Yellow Jackets are just on the outside looking in now and could be in next week's poll. Georgia Tech received 67 votes in the poll, just behind BYU and Auburn.

BREAKING: College Football AP Poll🚨https://t.co/xSYsFdMXe5 pic.twitter.com/E7loVIHDJN

— On3 (@On3sports) September 2, 2025

Could a win over Gardner-Webb get Georgia Tech in the top 25? It is very unlikely and they will likely have to knock off No. 8 Clemson if they want to appear in the rankings. Whether or not they are ranked does not materially matter at this point in the season though and the Yellow Jackets focus is on their game against Gardner-Webb on Saturday.

Moving ahead to week two

Aug 29, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Brent Key following the game winning touchdown by quarterback Haynes King (10) (not pictured) in the fourth quarter against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Gardner-Webb pulled off a big comeback last weekend, beating a top-20 FCS opponent in Western Carolina and Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key has a lot of respect for the team he will face this upcoming Saturday:

Explosive football team and led by two players that offensively their quarterback transfer from Liberty. really second week in a row now that we have a Liberty transfer and he's a big kid, he's 6'6, two hundred forty pounds had you know he can run the football he can throw the football stat -wise and he had four hundred yards total offense himself so you know the dual -threat guy 260 throwing 130 on the ground and they're committed to using him and and making making the game go with him.

Defensively, Jamari Young, you know, second year guy there, he came from East Carolina, but you know, you're looking now, he was a conference player of the week last week, the quarterback was national player of the week last week, so you got some good football players, come in here they're gonna, they're gonna be prepared they're gonna be ready and they're not gonna back down by any means and it's gonna be a, it's gonna be a big challenge for us and what we do this week so like we always talk about it It's about what we put into this week. It's about, they're all right, they're all right. They're just, they're kids.

So, but it'll be about us and the focus we have. And when we have to focus on the things that are the most important to the game of football and our focus is on the ball, protecting the ball, getting the ball. And then, you know, eliminating mistakes or you know penalties that they can become big for you. So those are what our focus is. We got to maintain the things you do well and you got to correct the things that you didn't do well there that you made mistakes on. So that's what practice is about. Their head coach you know Cris, Cris Reisert, I'm saying that right.

You know second season at Gardner-Webb has been head coach now for seven years, and had a really successful run at Tiffin, where he was the head coach, he's an offensive guy. And I think 32 and 4 was his record at his previous stop. And now taking over Gardner-Webb, I expect them to continue to rise and be a really good program. So it's a big challenge for us as it is every week. And it's what we do between now and then in the game time that determines what the outcome of that football game is."

Georgia Tech vs Gardner-Webb kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday (ACC Network Extra).