Georgia Tech Listed As Defining Game For One Of Its 2026 Opponents

Georgia Tech is entering year four under Brent Key and they are going to be a marquee game for one opponent on the schedule

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

Spring football is inching closer and for Georgia Tech, it is going to be about seeing a lot of new faces and a new team for the first time.

The Yellow Jackets have two new coordinators, a new starting quarterback, and new faces across the roster. While spring is going to be the main focus, it is never too early to talk about the 2026 season and Georgia Tech is once again opening the season against Colorado.

Defining game for the Buffs?

Aug 29, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Members of the Colorado Buffaloes line across from the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets during the fourth quarter at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Georgia Tech started the 2025 season 8-0 and the first victory came against Colorado in Boulder. As the second part of the home and home series, Colorado will come to Atlanta, and according to ESPN's Harry Lyles Jr, it is the defining game of the season for Colorado:

"This selection is all about getting the season off on the right foot for Colorado. The Buffs open with three of four games on the road against Power 4 opponents, and QB Julian Lewis will be playing this one in front of a bunch of friends and family. Getting a momentum-starting win in Atlanta could be huge in propelling Deion Sanders' team into a successful 2026 season."

This game is going to be fascinating for a host of reasons. Deion Sanders is coaching a game in Atlanta, Georgia Tech looking to start the season 1-0 with so many new pieces, and there are also a lot of new faces for Colorado.

Georgia Tech opened the 2025 season with a 27-20 win at Colorado on the Friday night of Week 1 (Aug. 29). The Yellow Jackets’ triumph was watched by 3.74 million viewers on ESPN, which was ESPN’s ninth-highest viewership for any game during the 2025 regular season, and its second-most-watched weeknight broadcast of the season (Labor Day and Black Friday notwithstanding). The Yellow Jackets went on to be the Atlantic Coast Conference’s second-most-watched team in 2025 (33.8 million viewers in 10 games on Nielsen-rated networks) and ranked in the top 20 nationally in total viewership.

Georgia Tech also has a storied tradition of Thursday night games, especially under the Midtown Atlanta skyline at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. This season’s opener will be the Yellow Jackets’ 30th Thursday night home game since joining the ACC in 1983, and its 41st Thursday night game over in that 44-season span. The Jackets are 16-13 under the Thursday night lights on The Flats since ’83, including memorable wins over No. 16 Maryland in 1995 (31-3), No. 22 North Carolina in 2001 (28-12), No. 23 Miami in 2008 (41-23) and a thrilling 30-29 come-from-behind triumph over NC State in its most recent Thursday night game in 2024.

Last year’s season-opening victory over Colorado helped spur Georgia Tech to a 9-4 overall record (tied for the 10th-most victories in Tech’s 133-season football history) and No. 24 final national ranking. The Jackets rose to as high as No. 7 in the national rankings in ‘25 and were ranked in the final 14 national polls of the season, which is their longest streak since Tech was ranked in all 16 polls in 1999.

Georgia Tech also went 6-2 in Atlantic Coast Conference play in ‘25, which was good for a tie for second place in the 17-team conference. The Yellow Jackets are the only ACC team that has finished in the top four of the conference standings each of the last three seasons.