How a 24-Team College Football Playoff Would Have Rewritten Georgia Tech's Recent History

Georgia Tech would have made the 24-team playoff would have made the 2025 season a lot different for Georgia Tech

Dec 27, 2025; Orlando, FL, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King (10) looks to pass 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

Whether you like it or not, it looks as if a 24-team playoff is coming to College Football.

Multiple reports started to come in from college football insiders that momentum was starting to pick up for the 24-team playoff to start as soon as next season, but the details are not all there yet in terms of how the teams will qualify.

When looking at how this will affect Georgia Tech in the future, it is clear that this playoff is going to allow the Yellow Jackets a better chance at getting to play for the national championship. While it does not look like Georgia Tech would be in line to make it this season after a 2-3 start (barring some shocking run), they did miss out on a chance to make it last season, the best season for the program in the last ten years.

Where the Yellow Jackets would have played last season

Oct 19, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish cornerback Christian Gray (29) tries to tackle Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. (2) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Last season was, on one hand, a very successful one for Georgia Tech, but also a reminder of what could have been. The Yellow Jackets began the year 8-0, but ended up losing four of their last five games and finishing the year 9-4. They were a home game win over Pittsburgh from securing a spot in the ACC Championship, but they fell behind 28-0 and could not catch up. They would go on to lose to rival Georgia once again and then to BYU in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.

But if there was a 24-team playoff, it would have been a different fate for the Yellow Jackets. They would have made the playoff for the first time in program history and would have gotten to face off against Notre Dame, who narrowly was left out of the playoff.

Here is how the bracket would have looked for the first round of the playoff. The higher-ranked team would have gotten to host a first-round game:

No. 17 Arizona at No. 16 USC
No. 18 Michigan at No. 15 Utah
No. 19 Virginia at No. 14 Vanderbilt
No. 20 Tulane at No. 13 Texas
No. 21 Houston at No. 12 BYU
No. 22 Georgia Tech at No. 11 Notre Dame
No. 23 Iowa at No. 10 Miami
No. 24 Duke at No. 9 Alabama

Here is how the second round would have looked:

No. 17 Arizona/No. 16 USC at No. 1 Indiana
No. 18 Michigan/No. 15 Utah at No. 2 Ohio State
No. 19 Virginia/No. 14 Vanderbilt at No. 3 Georgia
No. 20 Tulane/No. 13 Texas at No. 4 Texas Tech
No. 21 Houston/No. 12 BYU at No. 5 Oregon
No. 22 Georgia Tech/No. 11 Notre Dame at No. 6 Ole Miss
No. 23 Iowa/No. 10 Miami at No. 7 Texas A&M
No. 24 Duke/No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Oklahoma

While anything can happen in college football, it is fair to say that Georgia Tech would have been a heavy underdog against the Fighting Irish, especially on the road. After Notre Dame lost close games to Miami and Texas A&M, they won 10 straight games, all by double-digits, and looked like one of the best teams in the country.

The two teams actually played during the 2024 season. Without Haynes King, the Yellow Jackets lost to the eventual national runner-up 34-14 in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Aside from the 2025 season, the 24-team playoff would not have done much for Georgia Tech in terms of appearances, but last year would have checked a lot of boxes for Brent Key and the program and things might be remembered differently than how things actually went.