Predicting Where Georgia Tech Will End Up Ranked In The New AP Poll

Georgia Tech handled business on the road against Wake Forest and came out with the 30-29 victory. The Yellow Jackets are 5-0 for the first time since 2014. The scary part moving forward is that Georgia Tech hasn’t played a complete game all season where they are hitting on all cylinders. If they can figure that out, they will be a problem moving forward in college football.

Let’s take a look at some key factors in Georgia Tech moving up and potentially being a higher-ranked team.

Controversial No-Call

I hate to bring this up, but it definitely could play a factor in the voters eyes when they discuss if Georgia Tech moves up or not. The ACC has already come out and said a flag should have been thrown on the offside against Daiquan White on a critical 3rd and 5 that would have effectively ended the game for Wake Forest. Nonetheless, a win is a win for Georgia Tech, and they will take it and continue to build. The voters may see it differently and decide to keep them at the same position or move them down a few spots. You just never know.

Top Teams Losing

Latest — Sep 27, 2025; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; The Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket during the first quarter against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

It was once again a lot of movement in the college football world for Week 5 action that will have an effect on the rankings that come out later today. The big one that should help Georgia Tech move up some is the Florida State loss to Virginia in overtime. Florida State was the No. 8 team in the country going into the game against the Cavaliers and fell to a rising team in the ACC.

No. 13 Ole Miss Upset No. 4 LSU at home and put up 480 yards of total offense against one of the better units in college football. How much will Ole Miss move up, and how far down will the Tigers slide? Another big result in the SEC was No. 17 Alabama defeating No. 5 Georgia. A lot of people questioned the Crimson Tide after their Week 1 loss to Florida State, but it looks like Alabama could be back. Coming into the week, they were ranked one spot lower than Georgia Tech, and with a resume-defining win over Georgia, they will certainly move up to the top 10. No. 15 Tennessee picked up a quality road win over Mississippi State, who was previously undefeated and is an improving team.

Notre Dame throttled Arkansas on the road in a 56-13 win in Fayetteville. Notre Dame was ranked No. 22 last week, but with that kind of a win, they could move up a good bit despite their two losses.

So, where could they end up?

I think Georgia Tech will hover around a top 15 team and maybe perhaps top 13. It wasn’t a pretty win against Wake Forest on the road, and they still have a lot of work to do, but they are handling the newfound popularity and expectations in a good way. They are responding to getting punched in the mouth and coming out on the other side victorious. They are embodying their head coach, Brent Key's mentality, and playing with grit and toughness on the gridiron. I think they will hover around No. 13, No. 14, No. 15 this week. They will have more chances to prove their worth throughout the year and continue to trek upwards as the season goes on. Haynes King was a big reason why they were able to pull out the win on Saturday with his three-touchdown effort.

“It says people believe in him. Kids believe in him. The coaches believe in him. We believe in him. I believe in him as a competitor. A lot of times, look, you know, you don't, when you're out of sync in the first half of football, it's either all on you, which we didn't execute at times, but, you know, they changed things up, had 16 days prepared, had some good things,” said Key. “You can tell early on, you know, we're looking one way, and boom, it's not there, and now we're having to, you know, like, sprinkle it back across the field, and by the end of it, you know it was too late. So we make some adjustments at halftime, and it just leaves remains to build on the job done.”

Georgia Tech is not an ACC contender, let alone a College Football Playoff contender, without King at the helm.

More Georgia Tech News:

Final Score Predictions For Each Week Five ACC Game

Staff Predictions For Georgia Tech vs Wake Forest

Three Georgia Tech Players To Watch On Saturday Vs Wake Forest

PFF Grades and Snap Counts From Georgia Tech's 30-29 Win Over Wake Forest

ACC Championship Odds: Georgia Tech Remains A Favorite Reach Charlotte After A Hectic Week Five In The ACC