Predicting Where Georgia Tech Will Land In The New College Football Playoff Rankings On Tuesday Night

Georgia Tech suffered a tough loss to Pittsburgh at home in front of a sellout crowd at Bobby Dodd Stadium. The offense got out to a slow start and didn’t get a first down until the second quarter after going 0-5 on third down in the first quarter. The Yellow Jackets would respond, making it a game in the second quarter, and trailed by just 14 points at the break. A Haynes King interception returned for a touchdown would derail the comeback efforts and give Pittsburgh a 35-14 advantage. The Yellow Jackets would close the deficit to seven points and trailed 35-28 with less than five minutes to play. Then the game broke up, and Georgia Tech's chances subsided after Ja’Kyrian Turner rattled off a 56-yard scamper to effectively put the game out of reach.

Georgia Tech showed great response and a team that may be down but is never out of a game. Despite the loss, they showed a resilient effort and have a lot to hang their hat on moving forward. In terms of the rankings, the AP Poll had the Yellow Jackets ranked as the No. 23 team in the country, just ahead of Pittsburgh, despite the 42-28 loss. The College Football Playoff Committee will likely not be as lenient when it comes to the rankings on Tuesday night. Georgia Tech was ranked as the No. 16 heading into the weekend, and with a loss, Georgia Tech likely fall out of the poll along with USC, Illinois, Missouri, and Houston. Despite having two losses, Georgia Tech hasn’t got the benefit of the doubt, and I doubt that happens on Tuesday evening.

Who will likely get a spot in the rankings?

latest — Nov 22, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Brent Key runs on the field before a game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

It is hard to gauge that the most deserving is 10-1 James Madison, who sits atop the Sun Belt Conference and likely will win the conference. SMU was a team ranked in the AP Poll and will likely get a spot in the new rankings with a 6-1 conference record and a chance to get back to the ACC championship for the second consecutive season under head coach Rhett Lashlee. North Texas and Tulane likely move up a couple of spots with a potential College Football Playoff spot on the line in the American Championship in a few weeks.

Second Half Adjustments Proved Key Against Pittsburgh…

Georgia Tech faces its rival, Georgia, on Friday and has a chance to get back in the rankings with a win against a top-five opponent. It won’t be easy, but beating the Bulldogs will go a long way. A key to doing it will be the defense playing at the level it did on Saturday in the second half.

"Yeah, it was really the beginning of the second quarter. It was when we started being able to, you know, well, we had, in the first time of the game, we went up, we had a sack, we were able to get off the field. I think it was three and out. Don't go up me on that, but kind of midway through that second quarter, we started, you know, seeing some openings and some lanes. And we knew if we'd get pressure on them, we'd have a chance. So that was the approach we took. And, you know, added a few more in there in the second half to complement what we were doing and just stayed with it,” said head coach Brent Key.

"And we lit them up. Blitz from the upper deck. That's what we did. I mean, we brought a lot more pressure. I'm not saying anything that's not on tape that people can't see. So, you know, and we're able to get the ball, make plays. But, I mean, we still had instances where we, you know, cut it to one score, and, you know, it's right there and, you know, we bust a gap and, you know, have a missed assignment. And, you know, things spit.”

If the Georgia Tech defense comes to play and the offense can get off to a faster start, then we could be having a different conversation this time next week when the college football regular season has concluded. All the Yellow Jackets can do is handle business on Friday.

More Georgia Tech News:

•Georgia Tech Releases Depth Chart Ahead of Matchup With No. 4 Georgia

•Three Storylines To Watch On Friday As Georgia Tech Takes On Georgia

•Everything From Brent Key Ahead of Friday's Game vs Georgia

•Georgia Tech Defensive Back Jy Gilmore Is Out For The Rest Of The Season