Ranking Georgia Tech's 2024 Opponents From Least To Most Difficult
Georgia Tech is going to be facing one of the most difficult schedules in the country this season, but that is not all that surprising. The Yellow Jackets annually face one of the toughest schedules in the nation and 247Sports Analyst Brad Crawford ranked the Yellow Jackets 2024 schedule as the 6th toughest schedule in the country:
"One of only two ACC teams in our toughest schedules rankings, Georgia Tech has a difficult road ahead, especially if November when the Yellow Jackets play Miami, NC State and Georgia to end it. Brent Key must have this team ready to go every week, or else getting to bowl eligibility will be a challenge."
Seven of Georgia Tech's opponents appeared in the 247Sports post-spring top 25. 11 of Georgia Tech's 12 opponents played in bowl games last season.
So when I rank these opponents from least to most difficult, even the teams towards the back half of it could pose problems.
12. VMI (Sept. 14th, Bobby Dodd Stadium)
No disrespect to VMI, but this should be a cakewalk for Georgia Tech. After a road game vs Syracuse and a road trip to Louisville on the horizon, this is the kind of opponent that they will need in between.
11. Georgia State (Aug. 31st, Bobby Dodd Stadium)
After last year's disaster against Bowling Green, Georgia Tech does not need to take anyone lightly on the schedule, but I also don't think this is a Georgia State team that should strike a lot of fear in them. It will be important to be ready for this game, win or lose vs Florida State the week prior. I like the hire of Dell McGee at Georgia State, but Georgia Tech should not have a huge problem here. In Bill Connelly's latest SP+ rankings, the Panthers check in at No. 116.
10. Duke (Oct. 5th, Bobby Dodd Stadium)
This is going to be an interesting season for Duke. After Mike Elko was hired away to Texas A&M, they replaced him with Penn State defensive coordinator and former Miami head coach Manny Diaz. Diaz landed Texas transfer quarterback Maalik Murphy in the portal and how good Murphy is might dictate how strong Duke is this season. Elko had this program winning a lot in the last two years and it will be interesting to see if Diaz can keep that alive.
9. North Carolina (Oct. 12th, Chapel Hill, NC)
I debated about putting Duke over UNC here because I think the Tar Heels could be in for a serious downswing without Drake Maye, but this game is on the road. The headliner here of course is former Georgia Tech head coach Geoff Collins taking over as the defensive coordinator for UNC. There are a lot of roster questions with North Carolina, especially at quarterback and they might be fighting to make a bowl.
8. Syracuse (Sept. 7th, Syracuse, NY)
Another early season ACC game for the Yellow Jackets. The Orange are starting a new era with Fran Brown as the head coach and Ohio State transfer Kyle McCord is taking over at quarterback. Syracuse is a tough environment to play in and with so many new faces everywhere, it is tough to know what this team will look like. Syracuse has weapons on offense though and I don't think this will be an easy contest for Georgia Tech.
7. Louisville (Sept. 21st, Louisville, KY)
Louisville might have been higher on this list before the spring portal window, but they lost two potential impact transfers in defensive end Tyler Baron and running back Penny Boone, who transferred out after a short time. Jeff Brohm is a fantastic coach who gets the most out of his teams, but there is a chance that Louisville is not quite as good as they were last year. They will be welcoming in a new starting quarterback and a lot of other players from the transfer portal. It will be interesting to see how this team comes together.
6. Virginia Tech (Oct. 26th, Blacksburg, VA)
The Hokies could be in for a big year and are a trendy pick to make the conference title game. They have a ton of returning production, including quarterback Kyron Drones and the defense could be a strength. Playing this game on the road is also a difficult task, although Georgia Tech did win at Lane Stadium the last time they played there in 2022.
5. NC State (Nov. 21st, Bobby Dodd Stadium)
The Wolfpack is another trendy pick to make a run at the ACC title. They brought in Coastal Carolina transfer quarterback Grayson McCall and a host of other transfer talent to add to an already talented roster. This could be the year that Dave Doeren makes a run to the ACC title game. The good thing for Georgia Tech is that this will be a home game.
4. Miami (Nov. 9th, Bobby Dodd Stadium)
One could make the argument that Miami has the most talented roster in the ACC. Miami has fallen short of expectations more often than not though and Mario Cristobal has not shown he can get the most out of talented rosters in the past. They do have transfer quarterback Cam Ward and just brought in one of the nation's top transfer classes. Not to mention that Miami has had the ACC's best recruiting class in back-to-back years. This feels like a make-or-break year for Cristobal and when these two teams meet in Atlanta in November, there could be a lot on the line.
3. Florida State (Aug. 24th, Dublin, Ireland)
The Yellow Jackets will meet the defending ACC champions for the first game of the season in August and it will be the biggest game of week zero. Mike Norvell reloaded his roster with another excellent transfer portal class and the Seminoles are more than capable of winning the ACC again. There will be a lot of new pieces though and D.J. Uiagalelei has not shown to be more than an average quarterback. FSU is better on paper, but Georgia Tech is more than capable of winning this game.
2. Notre Dame (Oct. 19th, Mercedes Benz Stadium)
Notre Dame is going to be a contender for a spot in the college football playoff and this is going to be a huge challenge for Georgia Tech. The Fighting Irish will have one of the best defenses in the country and if former Duke quarterback Riley Leonard and the receivers can form a dangerous passing, Notre Dame might be more than just a playoff contender.
1. Georgia (Nov. 30th, Athens, GA)
Not a lot of explaining needs to go into this one. Georgia still has the top roster in the country and should be the preseason favorites to win the national championship. The Yellow Jackets have not won in this rivalry since 2016, but they played the Bulldogs tougher than almost anyone last season. Could this be the Georgia Tech team to snap the losing streak to Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs? It might be their best chance since winning in Athens in 2016.
JACKSON CAUDELL
Jackson Caudell covers Georgia Tech Athletics and the Atlanta Hawks for FanNation