Three Reasons Georgia Tech Can End Its Losing Streak To Georgia This Season

2026 will mark a full decade since Georgia Tech was able to beat Georgia.

In the immediate years following Georgia Tech's win in Athens that season, it was a series of blowouts, as Kirby Smart's program rose to the elite in the country, and from 2017 to 2022 (teams did not play in 2020), it was a series of ugly results, one after the other.

Things started to shift a little bit in 2023 though, Brent Key's first season as the full-time head coach. Georgia Tech has played the Bulldogs to three consecutive one score games, including an eight overtime loss in Athens two seasons ago. The Yellow Jackets have been knocking on the door of being able to defeat their rival, but can they finally get the job done in 2026?

It won't be easy. Georgia enters the 2026 season as one of the favorites to win the national championship and as one of the favorites in the SEC. They were one of the youngest teams in the country and will now have a veteran led group on both sides of the ball.

That does not mean that they are invincible though. Here are three reasons Georgia Tech could knock off the Bulldogs and end the losing streak this season.

3. Better defensive front

Strangely enough, while Georgia Tech was spiraling on the defensive side of the ball late last season, they were able to post their best performance of the season when they played Georgia. They held Gunner Stockton to below 100 yards through the air in what was arguably his worst performance last season.

The Yellow Jackets are hoping that a new coordinator who prioritizes aggression and creating havoc will be able to turn in a similar performance.

The Georgia Tech defensive line has a chance to be the most improved unit on the team and if you are going to have a chance to actually beat Georgia, you have to be strong on the lines of scrimmage. The additions of Noah Carter, Taje McCoy, Jordan Walker, Tawfiq Thomas, Vincent Carroll-Jackson, and Tim Griffin, along with the development of young players such as Amontrae Bradford and Christian Garrett, will be Georgia Tech's best defensive front yet.

They have to prove it, but I think the Yellow Jackets defensive line will be a plus this season.

2. Dynamic running game

There is an argument to be made that the duo of Justice Haynes and Malachi Hosley is going to be the best tandem of running backs that Georgia faces all season (Florida and Ole Miss are the others).

The running game has been the focus of the Georgia Tech offense since Brent Key took over as the head coach, but he has not had a talented backfield quite like this before. Both Haynes and Hosley averaged over seven yards per carry last season and are candidates to be All-ACC players (perhaps more) at the end of the season.

1. Georgia Tech has been inching closer to pulling off an upset

Just because you get close so many times does not necessarily mean that you are going to get the win, but until proven otherwise, it should be assumed that the Yellow Jackets are going to give Georgia their best shot and eventually (I think), that is going to result in an upset.

When Georgia Tech has been able to beat the Bulldogs this century, it has been in Athens, and the last time these two teams played at Sanford Stadium, Georgia Tech was arguably the better team that night, but ended up losing in eight overtimes.

All streaks come to an end eventually and this one has a chance to in 2026.

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