Georgia Tech Played in Five of the Best College Football Games of 2024, per ESPN

Even the most casual of college football fans know that Georgia Tech played in several exciting games last season. The Yellow Jackets were one of the most entertaining teams to watch week in and week out and seemed to play in thrillers more often than not. In a recent ranking of the top 100 games of the college football season, ESPN’s Bill Connelly had not one, not two, but five Georgia Tech games ranked in the top 100, tied with South Carolina for the most. Here are the games that Connelly ranked in the top 100 along with what he said about them:

89. Nov. 21: Georgia Tech 30, NC State 29

88. Oct. 12: Georgia Tech 41, North Carolina 34

“Our tour of the ACC continues. Georgia Tech went unbeaten against the state of North Carolina in 2024 but needed heroics (and opponent breakdowns) to pull it off against North Carolina in Week 7 and NC State in Week 13. First, North Carolina erased a 10-point deficit in the last four minutes of regulation, only to let Jamal Haynes race up the middle for a 68-yard touchdown with 16 seconds left.

Then, in a wild Thursday night affair, NC State turned a nine-point deficit into a 29-23 lead in the final seven minutes, only for Aaron Philo to score from 18 yards with 22 seconds left. NC State got close enough for Collin Smith to attempt a 58-yard field goal at the buzzer. It didn’t miss by much.”

74. Aug. 24: Georgia Tech 24, No. 10 Florida State 21

“Hours earlier (and thousands of miles away in Dublin, Ireland), Georgia Tech kick-started Florida State’s 2024 collapse with a heaping dose of Jamal Haynes and Haynes King. The Yellow Jackets scored on three drives of longer than six minutes, and Aidan Birr’s 44-yard field goal at the buzzer gave Tech a shocking win that soon wouldn’t feel shocking.”

17. Nov. 9: Georgia Tech 28, No. 4 Miami 23

“Thanks to quarterback Cam Ward and a flashy offense, Miami looked like a genuine national title contender in September, but after allowing just 41 points in four games, the Hurricanes’ defense no-showed from there. Miami continued to get by with track meet wins (including a couple further up on this list), but a faulty defense always catches up with you.

Against Georgia Tech in Week 11, Miami allowed touchdown drives of 17, nine and eight plays (combined time of possession in these drives: 19:46). The Canes trailed 28-16 in the fourth quarter, and while Ward’s 38-yard TD pass to Xavier Restrepo got them to within five, Romello Height sacked and stripped Ward with 1:36 left, and Jordan van den Berg recovered to seal the upset.”

5. Nov. 29: No. 7 Georgia 44, Georgia Tech 42 (8OT)

“Most of the time of late, Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate has been a pretty straightforward rivalry: Both teams hate each other, and then Georgia wins comfortably. But with a spot in the CFP potentially on the line for Georgia — the Dawgs would wrap up a spot with a win, but a loss might require them to beat Texas the next week in the SEC Championship — Tech landed some haymakers and all but knocked the Dawgs out.

Tech took a 17-0 lead into halftime, and it legitimately should have been bigger: The Yellow Jackets finished each of their first three drives of the game inside the UGA 30 but came away with just three points. But even with Georgia’s offense building some second-half success, the Jackets took a 27-13 lead with under six minutes remaining. Their in-game win probability, per ESPN Analytics, rose as high as 98.5%. But Carson Beck engineered a quick UGA touchdown drive, and on a third-and-1 with 2:10 left, Dan Jackson hit Tech quarterback Haynes King as hard as he possibly could and knocked the ball loose. Chaz Chambliss recovered, and five plays later Beck found Dominic Lovett for a short, game-tying touchdown.

Then came the strangest overtime you’ll ever see. The teams traded touchdowns on each of their first two possessions, but despite loads of overall offensive success on the day — the teams combined for 1,168 total yards — neither could hit a two-point conversion. They missed 11 of the first 13 in overtime until Nate Frazier’s plunge finally won the game for the Dawgs. This game roped you in with wild swings and drama, then held you hostage for what felt like days as Kirby Smart insisted on using every overtime timeout available to him and offenses kept coming up short. All in all, a weird day at the office. A delightfully weird day, but weird all the same.”

Coming into the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Georgia Tech has not had to face high pre-season expectations. The win totals in Vegas had them falling short of a bowl game in each of Brent Key’s first two seasons as the head coach of his alma mater, but the Yellow Jackets exceeded expectations both times and ended up in a bowl game. Georgia Tech has played the underdog role pretty well, but with talented players returning, one of the program’s best recruiting classes getting on campus, and a pretty solid transfer portal class, the Yellow Jackets could enter the 2025 season ranked in the top 25.

There is still plenty of time between now and August, but there is certainly a case for Georgia Tech to be ranked in the preseason top 25. Quarterback Haynes King is returning, running back Jamal Haynes is also back, joined by Penn transfer Malachi Hosley, a talented receiving corps, an offensive line that returns All-ACC guard Keylan Rutledge, and talent from a defense that was much better in 2024 than 2023. The most important retentions might be on the coaching staff. Coordinators Buster Faulkner and Tyler Santucci are slated to be back, as well the rest of the coaching staff. Georgia Tech has one of the best coaching staffs in the ACC and being able to retain them is huge for next season.

The pieces are in place for a potential special season in 2025 and while Georgia Tech always plays a tough schedule, next year’s schedule is not as tough as years past. Yes, they play Georgia and Clemson, but no other team on their schedule is likely to start the year ranked. That is not to say that it will be a cakewalk, but Notre Dame is not on the schedule, nor is Miami or SMU. The trip to Colorado to start the year could be tough, but the Buffaloes are losing likely top-10 picks Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders. As far as schedules go, next year’s looks to be breaking in favor of Georgia Tech being able to contend in the ACC.

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