Georgia Tech Football: ESPN Expert Gives Early Final Score Prediction For Yellow Jackets Bowl Matchup vs Vanderbilt

Will Georgia Tech defeat Vanderbilt and win their second consecutive bowl game>

Nov 29, 2024; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King (10) throws a pass against the Georgia Bulldogs in the second quarter at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

There is a lot going on in college football right now. The regular season is over, but that does not mean things slow down. The College Football Playoff and bowl games have been set and the transfer portal is open, meaning things are going to be crazy for the next few weeks.

The transfer portal being open is important to note because it has an effect on rosters for the bowl game. For Georgia Tech, they have had a few players enter the portal since the regular season ended.

So far, Georgia Tech has had the following players enter the transfer portal:

• QB Zach Pyron

• WR's Eric Singleton Jr and Leo Blackburn

• OL Corey Robinson II and Jordan Brown

• DL Horace Lockett and Uche Iloh

• DB Taye Seymore

Despite that, there have already been projections for Georgia Tech's bowl game vs Vanderbilt, including one from ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, who likes the Yellow Jackets to get a win:

"The game pairs two teams with unimpressive overall records but very impressive wins, which include Alabama (Vanderbilt), Miami (Georgia Tech) and Duke (Georgia Tech), as well as some agonizingly close losses to strong opponents. The quarterback matchup between Georgia Tech's Haynes King and Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia also should generate attention. Neither team finished the season particularly well, but Georgia Tech's ability to control the pace with King and running back Jamal Haynes, while mixing in downfield passes, could provide the edge. Few would be surprised if Pavia leads Vandy to its first bowl win since 2014, but I'm going with the Ramblin' Wreck."

Prediction: Georgia Tech 28, Vanderbilt 23

This is a matchup that has some history. Georgia Tech leads the all-time series with Vandy 20-15 and has won six in a row in the series and 12 of the last 13. The last meeting between the schools was in 2016 in Atlanta, a 38-7 win for Georgia Tech. Vanderbilt has not beaten the Yellow Jackets since 1941. The two teams tied 10-10 in a matchup in Nashville in 1965. This will give Georgia Tech to add to its success against Vanderbilt, who has had a really good season under Clark Lea. The Commodores started the season off with a big upset over Virginia Tech and of course, the signature win was against No.1 Alabama (one week after the Crimson Tide had beaten Georgia). Vandy also picked up wins vs Kentucky and Auburn, as well as having close losses to Texas and LSU.

Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt were conference-mates for 48 years – in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (1916-21), Southern Conference (1922-32) and Southeastern Conference (1933-63). Their rivalry spawned a traveling trophy – a cow bell – that has been awarded to the winning team since 1924. Tech has had possession of the bell since its 13-0 win over Vandy in 1948

This season, Tech and Vanderbilt are among the 14 unranked teams that have knocked off top-10 opponents, with the Jackets beating No. 10 Florida State on Aug. 24 and No. 4 Miami (Fla.) on Nov. 9, and the Commodores taking down No. 1 Alabama on Oct. 5.

The bowl appearance is Georgia Tech’s 47th, which is tied for 15th all-time. The Yellow Jackets are 26-20 in bowl games, with the 26 victories tied for 11th all-time and the .565 winning percentage also ranking 11th among teams with a minimum of 15 bowl wins.

The Yellow Jackets are playing in a bowl game for the second consecutive season, the first time that has happened since 2013-2014. They faced UCF in last year's Gasparilla Bowl and won 30-17 in Tampa Bay. This year, Georgia Tech has played one of the toughest schedules in the entire country to get to seven wins got victories over No. 10 Florida State, and No. 4 Miami, and took eventual SEC champion Georgia to eight overtimes in the last game of the season. Brent Key is 18-15 heading into his second bowl game and it is another chance for him to get a big victory over an SEC opponent and continue to elevate his program.

Additional Links

Georgia Tech Football: Yellow Jackets Reportedly Getting Visit From LSU Transfer Wide Receiver

Georgia Tech Basketball : A Closer Look At The 2025 Recruiting Class

Georgia Tech Football: Yellow Jackets Open As Favorites vs Vanderbilt In Birmingham Bowl