Georgia Tech Football: How Does Clemson Winning the ACC Championship Affect the Yellow Jackets Bowl Destinations?

Clemson defeated SMU in a thriller in the ACC Championship and it could have a trickle down effect for the rest of the ACC

Dec 7, 2024; Charlotte, NC, USA; Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik (2) throws during the third quarter against the Southern Methodist Mustangs in the 2024 ACC Championship game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

It was a wild night in Charlotte in the ACC Championship between Clemson and SMU. Clemson raced out to an early lead and it looked like they were going to win the game by a landslide when it was 31-14 in the 4th quarter. SMU stormed back to tie it until Clemson had a great kickoff return and then kicked a game-winning 56-yard field goal to give Dabo Swinney and the Tigers yet another ACC Championship. Clemson is now going to the College Football Playoff and the debate between SMU and Alabama and who should be in is going to dominate the next 12 hours.

The decision the playoff committee makes will have a trickle-down effect to the rest of the ACC, including Georgia Tech. It felt like for much of the day, the bowl projections were narrowing down and assuming that only one of either SMU or Clemson got in, but the way that the ACC Championship unfolded, there is a decent chance that SMU gets in alongside Clemson. If that does happen, that will shake up the ACC bowl picture. Virginia Tech beat writer Andy Bitter gave a nice summary of this on social media and how it might shake out for everyone.

Possible ACC outlook

Playoff: Clemson (10-3, champ), SMU (11-2)

Gator/Holiday/Pop-Tarts tier: Miami (10-2), Syracuse (9-3), Duke (9-3)

Sun/Pinstripe/Duke’s Mayo tier: Louisville (8-4), GT (7-5) and …

Candidates: BC (7-5), Pitt (7-5), #Hokies (6-6), UNC (6-6), NC State (6-6)

— Andy Bitter (@AndyBitterVT) December 8, 2024

If SMU is out, they replace one of those teams in that first tier. If they are in, the Sun Bowl, Pinstripe Bowl, and Dukes Mayo Bowl are the most likely options for Georgia Tech.

Before the final games on Saturday, here were the projections from various analysts.

Earlier today, the Action Network's Brett McMurphy released his updated bowl projections and had the Yellow Jackets facing Arkansas in the Birmingham Bowl and that was a bowl projection that seemed to be gaining some steam. If SMU gets in the playoff, this seems unlikely to happen, but it is not impossible.

Earlier this week, Jerry Palm at CBS Sports had a different projection. He projected Georgia Tech to go to Shreveport, LA to play in the Independence Bowl vs Army. Army is facing Tulane in the AAC Championship game this weekend. This would be the fifth-ever matchup between the two programs and the first since 2007. Georgia Tech leads the all-time series 3-1. If Army wins that game, I do not think they would be heading to this bowl game, but would likely go to the Fenway Bowl instead of Tulane.

The bowl projections from ESPN analysts Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach have not been updated since Sunday. At ESPN, Schlabach and Bonagura have Georgia Tech in the Pinstripe Bowl (played at Yankee Stadium) against Minnesota. This would be the second-ever meeting between the Yellow Jackets and the Golden Gophers, with Minnesota winning the only matchup to date in the 2018 Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit 34-10. Minnesota finished the season 7-5, but had close losses to North Carolina, Penn State, and Michigan. They were very close to being a 10-win team.

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