The Top Offenses Georgia Tech Faces In 2023 Per SP+

The Yellow Jackets defense will face some top offenses in 2023

Jackson Caudell | May 30, 2023

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When you face a schedule as tough as Georgia Tech's, naturally you will meet some of the best offenses in the country. Per SP+, Georgia Tech will be facing multiple top-25 offenses in the country.

Well, what is SP+? I'll let ESPN's Bill Connelly explain his own advanced analytics system in his own words:

""I base SP+ projections on three primary factors, weighted by their predictiveness:

1. Returning production. The returning production numbers are based on rosters I have updated as much as possible to account for transfers and attrition. The combination of last year's SP+ ratings and adjustments based on returning production make up about half of the projections formula

2. Recent recruiting. This piece informs us of the caliber of a team's potential replacements (and/or new stars) in the lineup. It is determined by the past few years of recruiting rankings in diminishing order (meaning the most recent class carries the most weight). Beginning this season, I am also incorporating transfers -- both the quality and the volume -- in a different way. After last season's transfer-heavy recruiting shift, I've got a bit more data for how to handle that. This piece makes up about one-third of the projections formula.

3. Recent history. Using a sliver of information from previous seasons (two to four years ago) gives us a good measure of overall program health. It stands to reason that a team that has played well for one year is less likely to duplicate that effort than a team that has been good for years on end (and vice versa), right? This is a minor piece of the puzzle -- only about 15% -- but the projections are better with it than without.

I will update these numbers in May and August, after further transfers and roster changes have come about (and after I've had a bit more time to tinker with handling transfers and other factors). But for now, let's look at what SP+ has to say about the college football landscape.

A reminder on SP+: It's a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency. It is a predictive measure of the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football, not a résumé ranking, and, along those same lines, these projections aren't intended to be a guess at what the AP Top 25 will look like at the end of the year. These are simply early offseason power rankings based on the information we have been able to gather to date."

Georgia Tight End Brock Bowers — Georgia Tech is going to face some of the nation's best offenses in 2023 :: Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK

Connelly released his latest SP+ projections for 2023 last week and it showed the team's projected overall projection and where they are projected on offense and defense.

So who are the top offenses the Georgia Tech defense will face in 2023?

The top offense on the schedule for Georgia Tech according to SP+ belongs to GT's rival, the Georgia Bulldogs, who are projected to have the ninth-best offense. The Bulldogs are the top projected team according to SP+ and the Bulldogs are going to be loaded for a run at a third straight national title. Their offense will include All-American tight end Brock Bowers, a revamped wide receiving corps that includes Missouri transfer Dominic Lovett, and a strong offensive line. Carson Beck appears to be the successor to Stetson Bennett and I would bet this offense does not miss a beat.

Up next is Ole Miss, who has the No. 14 projected offense. The Rebels are having a quarterback competition, but return running back Quinshon Judkins and head coach Lane Kiffin is one of the best play callers in the country.

Just behind Ole Miss is North Carolina, with the No. 15 projected offense. UNC is returning quarterback Drake Maye, a projected top-three pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Tar Heels were one of the best offenses in the country last year, but the Yellow Jackets' defense shut them down.

Georgia Tech held UNC to its season low in points, in total yards, and held Maye to his season low in total passing yards.

Clemson is the No. 21 projected offense and this number has the potential to be much higher. The Tigers are transitioning to a new offensive coordinator and former TCU OC Garrett Riley could have this offense playing at a high level. Former five-star quarterback Cade Klubnik and running back Will Shipley look like stars and if Clemson can find playmakers at the receiver position, this could be an elite offense.

North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye — Drake Maye is one of the top quarterbacks Georgia Tech will face in 2023 / Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

After Clemson, there is a bit of a dropoff in the projections. Wake Forest (No. 38 projected offense), Miami (No. 47), and Louisville (No. 50) are the next three teams and they all bring intrigue. Wake has usually been very good on offense under Dave Clawson, but quarterback Sam Hartman transferred to Notre Dame, and wide receiver A.T. Perry is now in the NFL. Wake should still be good on that side of the ball, but there could be some growing pains.

Miami was dreadful on offense last season and hired Shannon Dawson away from Houston to be the new offensive coordinator. The Hurricanes need quarterback Tyler Van Dyke to stay healthy to have a top-50 offense. The offensive line should be a strength this season but the wide receivers are a major question mark.

Louisville could be much higher than No. 50 at the end of the season. Jeff Brohm is one of the top offensive minds in the country and should have that unit playing at a higher level sooner rather than later.

Syracuse (No. 62) is losing their offensive coordinator and their top rusher on offense, but quarterback Garrett Shrader is back and the wide receivers are talented.

Boston College (No. 91), Bowling Green (No. 101), and Virginia (No.124) are the bottom three projected offenses on the schedule for Georgia Tech in 2023.

The Yellow Jackets are losing four key defenders from the 2022 team. Keion White, Charlie Thomas, and Ace Eley are in the NFL and Zamari Walton transferred to Ole Miss. GT has brought in transfers on that side of the ball to help fill those roles, but they will have to prove they can raise the ceiling of the defense.

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