While Georgia Tech's Schedule is Tough, There is An Opportunity For a Quick Start

Georgia Tech opens its season vs Florida State on August 24th

You might be tired of hearing it at this point, but Georgia Tech has the toughest schedule in the ACC and one of the toughest in the nation. 11 of the 12 teams that the Yellow Jackets face went to bowl games last year and they face several teams that are expected to be contenders for the ACC championship. 

With that being said, there is an opportunity for a fast start and for momentum to be created early in the season. 

Facing Florida State is never an easy task and the Seminoles are going to be the favorite heading into the 2024 season. FSU head coach Mike Norvell has reloaded this roster with talented transfer portal players and a top-ten recruiting class. However, if there was a time that a team would want to face Florida State, it is probably in the first game of the year and the game is not in Tallahassee. 

On paper, Florida State is more talented than Georgia Tech and by a decent margin. Nobody would dispute that. One thing that Georgia Tech will have working for it is continuity, especially on the offensive side of the ball. The Yellow Jackets return a bulk of their starters from one of the ACC's best offenses and offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner is back calling the plays. 

The big questions for Georgia Tech will come on the defensive side of the ball. The Yellow Jackets were the worst defense in the ACC last year, but new hires on that side of the ball, including a new defensive coordinator, should improve them. The question will be how much. 

I am not predicting Georgia Tech to beat Florida State, but it is not out of the question. The Seminoles are going to have so many new starters and this will be the first game that they all play together in a new system. Norvell is a great play-caller and offensive coach so maybe it clicks right away, but there is a chance that it takes time before Florida State looks like the ACC favorite. Playing them at a neutral site in the first game of the season is the time that you want to play them instead of in the middle of October or November. 

Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King / Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

After their trip to Ireland, Georgia Tech returns home to face Georgia State. The Yellow Jackets need to remember their loss to Bowling Green last season and not take any opponent lightly. After a long trip back from Ireland (whether they win or lose against FSU), Georgia Tech will have to know that the Panthers are going to be fired up for an opportunity to win this game. Still, I think Georgia Tech will be favored by a decent margin and should win this game as long as they don't take them lightly. 

After that is a trip to Syracuse to face new Syracuse head coach Fran Brown. Brown has made some noise on the recruiting trail and in the transfer portal, landing former Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord. I think Brown has a chance to be successful, even in his first year at Syracuse, but playing them early (much like the FSU game) is when you want to face a program that is going through a lot of changes on both sides of the ball and has a lot of new faces. 

The final game of this early four-game slate is VMI, by far Georgia Tech's easiest opponent. The Yellow Jackets should win this game handily. 

The rest of Georgia Tech's schedule is filled with teams like Louisville (on the road), Notre Dame, Georgia, Miami, and NC State, all of whom will be ranked in the preseason. 

I think the first four weeks of the season present an opportunity for Georgia Tech to build some early-season momentum as they head into the tough stretches of the season. A 4-0 start is not out of the question, but the Yellow Jackets should be no worse than 3-1 when they travel to Louisville on Sept. 21st. 

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