Georgia Tech’s last-second win over No. 10 Florida State was the perfect start to the season for Brent Key and his team. It was the program’s first win over a top-10 team since the Yellow Jackets defeated the No. 9 Seminoles in 2015.
And it continued a winning streak the program has had against ranked ACC teams since the beginning of the Key era four games into the 2022 season. As Phil Steele notes, Georgia Tech is now 5-0 against ranked teams in the conference, including Saturday’s win over the Seminoles.
That stretch began during Keys’ first game as coach: a 26-21 win over No. 24 Pitt on Oct. 1, 2022. The Jackets also knocked off No. 13 North Carolina on Nov. 19 of that year.
In 2023, the Jackets faced two higher-ranked conference teams – Miami and North Carolina, both ranked 17th at the time of the game – and won both.
Brent Key has faced FIVE ranked ACC teams in his 2.5 years as head coach and now has a CONCURRENT record of 5-0 in those games!
Georgia Tech delivers an Inside the Pressbox Best Bet winner for me in the first edition with a clear victory over Florida State
— Phil Steele (@philsteele042) 24 August 2024
Georgia Tech hasn’t been as good against high-level opponents from other leagues during the Key era. The Yellow Jackets lost to both Ole Miss and Georgia last season. They will face the Bulldogs again in 2024 and also have a possible high-level non-conference game against Notre Dame in October.
As things stand, Georgia Tech will face two more ranked ACC opponents in 2024. No. 19 Miami and No. 24 NC State will both travel to Atlanta in November. The Yellow Jackets also face Louisville and Virginia Tech on the road this season – two teams that could already be ranked teams by the time those matchups take place.
Georgia Tech hosts Georgia State in Week 1 on Saturday, August 31st.
