Georgia Tech Football: What Will the Yellow Jackets’ Record be in 2015?

The 2015 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football schedule is a gauntlet.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets /

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Coach Paul Johnson already has made it clear that this is the most difficult schedule that he has encountered during his tenure at Georgia Tech.

When you look at the slate of games scheduled for 2015, it is pretty brutal.

When you add the fact that the Yellow Jackets are going to have a target on their back after winning the Coastal Division and taking Mississippi State in the Orange Bowl last season, the degree of difficulty raises another notch.

That is why reading press clipping and buying into the preseason hype that is thrown in the Yellow Jackets’ direction can give some fans a false sense of security.

All the hype is irrelevant. Navigating through the schedule is all that matters. So we are going to take a look at the schedule and see if there is any possibility of equaling the 10-2 mark they had in the regular season last year before ultimately finishing 11-3.

The September slate has two cupcake games with the season opener against Alcorn St. on September 3rd and September 12th matchup with Tulane both taking place at Bobby Dodd. That looks like 2-0 to start the season.

September 19th is the springboard game that can set the table for the rest of the season. Georgia Tech going on the road to face Notre Dame in South Bend.

Georgia Tech will win that game because Tech is bringing their defense with them to South Bend, and Tech will be able to count on Justin Thomas to play big in a big spot.

Notre Dame is going to be breaking in Malik Zaire who played well in the Music City Bowl, but it was not an overpowering performance.

Plus, Notre Dame having to play against Tech’s option offense in Week 3 after not seeing anything like it in Week 1 or Week 2 is going to be a tough adjustment for them. The Irish will play Texas and Virginia before they face Georgia Tech.

After Georgia Tech wins in South Bend, they will take a 3-0 record into Durham, NC when they face the Duke Blue Devils.

This is going to be a tough game because this is slowly turning into a rivalry game and also this could be a letdown game for the Jackets following Notre Dame.

Good news is that Duke does not return Anthony Boone behind center. Bad news is Shaquille Powell is back along with many of their other skill position players.

However Duke’s offensive line is going to be a tad bit inexperienced in 2015.

Duke’s defense is going to be decent but there is really no reason to worry about the opposition defense in most of these games. If Tech is executing offensively, Tech has a good chance of winning.

Georgia Tech should be able to escape at Duke to finish September 4-0.

October is the month where some losses are expected to be seen.

The October 3rd game against North Carolina in Bobby Dodd is not a walk in the park. If Marquise Williams has breath I his body, and is healthy for that game, it can be a toss up.

Nov 29, 2014; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarterback Justin Thomas (5) runs against the Georgia Bulldogs during the second half at Sanford Stadium. Georgia Tech defeated Georgia 30-24 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

October 10th on the road to Death Valley is going to be hellacious. Clemson has revenge on their mind and Deshaun Watson will be healthy this time around.

October 17th versus Pittsburgh in Bobby Dodd should be a win for Georgia Tech as long as they are not looking passed this game because of the big game that comes the following week.

That big game being October 24th’s ACC Championship rematch against Florida St. in Bobby Dodd.

The best part about the October stretch is that they have three of their four games at home.

Tech should be able to get North Carolina, but if not they will at least win one of the headline matchups versus Clemson or Florida St, (most likely Florida State) along with the Pittsburgh game to finish October 2-2 and sit at 6-2 overall going into the final third of their season.

Georgia Tech is going to play on the road at Virginia on October 31st which is a game they should win.

They will then have 12 days to prepare for the Virginia Tech Hokies, which is a Thursday night tilt on November 12th. With that much time to prepare they should be able to get that win.

The final two games is where the issue lies. Going on the road to face Miami at Corral Gables is going to be an issue, and of course we know that “Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate” is going to be a slugfest especially with UGA having revenge on their mind.

November is only going to have one loss in it and it will be either the Miami Hurricanes game or the Georgia Bulldogs revenge attempt.