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Georgia Tech Football: What the new ACC scheduling format means for the Yellow Jackets

By Brandon Dyer

SOUTH BEND, IN - NOVEMBER 20: A detail view of a Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets helmet is seen during the game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium on November 20, 2021 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN - NOVEMBER 20: A detail view of a Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets helmet is seen during the game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium on November 20, 2021 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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Last week, the ACC announced a new scheduling format for their football programs starting in 2023. The format will include a 3-5-5 schedule, meaning that each team will be assigned three teams that they play every year, then alternate home and away games year by year to all other teams in the conference. For example, Georgia Tech, beginning in 2023, will play Clemson, Louisville, and Wake Forest every season, while the rest of the conference will be depending on the year. The ACC also put an end to both the Atlantic and Coastal divisions within the conference, following suit with what the Big 12 conference did in 2011.

What this means for Georgia Tech Football

The new scheduling format now gives Georgia Tech fans two new in-conference rivals that they face every year: Wake Forest and Louisville, while keeping the yearly meeting with Clemson. I do wish that the Georgia Tech-Virginia Tech rivalry could have kept going, but I think that for sure adding Louisville and Wake Forest will be good to add some challenging opponents to the schedule. At least the Yellow Jackets weren’t put in a position where they would face the bottom feeder ACC teams every year.

Future Scheduling

The Yellow Jackets don’t have a favorable out-of-conference schedule any time soon, with games against Ole Miss, Notre Dame, Alabama, and the yearly game against the defending champion Georgia Bulldogs. This schedule format leaves little room for Georgia Tech to improve outside of the ACC, as those powerhouse teams listed earlier will be contenders more often than not when the Yellow Jackets play them. One thing that I can confidently say is that when this team gets back to national prominence, they will have earned it with the schedules that they have coming up.

light. Related Story. Georgia Tech Football 2022 Schedule Breakdown

Championship appearance takes a hit

With the new scheduling format, teams now have to be the one of the two best teams in the ACC to make the ACC Championship Game, whereas in past years you only had to be the best in your division. Georgia Tech will now have to prove even more in the future by getting one of the top-2 spots in the entire conference, which will prove to be a much more challenging task than in years past.