The Yellow Jackets could make the 12-team field. If they win the ACC. But let’s be honest: based on what we’ve seen the last two weeks, they wouldn’t fair well against the country’s elite.
Big Struggles
They got gashed against NC State for 583 yards and 8.7 yards per play. On Saturday, Boston College ended wth 537 yards and 8.1 yards per play.
Georgia Tech’s defensive issues aren’t isolated incidents—they’re trends. NC State carved them up. Boston College, a 1–9 team with no pulse and a patchwork roster, gashed them for explosive plays and long, demoralizing drives. This isn’t a defense that bends; it breaks. And it breaks often.
And in the playoff? You’re not facing middling ACC quarterbacks. You’re lining up across from the machines of college football programs. With NFL talent at every position, offensive lines that live in the weight room, and coordinators who would salivate at the mismatches Georgia Tech presents.
Haynes King and this offense have been the lifeline of the season. They’ve bailed the defense out time and time again. But in the playoff, they’d need to score every single drive just to keep it interesting. You can’t give up massive plays and points every drive and expect to keep pace. Not in December. Not in the postseason spotlight.
Georgia Tech’s rise has been fun, unexpected, and genuinely impressive. The future looks bright. But right now? A playoff berth wouldn’t be a Cinderella story—it would be a reality check. Until the Yellow Jackets fix the gaping holes on defense, “making the playoff” shouldn’t be the conversation.
Surviving against elite teams” should be.
Sports Illustrated posed a wild scenario where the ACC Champions gets left out of the playoff.
In theory, the Yellow Jackets could sneak into the expanded 12-team field. But let’s be honest: based on what we’ve seen the last two weeks, they wouldn’t last a quarter against the country’s elite.