Georgia Tech needed a win on Saturday against Duke, and they were able to beat the Blue Devils for a big ACC win. There is still plenty for the Yellow Jackets to improve across the board, but this could be a win that gives them significant momentum if they approach it the right way.
So how did this game impact them in the ACC standings?
The ACC is a mess and there is currently only one undefeated team in the conference. Miami remains the heavy, heavy favorite to not only get to Charlotte, but to win the conference and make the College Football Playoff. With Pittsburgh and Duke losing over the weekend, the Hurricanes stand alone at the top of the standings.
There is a host of one loss teams behind them, including Georgia Tech and if the Yellow Jackets can take the good from the Duke game and get healthy, there is still plenty in front of them.
Current ACC Standings After Week Six
- Miami (5-0, 3-0 ACC)
- Wake Forest (5-1, 3-1)
- Clemson (3-2, 2-1)
- Pittsburgh (5-1, 2-1)
- SMU (4-1, 2-1)
- Virginia (4-2, 2-1)
- California (4-2, 2-1)
- Georgia Tech (2-3, 1-1)
- Louisville (3-3, 2-2)
- Duke (4-1, 1-1)
- North Carolina (3-2, 1-1)
- Virginia Tech (4-2, 1-1)
- Florida State (3-3, 1-2)
- NC State (3-3, 1-2)
- Stanford (2-4, 1-3)
- Boston College (2-3, 0-2)
- Syracuse (2-3, 0-3)
As you can see, there are six teams that also have one conference loss and the Yellow Jackets are going to get a chance to face some of them. They will face Wake Forest, Clemson, and Pittsburgh before the season is over and that represents a chance for Georgia Tech to either make a move up the standings or to ruin some other teams chance to get to Charlotte and play for a spot in the College Football Playoff.
But Georgia Tech can't afford to start looking ahead and putting the cart before the horse. The win over Duke was nice and showed what this team can be when they play well, but there were a lot of holes to poke as well, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
We will see if Georgia Tech can get healthy in time for this weekend's road trip to Virginia Tech, where they will face a desperate Hokies team. Just two weeks ago, Virginia Tech was 4-0 and James Franklin's team was getting a lot of discussion as a team that could make it to Charlotte. They proceeded to lose to Pitt at home and then this past weekend, they lost to a Cal team that was missing its starting quarterback and best defensive player. Winning on the road is not easy, but Virginia Tech is far from unbeatable.
But to get it done, they are going to have to find a way to disrupt Virginia Tech QB Ethan Grunkemeyer, who has looked like one of the ACC's best, and tight end Luke Reynolds, who is getting a lot of first-round NFL draft buzz.
Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech will kickoff at 3:30 this weekend and the game will be televised on ACC Network.
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