Georgia Tech

Countdown to football: Georgia Tech looks to build on momentum of 2016 season

Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson’s Yellow Jackets open their season against Tennessee in Atlanta.
Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson’s Yellow Jackets open their season against Tennessee in Atlanta. AP

Yes, it’s still July, and we’re more than a month away from the start of the 2017 football season. But that doesn’t mean we can’t get ready for the upcoming season. To do that, we’ll have a series throughout the summer counting down to the season.

The series continues as we rank Georgia Tech’s opponents this season.

12. Sept. 9 Jacksonville State

Yes, the Gamecocks play at the FCS level, but they’re still really good.

11. Nov. 4 at Virginia

Bronco Mendenhall’s first season with the Cavaliers didn’t go exactly as planned (2-10) in 2016.

10. Nov. 18 at Duke

The Blue Devils took a step back to 4-8 in 2016 after some really solid seasons.

9. Sept. 16 at Central Florida

The Knights were only 6-7 in 2016, but they reached a bowl in Scott Frost’s first season as their head coach.

8. Oct. 21 Wake Forest

The Demon Deacons wrapped up their 7-6 season in 2016 with a rare bowl win.

7. Sept. 30 North Carolina

The Tar Heels should have a new look without Mitch (he will always be Mitch to me) Trubisky at quarterback.

6. Oct. 12 at Miami

Mark Richt’s first Hurricanes team was solid. Let’s see if Richt’s program is ready to take the next step.

5. Sept. 23 Pittsburgh

The Panthers caught some folks by surprise in 2016. They shouldn’t be a surprise this season. They’re really good and really well-coached.

4. Sept. 4. vs. Tennessee (Mercedes-Benz Stadium)

This should be a terrific opener for the Yellow Jackets and Volunteers at the Atlanta Falcons’ new home.

3. Nov. 25 Georgia

The Bulldogs and Yellow Jackets wrap up their seasons with their annual rivalry game (Georgia Tech has won two of the past three in the series).

2. Nov. 11 Virginia Tech

Justin Fuente is just getting started with the Hokies. An appearance in the ACC championship game in his first season as Virginia Tech’s head coach last year is a good place to start.

1. Oct. 28 at Clemson

The defending national champion Tigers lost a lot of talent. But they have a lot coming back, too.

Previous stories in this series:

Mercer opponent breakdown.

Georgia Southern opponent breakdown.

Fort Valley State opponent breakdown.

SEC power poll.

ACC power poll.

Southern Conference power poll.

Sun Belt power poll.

GHSA Region 1-6A power poll.

GHSA Region 1-5A power poll.

GHSA Region 4-5A power poll.

GHSA Region 4-3A power poll.

GHSA Region 3-2A power poll.

GHSA Region 4B-1A power poll.

GHSA Region 7A-1A power poll.

SEC team-by-team schedules.

SEC weekly schedule.

Team-by-team schedules for ACC’s teams.

Weekly schedules for ACC’s teams.

Team-by-team schedules for Georgia’s Division I and Division II teams.

Weekly schedules for Georgia’s Division I and Division II teams.

Middle Georgia team-by-team GHSA schedules.

Middle Georgia weekly GHSA schedule

This story was originally published July 10, 2017 at 9:52 AM with the headline "Countdown to football: Georgia Tech looks to build on momentum of 2016 season."

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