The 2024 Georgia Tech football schedule continues to be one of the most difficult in the country. Brent Key’s crew is the only ACC team in 247’s Top 15 toughest overall schedule ranking as it ranks No. 6. According to Phil Steele, Georgia Tech has the second toughest ACC schedule for 2024. If Georgia Tech Football hopes to have back to back bowl games they are going to have to go through an absolute gauntlet of a schedule. Here are the top 5 must-watch games for Georgia Tech football in 2024:

1. Aer Lingus College Football Classic: This will be the second time that two ACC schools have opened the season in Dublin. Georgia Tech, which is making its second appearance in the Aer Lingus Classic, downed Boston College, 17-14, in the 2016 version in Dublin. This will mark the first international game in the storied history of Florida State football. The Seminoles and Yellow Jackets have met on the gridiron 27 times. FSU holds a 15-11-1 series lead but Georgia Tech has a winning season record (4-3) since 2008. During that span the Yellow Jackets have been 0-2 in ACC Championship games against the Seminoles. This game is sure to provide the same great matchups and memories that ACC fans have come to expect in the FSU-GT series.

2. Battle of the Techs (or Techmo Bowl): Between 2005 (when the ACC adopted the divisional format for football) and 2012, one of these two teams represented the ACC Coastal Division in every ACC Championship Game (Virginia Tech in 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011; Georgia Tech in 2006, 2009 and 2012). Georgia Tech became the first conference opponent to win four consecutive games in Lane Stadium against Virginia Tech and will be going for win number 5 this fall. Virginia Tech  holds an 11-8 overall series lead but Georgia Tech is 5-3 versus the Hokies since 2014. Both teams finished last season strong and return high-profile quarterbacks; this could be one of the most entertaining ACC games in 2024.

3. Notre Dame (Mayhem at the MBS Series): One of the toughest games on Georgia Tech’s schedule is a neutral site matchup with Notre Dame at the Mercedes Benz Stadium. The Fighting Irish always begin the season with college football playoff expectations around them.This series began in 1922. The Fighting Irish were a longtime rival of the Yellow Jackets and the two teams have met periodically on an annual basis over the years, particularly from 1963 to 1981 when both schools were independents following Tech’s departure from the Southeastern Conference. Notre Dame leads the series 30–6–1. The Yellow Jackets might be up for the challenge, thanks to what should be an electric Georgia Tech offense; however, the Jackets’ defense will have to show up.

4. Clean Old-Fashioned Hate: It’s a rivalry game with 130 years behind and 70 miles between it. The first football game took place on November 4, 1893 in Athens. The two schools will have their 118th meeting in 2024. Georgia leads the all-time series at 71-41-5 and has won the last six matchups.  In the Yellow Jackets’ first full season with Coach Key they only lost by eight points, a major improvement as the Bulldogs outscored the Yellow Jackets 134-21 the previous three years. The Yellow Jackets’ last victory came in 2016, a 28-27 nail-biter in which the Yellow Jackets  scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to win. The question for most Yellow Jackets fans is: Will this be the year that Coach Key gets his first win over Georgia? There is more hope amongst the Yellow Jacket fan base this year than there has been in a long time.

5. Georgia State (Battle of the 404): Does the city of Atlanta love college football? We will find out early in 2024 as Georgia Tech hosts Georgia State in their first ever meeting. Could this become an annual meeting dubbed “Battle of 404’? I think it will depend on how many Yellow Jacket and Panther fans show up for this game. Of course, there’s a deeper element to this game as coaches and players on both sides will be standing on the opposite sideline of their old team. QB Zach Gibson and DB Kenyatta Watson II will be in blue and white and will be joined by DC Kevin Sherrer and Associate Head Coach Carter Blount, who were on Coach Key’s 2023 staff/team respectively. The new Jackets’ WR coach Trent McKnight and DB coach Cory Peoples were at Georgia State recently. Add former Panther DL Thomas Gore who will line up in white and gold this year and this intra-Atlanta battle has the chance to be really exciting. Will Georgia Tech be able to overcome some jet lag from their return from Dublin to ward off the upset-minded Panthers in Dell McGee’s head coaching debut? We will find out when toe meets leather at 8PM on August 31st.