Feb. 8, 2008
Related: Wes Durham looks at the newly-released schedule
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech’s 2008 football schedule, announced today by athletic director Dan Radakovich, includes seven home games and five daunting road contests for first-year head coach Paul Johnson.
Tech also announced its football opponents through the 2011 season. The Yellow Jackets will play nine games against teams from the Southeastern Conference over the next four seasons.
The Yellow Jackets have home-and-home series on the horizon with SEC foes Mississippi State (2008, 2009), Mississippi (2010, 2011) and a road game at Vanderbilt (2009) to go with Tech’s yearly date with traditional in-state rival Georgia. Beyond 2011, the Yellow Jackets also have agreements with Alabama, Auburn and Big East Conference opponent Syracuse.
“We have put together schedules that include many traditional programs,” Radakovich said. “The overwhelming majority of our non-conference games will come against schools in the southeast, which should make it easier for our fans to attend.
“The schedule is extremely competitive and should be exciting for our student-athletes as well as our fans.”
The 2008 schedule includes dates with non-conference opponents Jacksonville State, Gardner-Webb and Mississippi State in Atlanta, and a road game at Georgia. ACC rivals Florida State, Virginia, Duke and Miami all play the Yellow Jackets in Bobby Dodd Stadium. The game against Mississippi State will be Tech’s first meeting with the Bulldogs in nearly 80 years. Florida State comes back on the Yellow Jacket schedule for the first time since 2003.
The 2008 ACC road schedule includes games at Clemson, Boston College, North Carolina and Virginia Tech. The Yellow Jackets will play in Boston for the first time in more than 10 years.
Radakovich learned in October that Army, which was scheduled to host the Yellow Jackets next fall, has opted out of its contract, creating a sudden void in the 2008 schedule. The road game against Army was replaced by a home game vs. Gardner-Webb.
While the addition of Gardner-Webb to the schedule provides Georgia Tech seven home games in 2008, the Yellow Jackets have two dates against Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA) opponents. Tech will need to win seven regular season games in ’08 to become bowl-eligible. Florida State and Clemson of the ACC also play two FCS opponents this season.
“The circumstances in which Army backed out of a scheduled date, and complicated by the fact we had no other openings on our schedule until 2012, made filling the 2008 schedule a challenge,” Radakovich said. “While we are pleased to have a seventh home game, we are disappointed that we could not come to an agreement with a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent.”
Georgia Tech will play two games on Thursday nights this fall. The Jackets’ season and home opener against Jacksonville State will fall on a Thursday (Aug. 28). Tech is also scheduled for an ESPN Thursday night home game against Miami (Nov. 20).
Following the season opener, Tech plays on the road consecutive Saturdays against the two teams that played in the 2007 ACC Championship Game – Boston College (Sept. 6) and Virginia Tech (Sept. 13).
The Yellow Jackets host Mississippi State Sept. 20 in their only September home game. The Bulldogs are coming off an 8-5 season and a victory over UCF in the Liberty Bowl.
Following an open date, Georgia Tech plays four of its next five opponents at Bobby Dodd Stadium. The Yellow Jackets host Duke (Oct. 4) and Gardner-Webb (Oct. 11) before a road game at Clemson (Oct. 18). Tech returns home for back-to-back home contests against Virginia (Oct. 25) and Florida State (Nov. 1).
The Jackets play at North Carolina (Nov. 8), then receive an open Saturday before their Thursday night nationally-televised contest vs. Miami (Nov. 20). Nine days later Tech closes out the regular season in Athens against Georgia (Nov. 29).
The 2009 schedule includes three games against SEC schools including road games at Mississippi State and Vanderbilt (Vandy returns the game in Atlanta in 2013). The Yellow Jackets will make two trips to the Sunshine State for games at Florida State and Miami. Tech will finally get its rematch with Wake Forest, which beat the Yellow Jackets in the 2006 ACC Championship game, when the Yellow Jackets and Demon Deacons meet in Atlanta.
Three new opponents come on board in 2010, including Ole Miss, which hasn’t met Georgia Tech on the gridiron since 1971.
The 2012 schedule has not yet been completed.
Georgia Tech begins a home-and-home series with Alabama in 2013 when the Yellow Jackets travel to Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide comes to Atlanta the following season. Tulane appears on the schedule in 2014 and Syracuse in 2015.
Auburn and Georgia Tech play a home-and-home series in 2017 and 2018. A non-conference series with South Carolina is set for 2021 and 2022.
2008 Schedule
Aug. 28 (Thur.) JACKSONVILLE STATE
Sept. 6 at BostonCollege
Sept. 13 at Virginia Tech
Sept. 20 MISSISSIPPISTATE
Sept. 27 Open
Oct. 4 DUKE (Family Weekend)
Oct. 11 GARDNER-WEBB
Oct. 18 at Clemson
Oct. 25 VIRGINIA (Homecoming)
Nov. 1 FLORIDASTATE
Nov. 8 at North Carolina
Nov. 15 Open
Nov. 20 (Thur.) MIAMI
Nov. 29 at Georgia
2009
Home: Jacksonville State, Georgia, Clemson, Wake Forest, North Carolina, Virginia Tech
Away: MississippiState, Vanderbilt, Florida State, Virginia, Duke, Miami
2010
Home: South Carolina State, Mississippi, Middle Tennessee State, NC State, Virginia, Duke, Miami
Away: Georgia, Clemson, Wake Forest, North Carolina, Virginia Tech
2011
Home: Western Carolina, Georgia, Maryland, Clemson, North Carolina, Virginia Tech
Away: Mississippi, Middle Tennessee State, NC State, Virginia, Duke, Miami
2012
Home: MiddleTennesseeState, Boston College, Virginia, Duke, Miami
Away: Georgia, Maryland, Clemson, North Carolina, Virginia Tech
2013
Home: Elon, Vanderbilt, Georgia, Clemson, Florida State, North Carolina, Virginia Tech
Away: Alabama, Boston College, Virginia, Duke, Miami
2014
Home: Wofford, Alabama, Wake Forest, Virginia, Duke, Miami
Away: Tulane, Georgia, Clemson, Florida State, North Carolina, Virginia Tech
2015
Home: Tulane, Georgia, Clemson, NC State, North Carolina, Virginia Tech
Away: Syracuse, Wake Forest, Virginia, Duke, Miami
Other Non-Conference Games beyond 2015
2016 Syracuse Home
2017 Auburn Home
2018 Auburn Away
2018 Tulane Home
2019 Tulane Away
2021 South Carolina Away
2022 South Carolina Home
