Standings, tiebreakers outline Georgia Tech's path to 2025 ACC championship

The scenario is quite simple on the one hand for No. 16 Georgia Tech: beat Pittsburgh and play Dec. 6 in the ACC championship game in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Lose to the visiting Panthers at 7 p.m., and things become way more complicated — and much more unlikely the Yellow Jackets will make it to the Queen City.

At 9-1 overall and 6-1 in the ACC, the Jackets could become the first team in the conference to reach seven wins if they can get by Pitt. Virginia is also 6-1 but is off until facing rival Virginia Tech on Nov. 29.

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Southern Methodist is also 5-1 and can reach 7-1 with wins over Louisville and California. Tech would win tiebreakers against UVA and SMU, despite having not played either of those teams this season, to be one of the two title-game participants.

Tech and UVA have three common opponents on this year’s schedule: Wake Forest, Duke and Virginia Tech. The Jackets went 3-0 against those teams, while the Cavaliers are 2-0 with the VT game remaining.

If the Jackets lose to Pitt, however, their path to the championship game becomes very tricky and very difficult.

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Tech would need Pitt to beat Miami in the regular-season finale, Virginia to finish 6-2 with a loss to Virginia Tech and SMU to be either 6-2 or 5-3. In that scenario, Pitt would clinch a berth and Tech would finish above Virginia and SMU based on its record versus common conference opponents all played equal times.

The same tiebreakers would apply if SMU beats Louisville this weekend but loses to Cal in the season finale.

Tech last played in the ACC championship game in 2014, losing 37-35 to Florida State. The Jackets also lost the 2012 game to the Seminoles. Tech won the 2009 game (a win later vacated because of NCAA sanctions) over Clemson and lost the 2006 game to Wake Forest.

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ACC standings

Georgia Tech (9-1, 6-1)
Virginia (9-2, 6-1)
Pittsburgh (7-3, 5-1)
SMU (7-3, 5-1)
Miami (FL) (8-2, 4-2)
Duke (5-5, 4-2)
Louisville (7-3, 4-3)
Wake Forest (7-3, 4-3)
California (6-4, 3-3)
Clemson (5-5, 4-4)
NC State (5-5, 2-4)
North Carolina (4-6, 2-4)
Virginia Tech (3-7, 2-4)
Florida State (5-5, 2-5)
Stanford (3-7, 2-5)
Syracuse (3-7, 1-6)
Boston College (1-10, 0-7)

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Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King (left) celebrates with Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key after scoring a touchdown during the second half in an NCAA college football game at Bobby Dodd Stadium, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025 in Atlanta. Georgia Tech won 41-16 over Syracuse. The Yellow Jackets are 8-0 for the first time since 1966 and 5-0 in the ACC for the first time ever. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

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