Week One Matchup Between Georgia Tech Football And Colorado Gets Primetime Kickoff Slot On ESPN

This is going to be a chance for a lot of people to see Georgia Tech play. Playing Deion Sanders and Colorado in a stand-alone window on ESPN is an excellent opportunity to get exposure to the program and a chance for Key to get a big win to start the season.

The Friday opener will mark the second-straight season that Georgia Tech kicks off the season in a premium TV window. Last season, the Yellow Jackets kicked off the college football campaign with a 24-21 victory over No. 10 Florida State in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland. The Week 0 matchup drew nearly 5 million viewers on ESPN. Tech went on to be the Atlantic Coast Conference’s most-watched team in 2024, averaging 3.1 million viewers.

The Yellow Jackets’ 2025 opener at Colorado marks the first-ever gridiron matchup between the Jackets and Buffaloes and Tech’s first game in the Mountain time zone since it traveled to BYU in 2013 (GT has played twice in the Irish time zone since its last contest in MT).

FootballScoop's Zach Barnett ranked it as one of the best non-conference games of the 2025 season:

12. Georgia Tech at Colorado (Aug. 30): "In the 35th anniversary of the Yellow Jackets and Buffaloes' split national championship, it's the beginning of a new era for Colorado football in one way or the other. Either it's Game 1 of Coach Prime 2.0 as Deion Sanders coaches without Shedeur Sanders for the first time ever, or it's Game 1 of Coach TBD if Deion actually does take the Cowboy's job."

Coming into the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Georgia Tech has not had to face high pre-season expectations. The win totals in Vegas had them falling short of a bowl game in each of Brent Key's first two seasons as the head coach of his alma mater, but the Yellow Jackets exceeded expectations both times and ended up in a bowl game. Georgia Tech has played the underdog role pretty well, but with talented players returning, one of the program's best recruiting classes getting on campus, and a pretty solid transfer portal class from the winter and spring windows, the Yellow Jackets could enter the 2025 season ranked in the top 25.

There is still plenty of time between now and August, but there is certainly a case for Georgia Tech to be ranked in the preseason top 25. Quarterback Haynes King is returning, and running back Jamal Haynes is also back, joined by Penn transfer Malachi Hosley, a talented receiving corps, an offensive line that returns All-ACC guard Keylan Rutledge, and veteran talent from a defense that was much better in 2024 than 2023. Offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner is slated to be back and Key hired Texas assistant Blake Gideon to take over for Tyler Santucci as the new defensive coordinator. There are question marks to be sure, but there is reason to believe that year three could be a breakout year for the Yellow Jackets when it comes to challenging for the ACC title.

The pieces are in place for a potentially special season in 2025 and while Georgia Tech always plays a tough schedule, next year's schedule is not as tough as years past. Yes, they play Georgia and Clemson, but no other team on their schedule is likely to start the year ranked. That is not to say that it will be a cakewalk, but Notre Dame is not on the schedule, nor is Miami or SMU. The trip to Colorado to start the year could be tough, but the Buffaloes are losing Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders. As far as schedules go, next year's looks to be breaking in favor of Georgia Tech being able to contend in the ACC.

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