Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King (10) throws a pass during the first half of a NCAA college football game against Georgia Tech in Athens, Ga., on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. / Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
For the final time in 2024, it is game week for Georgia Tech Football. The Yellow Jackets (7-5) are going to Birmingham to face Vanderbilt (6-6) in the Birminghma Bowl and both programs are looking to end their season with a win and create momentum heading into 2025.
Like every game week, Georgia Tech has released its depth chart for the game, but this one is a little different. Obviously, the Yellow Jackets have lost some players to the transfer portal, such as Eric Singleton Jr, and they are not on it for the bowl game, giving the depth chart a bit of a different look than normal.
This is a matchup that has some history. Georgia Tech leads the all-time series with Vandy 20-15 and has won six in a row in the series and 12 of the last 13. The last meeting between the schools was in 2016 in Atlanta, a 38-7 win for Georgia Tech. Vanderbilt has not beaten the Yellow Jackets since 1941. The two teams tied 10-10 in a matchup in Nashville in 1965. This will give Georgia Tech to add to its success against Vanderbilt, who has had a really good season under Clark Lea. The Commodores started the season off with a big upset over Virginia Tech and of course, the signature win was against No.1 Alabama (one week after the Crimson Tide had beaten Georgia). Vandy also picked up wins vs Kentucky and Auburn, as well as having close losses to Texas and LSU.
Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt were conference-mates for 48 years - in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (1916-21), Southern Conference (1922-32) and Southeastern Conference (1933-63). Their rivalry spawned a traveling trophy - a cow bell - that has been awarded to the winning team since 1924. Tech has had possession of the bell since its 13-0 win over Vandy in 1948
This season, Tech and Vanderbilt are among the 14 unranked teams that have knocked off top-10 opponents, with the Jackets beating No. 10 Florida State on Aug. 24 and No. 4 Miami (Fla.) on Nov. 9, and the Commodores taking down No. 1 Alabama on Oct. 5.
The bowl appearance is Georgia Tech's 47th, which is tied for 15th all-time. The Yellow Jackets are 26-20 in bowl games, with the 26 victories tied for 11th all-time and the .565 winning percentage also ranking 11th among teams with a minimum of 15 bowl wins.
The Yellow Jackets are playing in a bowl game for the second consecutive season, the first time that has happened since 2013-2014. They faced UCF in last year's Gasparilla Bowl and won 30-17 in Tampa Bay. This year, Georgia Tech has played one of the toughest schedules in the entire country to get to seven wins got victories over No. 10 Florida State, and No. 4 Miami, and took eventual SEC champion Georgia to eight overtimes in the last game of the season. Brent Key is 18-15 heading into his second bowl game and it is another chance for him to get a big victory over an SEC opponent and continue to elevate his program.