Stanford Faces Unfamiliar Foe in Georgia Tech

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Stanford football has a big game in store this week on The Farm against Georgia Tech. The two programs have faced off twice before, but never as ACC foes — with Stanford joining the conference in 2024 after decades in the various versions of the Pac-12. This game will be massive for Stanford, needing a win to get its season back on track.

Here are some things to know about Georgia Tech before the big game. The last time these two teams played each other was in the 2001 Seattle Bowl, where the Cardinal lost 24-14. Before that, the two teams played each other for the first time ever in the 1991 Aloha Bowl, with the Cardinal losing 18-17 in heartbreaking fashion.

Georgia Tech has a strong history of success, claiming four national championships in 1917, 1928, 1952 and 1990. In that 1990 title-winning season, Georgia Tech finished 11-0-1 and ended the year ranked No. 2 in the AP Poll. Head coach Bobby Ross won several coach of the year awards and defensive back Ken Swilling was the star of the team, earning consensus First-team All-American honors.

A member of multiple conferences, Georgia Tech started off as an independent from 1892-1915 before joining SIAA in 1916. The program then played in the Southern Conference (SoCon) from 1922-1932 and the SEC from 1933-1963 before returning to independent status from 1964-1982.

Georgia Tech has been a member of the ACC since 1983 and has won three conference titles (1990, 1998, 2009) and five ACC Coastal division titles (2006, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2014).

Georgia Tech has a win-loss record of 774-550-43 in its history, and is 26-22 in bowl games. The program's most recent bowl win was the 2023 Gasparilla Bowl against UCF. In the College Football Playoff era, Georgia Tech has one New Year's Six bowl win: the 2014 Orange Bowl.

There is no shortage of talent from Georgia Tech either. The program has produced 21 consensus All-Americans all-time, with several players from the program going on to play in the NFL. Notable players include Hall of Famers Calvin Johnson, Joe Guyon, Billy Shaw as well as Super Bowl champions Demaryius Thomas, Harrison Butker and Shaq Mason.

Currently led by fifth-year coach Brent Key, Georgia Tech has had several notable head coaches as well including Ross, Bobby Dodd, John Heisman, William Alexander and Paul Johnson. Key, hired after a multi-season stint as the program's assistant head coach, run game coordinator and offensive line coach, is 28-22 and has led the program to three bowl games.

Georgia Tech is a historic program, and for Stanford, a win will go a long way. A lot has to happen for the Cardinal to pull off the victory, but if they play clean, disciplined football in all three phases, anything can happen.

At 1-2, a win could be the difference between keeping the season afloat or letting it slip away right before their eyes. After playing Georgia Tech, road games against Wake Forest and No. 3 Notre Dame in back-to-back weeks await.

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