Ranking the Top 131 College Football Programs of the Last 40 Years: 36. Georgia Tech
Our first team with a national title (no offense UCF)
AND THERE IT IS. OUR FIRST TEAM WITH A NATIONAL TITLE (no offense UCF). I saw a lot of people guessing BYU, but the Cougars survive another day. Georgia Tech split the 1990 national title with Colorado, winning the UPI Poll while Colorado won the AP Poll. And here’s the kicker…I do NOT have Georgia Tech winning the 1990 title. It was a damn good season though, and Georgia Tech has a proud history with 4 national titles and 16 conference championships all-time.
Best Seasons and Highlights
+------+--------------+------+--------------+--------+
| rank | team | year | resume score | record |
+------+--------------+------+--------------+--------+
| 2 | Georgia Tech | 1990 | 45.953 | 11-0-1 |
| 7 | Georgia Tech | 2014 | 36.95 | 11-3 |
| 10 | Georgia Tech | 1998 | 30.712 | 10-2 |
| 12 | Georgia Tech | 2009 | 27.879 | 11-3 |
| 13 | Georgia Tech | 2000 | 23.232 | 9-3 |
| 22 | Georgia Tech | 1985 | 22.223 | 9-2-1 |
| 27 | Georgia Tech | 2006 | 15.305 | 9-5 |
| 29 | Georgia Tech | 2008 | 14.695 | 9-4 |
| 27 | Georgia Tech | 2016 | 14.693 | 9-4 |
| 26 | Georgia Tech | 2001 | 12.581 | 8-5 |
| 22 | Georgia Tech | 1999 | 12.521 | 8-4 |
| 30 | Georgia Tech | 1991 | 10.598 | 8-5 |
| 33 | Georgia Tech | 1984 | 9.087 | 6-4-1 |
| 30 | Georgia Tech | 1989 | 7.275 | 7-4 |
| 36 | Georgia Tech | 2011 | 6.542 | 8-5 |
| 33 | Georgia Tech | 2005 | 4.711 | 7-5 |
| 35 | Georgia Tech | 2004 | 4.541 | 7-5 |
| 33 | Georgia Tech | 1997 | 4.2 | 7-5 |
| 49 | Georgia Tech | 2003 | 2.234 | 7-6 |
| 52 | Georgia Tech | 2013 | 1.897 | 7-6 |
| 38 | Georgia Tech | 1986 | 0.216 | 5-5-1 |
| 46 | Georgia Tech | 2002 | -0.737 | 7-6 |
| 56 | Georgia Tech | 2007 | -3.076 | 7-6 |
| 50 | Georgia Tech | 1995 | -3.649 | 6-5 |
| 57 | Georgia Tech | 2017 | -4.228 | 5-6 |
| 59 | Georgia Tech | 2018 | -5.604 | 7-6 |
| 62 | Georgia Tech | 2012 | -5.64 | 7-7 |
| 55 | Georgia Tech | 1992 | -9.915 | 5-6 |
| 76 | Georgia Tech | 2022 | -12.107 | 5-7 |
| 59 | Georgia Tech | 1996 | -13.155 | 5-6 |
| 75 | Georgia Tech | 2010 | -15.756 | 6-7 |
| 62 | Georgia Tech | 1993 | -16.513 | 5-6 |
| 87 | Georgia Tech | 2015 | -23.222 | 3-9 |
| 75 | Georgia Tech | 1988 | -24.985 | 3-8 |
| 78 | Georgia Tech | 1983 | -25.404 | 3-8 |
| 108 | Georgia Tech | 2020 | -31.726 | 3-7 |
| 102 | Georgia Tech | 2021 | -31.996 | 3-9 |
| 113 | Georgia Tech | 2019 | -37.557 | 3-9 |
| 95 | Georgia Tech | 1987 | -42.44 | 2-9 |
| 99 | Georgia Tech | 1994 | -50.315 | 1-10 |
+------+--------------+------+--------------+--------+
Overall Score: 24943 (36th)259-222-4 record
1 national title
3 conference titles
11-12 bowl record
6 consensus All-Americans
79 NFL players drafted
There was a lot of debate on how high Georgia Tech would be, with a fair amount of people having them in the top 25 of my list. Ultimately, it came down to having a lot of “good but not great” years, and they had 8 stinkers of 3 wins or less. And while they won a national title in 1990, that’s only my 97th best team, so they probably didn’t get as much of a boost from that season as some people would’ve thought. On the bright side though, they have a national title. And made 18 straight bowl games from 1997-2014. And if you’re reading this, here’s an easter egg: 2015 Georgia Tech is the best 3-9 team of all time! Sorry 2021 Nebraska, while I do like to think of you as the best 3-9 team ever, you didn’t have enough quality wins to beat out Tech for me, who beat #9 Florida State, blew out their layup games, and lost 6 games by one possession. Georgia Tech’s consensus All-Americans are DB Ken Swilling (1990), OL Craig Page (1998), QB Joe Hamilton (1999) who finished 2nd in Heisman voting, OL Chris Brown (2000), the great WR Calvin Johnson (2006) who had over half of the team’s receiving yards, and P Pressley Harvin III (2020) who won the Ray Guy Award and is 5’11 263 lbs. Calvin Johnson is far and away Georgia Tech’s best NFL player, but shoutouts deserve to go to WR Demaryius Thomas, LB Pat Swilling, and LB Keith Brooking,
Top 5 Seasons
Worst Season: 1994 (1-10 overall, 0-8 ACC)
Plenty of seasons to choose from, but 1994 takes the cake as Tech’s worst. Just 4 years removed from winning a national championship, 3rd year coach Bill Lewis would be fired after a 1-7 start, making way for the George O’Leary era in the final 3 games and from 1995-2001. Somewhat controversially, QB Tom Luginbill was given the start over 1993 starter Donnie Davis. Luginbill, in his first season with the Yellow Jackets, was one of the most sought after junior college players in the nation, but players and fans were worried about favoritism given that Luginbill’s dad was Bill Lewis’ former defensive coordinator at Wyoming. The team was split on who they wanted at QB all year long, and their play suffered for it, going 1-10 with an 0-8 ACC record. Luginbill himself was not the issue, winning ACC Rookie of the Year with 2128 passing yards 14 TD 13 INT, but the offense scored just 16.8 PPG while the defense gave up 29.0 PPG. Punter Jason Bender was the best player on the team, averaging 45.5 yards per punt and earning 3rd Team All-American. Also, if you’ve been wondering this whole time “is that…?” Yes, that’s the same Tom Luginbill who is ESPN’s National Recruiting Director that you see on TV.
5. 2000 (9-3 overall, 6-2 ACC)
With the loss of Heisman runner-up QB Joe Hamilton, Georgia Tech wasn’t expected to do much in 2000. However, they’d surpass 1999’s success, and QB George Godsey would play like one of the best QBs in the country all year long. A 2-2 start was pretty much expected, with an 0-2 ACC record featuring a road loss to NC State and close loss to #2 Florida State. After that, Godsey and GT took the nation by storm, sweeping the rest of their regular season schedule. Down went 3-1 North Carolina, followed by a combined 97-30 score in wins over Wake Forest and Duke. On the road against #5 Clemson, down 24-28 with just 1:50 left, Godsey led an 80 yard TD drive with just 8 seconds left, firing a pass to Kerry Watkins who hauled in “The Catch” with one hand for the 31-28 win. Death Valley was deathly quiet. They’d smoke Virginia 35-0, and a few weeks later, beat #19 Georgia for the third straight year 27-15. The season ended with a loss to LSU in the Peach Bowl, but Tech finished #17 in the final AP Poll. Godsey was an All-American, throwing for 2906 yards 23 TD 6 INT, and was a computer science major as well. Nerd. OT Chris Brown was a consensus All-American, and George O’Leary was named the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year.
4. 2009 (11-3 overall, 7-1 ACC)
2009 Georgia Tech was one of my favorite teams that year. Ranked #15 as an option team, they lived up to the hype and then some, winning the ACC title and beating 3 Top 25 teams. GT was hit or miss at first, beating Clemson, losing to #20 Miami (FL), and beating #22 North Carolina. A win streak included all sorts of different teams, beating Mississippi State, Florida State, #4 Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt…Georgia Tech was 10-1 and #7 in the country, but unfortunately Georgia got revenge for GT’s upset win in 2008, this time upsetting the Jackets 30-24 despite being just 6-5 coming into the game. Refocused, #12 Georgia Tech beat #25 Clemson 39-34 in the ACC Championship game, RB Jonathan Dwyer scoring the go-ahead TD with just 1:20 remaining. In the Orange Bowl against #10 Iowa, the Hawkeyes’ defense completely shut down the option, outgaining Tech 403-155 in yardage and winning 24-14. Georgia Tech finished #13 on the year as ACC Champion.
A whopping 5 players made 1st Team All-ACC on offense: QB Josh Nesbitt threw for 1701 yards 10 TD 5 INT while rushing for 1037 yards and 18 TD. The late WR Demaryius Thomas had an insane statline of 46 catches for 1154 yards and 8 TD, IN AN OPTION OFFENSE. He had 65% of the team’s receiving yards!!! RB Jonathan Dwyer ran for exactly 1395 yards for the second straight year (14 TD), and 2 offensive linemen (Cordaro Howard and Sean Bedford) also made the 1st Team. DE Derrick Morgan was a consensus All-American and 1st round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, winning ACC Defensive POTY with 12.5 sacks and 6 TFL.
3. 1998 (10-2 overall, 7-1 ACC)
The year before Joe Hamilton’s Heisman runner-up season, Georgia Tech actually performed much better as a team. You wouldn’t think it after the first game though, a 31-41 loss to Boston College who’d finish with their 4th straight losing season. But Georgia Tech would win 10 of their last 11 games—a run that was rife with drama. They beat #23 NC State 47-24 on the road to improve to 4-1, setting up #25 Georgia Tech vs #7 Virginia. Down 17-38 late in the 3rd quarter, the Hamilton → Dez White connection exploded, with Georgia Tech scoring the last 24 points to win 41-38. White had 6 catches for 243 yards and 3 TD. They’d get blown out by #6 Florida State, but that was par for the course if you were in the ACC in the 90’s. Georgia Tech won out, going 7-1 in the ACC to win a share of the conference title. Against #12 Georgia, kicker Brad Chambers hit a 34 yard FG to win 21-19 with basically no time left, to beat the Dogs for the first time since 1990. Current Georgia Tech coach Brent Key started on the offensive line for Tech, and current Georgia coach Kirby Smart started as a DB for Georgia, the two facing each other. Georgia Tech beat #17 Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl to finish #9. Hamilton threw for 2166 yards 17 TD 8 INT with 4 rushing TD. The next year he’d win ACC Player of the Year as well as the Davey O’Brien Award. Dez White had 46 catches for 973 yards and 9 TD, and C Craig Page was an All-American.
2. 2014 (11-3 overall, 6-2 ACC)
Such a fun season. Georgia Tech was picked to finish just 5th in the ACC Coastal, led by QB Justin Thomas, who was originally committed to Alabama to play defensive back. Thomas was small, just 5’11 185 lbs, but lightning quick and ran the option to perfection. It wasn’t until later in the year when people would start to take notice that Georgia Tech was a really good team. An 8-2 start earned them just a #22 ranking, but they did have a 5-2 ACC record and 1 more win would put them in position to make the ACC Championship game. Against #19 Clemson, Georgia Tech’s defense dominated, holding Clemson QB Cole Stoudt to just 3 of 11 passing for 19 yards and 3 INT, including 2 pick sixes in a 28-6 win. #16 Georgia Tech at #9 Georgia had one of the craziest endings of the season, with Georgia scoring a TD to go ahead 24-21 with just 18 seconds left. Tech quickly drove down the field, and future NFL kicker Harrison Butker hit a 53 yard FG to send the game into overtime, where Tech would win 30-24. In the ACC Championship game against #4 12-0 Florida State, they nearly pulled off the upset, losing 35-37, but did upset #7 Mississippi State in the Orange Bowl 49-34, with 3 rushing TDs each from QB Justin Thomas and RB Synjyn Days. Georgia Tech finished the season #8 in the AP Poll, and #7 in my rankings.
Thomas threw for 1719 yards 18 TD 6 INT and ran for 1086 yards with 8 TD, earning 3rd Team All-ACC. RBs Zach Laskey and Synjyn Days split carries, with each going for 9 TD and 851 and 924 yards, respectively. NFL 4th round pick WR Deandre Smelter led with 715 receiving yards, and future NFL Pro Bowl TE Darren Waller, who played WR at the time, was second with 442. 8-year NFL starting OG Shaq Mason was a 1st Team All-American, and Coach Paul Johnson won ACC Coach of the Year.
1. 1990 (11-0-1 overall, 6-0-1 ACC)
All right, let’s get into it. This is where another fun part of the series begins, how good were teams really, and did they deserve national titles? For 1990 Georgia Tech, I have them as the 2nd best team that year.
The 1990 season was wild. Georgia Tech started unranked, and wouldn’t even enter the top 5 until week 11, a true cinderella run. A 3-0 start bookended with wins over NC State and #25 South Carolina moved Georgia Tech up to #23, where wins over Maryland and #15 Clemson moved them all the way up to #11. Georgia Tech would suffer their only blemish on the season in a 16-16 tie with North Carolina, who’d finish the year 6-4-1. Tech moved down to #16, but was still 5-0-1. A win over Duke set up the big one: #1 Virginia vs #16 Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets won 41-38 on a last second 37 yard FG, and were suddenly thrust into the national title conversation at #7. A 6-3 win over Virginia Tech and 42-7 win over Wake Forest later…and they were 9-0-1, #2 in the country. A big win over a reeling Georgia team sent them into the Citrus Bowl at #2, just behind #1 Colorado, who was 10-1-1. Georgia Tech had an impressive 45-21 win over perennial powerhouse #19 Nebraska, leaving no doubt in their eyes as to who should be champion. It was too close for voters to decide—Colorado won their bowl game, and the AP Poll voted them #1. The UPI coaches poll voted Georgia Tech #1 by just 1 vote, splitting the national title between the two teams. It’s a legit title—one that even I can’t take away by ranking you guys #2. Well done, Georgia Tech.
1990 Georgia Tech is my 97th best team since 1983.
5th Quarter
Did 1990 Georgia Tech deserve to be the #1 team in the country, yes or no? Am I underrating them as the 97th best team since 1983, or is that about accurate? Joe Hamilton finished 2nd in the Heisman race in 1999, and his team only went 8-4 and was Georgia Tech’s 11th best team since 1983. If they were better, should Hamilton have won the Heisman over Ron Dayne? What was the most “fun” Georgia Tech season outside of 1990? Which teams/coaches/players/plays/games that I didn’t mention above should get more love? Which team is up next!?
Ranking the Top 131 College Football Programs of the Last 40 Years - Main Hub
