Georgia Tech on cusp of Top 25

Jackets A-back J.J. Green (28) (shown here against Jacksonville State) hopes to return to action next week against Miami after missing the Jackets' 33-7 win over North Carolina. Hyosub Shin/hshin@ajc.com

Jackets A-back J.J. Green (28) (shown here against Jacksonville State) hopes to return to action next week against Miami after missing the Jackets' 33-7 win over North Carolina. Hyosub Shin/hshin@ajc.com

Without playing a game, Georgia Tech moved up two slots in the “others receiving votes” category in the latest Associated Press poll released Sunday. The Yellow Jackets moved from having the 28th most votes last week to having the 26th most.

Tech benefited from losses by No. 17 Louisville (to No. 24 N.C. State), No. 20 Utah (to Stanford), No. 21 Florida (to LSU) and No. 23 West Virginia (to No. 8 TCU). In the coaches poll, the Jackets moved up from receiving the 28th most votes to the 27th most.

The top spot among teams outside AP poll’s top 25 is the highest that Tech has been since the Jackets were No. 20 in the Sept. 20 poll in the 2015 season. That week, Tech lost to Duke on its way to its forgettable 3-9 season. Last year, after winning its final four games of the season, the Jackets finished 27th in the final poll of the season.

Undoubtedly, Tech would make its 308th overall appearance (according to College Poll Archive) in the poll next week if it were to upset No. 11 Miami on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Fla. Miami is one of four teams in the Top 25 that the Jackets will play this season. The others are No. 2 Clemson, No. 5 Georgia and No. 17 Virginia Tech.