Everything you need to know about No. 16 Georgia Tech at Boston College

No. 16 Georgia Tech would not be in the 12-team College Football Playoff if the season ended Friday. The good news is that the season does not end on the second weekend of November, and the Yellow Jackets have three regular-season games remaining to build their resume toward being considered for a spot in the field.

Tech coach Brent Key won’t publicly discuss those sort of narratives, even if he and his team must not forget what’s at stake at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Boston College, and beyond.

“We give our attention to things we can control, things that we can affect. We can’t control that. We can’t affect that. That’s what we’re going to put our time into,” Key said. “I mean, look, I can’t control the traffic. Can’t control the weather. Don’t even try to control (my wife) Danielle. Not even going to. She has a heck of a job controlling me, though.

“You can’t think for other people. Can’t do it, get people to do things that they’re not going to do. You can’t affect those things. So that’s just a waste of time to even think, talk or spend any energy on those things. We have way too many things that we can’t affect that we’ve got to spend our time on.”

The Jackets (8-1, 5-1 ACC) can affect how the pendulum swings Saturday against a BC team (1-9) that hasn’t won since August and is winless (0-6) in conference games. It’s the home finale for the Eagles on Saturday and Tech will have to handle a spirited effort from their opponent, as well as the winter temperature getting colder as the evening progresses.

But on paper, Tech outmatches BC in virtually all areas.

“Get a chance to go out on the road again and play a team that is gonna be not hungry, but starving to get a win,” Key said. “They’re a well-coached football team. They hadn’t had the best of luck. They have the ability. It’s just like anyone in college football right now, and if people can’t see that, they’re not watching this way. We’re all watching. Anybody can beat anybody on any given day. That’s what makes college football great.”

Saturday’s game is the road finale for Tech, which hosts No. 22 Pittsburgh on Nov. 22 and faces No. 5 Georgia at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Nov. 28.

Details about Saturday’s No. 16 Georgia Tech-Boston College game

Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. Saturday

Where: Alumni Stadium (cap. 44,500)

TV: ACC Network

Streaming: WatchESPN

Weather: 45 degrees at kickoff, 0% chance of rain

Tickets: Tickets are available via Boston College’s official website starting at $42 and $5 via secondary sites.

Georgia Tech football social media: X | Instagram | Facebook

Boston College football social media: X | Instagram | Facebook

Storylines ahead of No. 16 Georgia Tech at Boston College

Tech at 16 in CFP rankings: Georgia Tech took a step forward in the latest College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday.

The Yellow Jackets, who debuted at No. 17 in the first rankings released Nov. 4, came in at No. 16 in the second edition of the rankings used to decide the field for the 12-team College Football Playoff, which is scheduled to begin Dec. 19.

Tech’s defense needs to get back on track: No. 16 Georgia Tech has spent the last two weeks trying to repair the defensive dam that burst open Nov. 1 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Tech allowed 583 yards and 48 points to North Carolina State on that day. The defensive disaster, in which the Wolfpack gained 8.7 yards per play and had 13 plays of 11 yards or more, resulted in a 12-point loss and the end of the Yellow Jackets’ undefeated season.

All about the red zone: Georgia Tech, on the surface, is a very good offense when it comes to scoring from inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.

But a scratch beneath that surface reveals Tech’s ability to complete red-zone trips with touchdowns instead of field goals is a flaw.

Key and O’Brien go way back: After Brent Key’s playing days were over, the former Georgia Tech offensive lineman returned to his alma mater to begin his coaching career. He was a graduate assistant working with the offensive coaches and Bill O’Brien, Tech’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the time.

“It’s his first year as an offensive coordinator here, and he was blessed with the absolute worst GA in the history of the world,” Key joked Tuesday. “And that was me. I feel sorry for him. I apologize to him all the time for it.”

Jackets climb in AP poll: The off weekend was good for the Yellow Jackets as far as the national polls are concerned.

Georgia Tech (8-1, 5-1 ACC) was ranked No. 14 on Sunday in the latest Associated Press Top 25. Tech did not play this weekend after losing 48-36 at North Carolina State on Nov. 1 and fell to No. 16 after that result.

Jackets face struggling Eagles: Georgia Tech coach Brent Key didn’t want any illusions out there about how his team handled, or is handling, a loss at North Carolina State on Nov. 1.

“We’re pissed. We were pissed,” Key said Thursday. “Are you gonna let one (loss) turn into two? You’re gonna sit there and walk around with your head up your butt and, ‘Woe is me?’ We got that out of us real quick on Tuesday when we got back out there. That’s not what this team is. I got zero concern with that. But I’m not gonna sit back and just play it by chance either.

“To lack confidence because you lose the game, that’s not acceptable. That’s not something I even think about with this team. I told them, ‘The best thing that could happen to you, happened to you.’”

Haynes King for Heisman: Georgia Tech Athletics launched an official campaign for Haynes King to win the 2025 Heisman Trophy.

The department launched haynesforheisman.com, a website touting the senior quarterback’s accomplishments and statistics. King (6-foot-3, 215 pounds) is looking to become Tech’s first winner of the coveted award given to college football’s best player.

Key bleeds white and gold: It’s a bye week, Georgia Tech is 8-1 and No. 17 in the College Football Playoff rankings, and rumors of Tech coach Brent Key being a candidate for open jobs elsewhere continue to swirl around the dark web.

Founded in truth or not, Key, because of his success in transforming the Yellow Jackets from a 14-12 team the previous two seasons to one fighting for an ACC championship game berth and inclusion in the 12-team playoff field, is a popular choice for message board fodder and sports talk show banter.

Key doubles down: Georgia Tech coach Brent Key doubled down Friday on his commitment to remain Tech’s football coach.

Key made national headlines Thursday when he was asked about rumors he is being targeted by, or thinking about leaving for, other programs. The third-year Tech coach, who said then, “slice me open and see what colors I bleed,” was asked Friday on 92.9 The Game about those Thursday remarks.

More commits on the way: When surveying Georgia Tech’s 2026 signing class, it may be just as important to note who is not a part of the group as who is.

Tech and third-year coach Brent Key has 18 players committed to being a part of the program starting in 2026. It’s a class ranked 47th nationally and 12th out of 17 ACC programs. Those rankings aren’t as high as the 2025 signing class that was one of more highly touted in program history, but there is still about a month to go before high school seniors can sign Dec. 3-5.