7 things to know about Georgia Tech’s schedule

Sept. 17 vs. Vanderbilt

Sept. 22 vs. Clemson

Oct. 1 vs. Miami

Oct. 8 at Pittsburgh

Oct. 15 vs. Georgia Southern

Oct. 29 vs. Duke

Nov. 5 at North Carolina

Nov. 12 at Virginia Tech

Nov. 19 vs. Virginia

Nov. 26 at Georgia

Georgia Tech’s opponents were already known prior to the ACC’s Tuesday release of its composite schedule for the 2016 season. However, the league’s arrangement of its 56 games leaves the Yellow Jackets a few extra challenges as they attempt to emerge from the depths of their 3-9 season in 2015.

Following the nearly 4,000-mile road trip to play Boston College in Dublin on Sept. 3 — Tech’s first-ever game on international soil — Tech will play powerhouse Clemson on short rest and then three division opponents who will be coming off their open date.

Here are seven more details about the Jackets’ schedule:

1. Tech will play Mercer on Sept. 10 upon its return from Ireland. It will renew a series that was last played in 1938 and was was revived when the Bears re-launched football in 2013. Mercer was Tech's opponent in the institute's first-ever game, a 12-6 Mercer win in 1892. On Mercer's roster: tight end Grant Radakovich, the son of former Tech athletic director Dan Radakovich.

2. Tech will have a bear of an assignment for its matchup with Clemson on Sept. 22, a Thursday night ESPN game at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Beyond playing the College Football Playoff runners-up, Tech will be playing five days after taking on Vanderbilt the previous Saturday. Clemson will also be playing on short rest, but against a significantly weaker opponent, South Carolina State.

3. Tech's Oct. 1 game against Miami will be the Hurricanes' ACC opener. A most familiar opponent will be on Bobby Dodd Stadium's east sidelines in orange and green — Mark Richt.

4. The Miami game will be one of three Coastal Division games in which Tech's opponent will be coming off its open date. The two others are the home game against Duke on Oct. 29 and the road game at North Carolina on Nov. 5. Tech will also be coming off its own open date for the Duke game.

The Tar Heels have been frequent recipients of extra rest prior to Tech games. This year’s game will be the fifth time in coach Paul Johnson’s nine seasons that North Carolina will have had an open date prior to playing Tech.

5. Tech was originally contracted to play Georgia Southern Nov. 19, the week before the Georgia game. It was moved to Oct. 15, which will precede the Jackets' open date, with the Virginia game moved into its Nov. 19 slot.

6. With games against Mercer, Georgia Southern and Georgia, Tech will play three in-state opponents in the same season for the first time since 1913, when the Jackets played Georgia, Mercer and Fort McPherson. (If you're wondering, Tech took care of Mercer and Fort McPherson but lost to Georgia.)

7. One quirk in the order of the ACC opponents: Tech will play its two division crossover games before all of its Coastal games, which hasn't happened since the conference split into two divisions in 2005. In fact, this will be just the fourth time out of 12 seasons that Tech has played its ACC opener against an Atlantic opponent. Oddly, it has been Boston College three times, including in Johnson's debut season in 2008.