Georgia Tech will have a chance to gain revenge on ACC Coastal opponents with their first three conference games — Pittsburgh, North Carolina and Miami. The last of the three will be on a Thursday night in Miami Gardens, Fla., the team’s one Thursday night game of the season. They’re among the details in the schedule released Tuesday by the ACC.
Tech will play two ACC teams that will have advantageous rest in consecutive weeks, Wake Forest on Oct. 21 and Clemson on Oct. 28. North Carolina, which has had an open date before playing Tech when the Yellow Jackets have not five times out of coach Paul Johnson’s nine seasons, will play Duke the week before coming to Bobby Dodd Stadium on Sept. 30.
Sept. 4 Tennessee
The Jackets will be among the first teams to play in the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game. This neutral-site season opener will be 6,320 miles closer to Tech’s campus than its 2016 opener (in Ireland).
Sept. 9 Jacksonville State
Tech will play the FCS Gamecocks on short notice, and it won’t be a pushover. Jacksonville State has won its conference three years in a row and was ranked No. 2 in the country going into the FCS playoffs.
Sept. 16 at Central Florida
New athletic director Todd Stansbury held the same job at UCF for three years and, in fact, was in that position at the time the series with Tech was scheduled in April 2015.
Sept. 23 Pittsburgh
The Tech-Pitt rivalry has produced a string of compelling games, including games decided in the final minutes in 2013, 2015 and 2016.
Sept. 30 North Carolina
After beating the Tar Heels five years in a row and eight out of nine, Tech has lost three in a row to North Carolina, Tech’s longest active losing streak to an ACC opponent.
Oct. 12 at Miami (Thu.)
Tech will come off its only open date to play the Hurricanes. Miami is one of five Coastal teams (including Tech) that lost its 2016 starting quarterback. Brad Kaaya, who has tormented the Jackets the past three seasons, chose to forego his senior season to enter the NFL draft.
Oct. 21 Wake Forest
The Jackets will play Wake Forest at home for the first time since the 2009 season, when Tech won in overtime when coach Paul Johnson elected to go for it on fourth-and-goal rather than attempt a game-tying field goal and quarterback Joshua Nesbitt converted with a 2-yard gain before scoring on the next play.
Oct. 28 at Clemson
Tech will take on the defending national champions as they come off their open date. Clemson has won four in a row at Death Valley against the Jackets. If you’re wondering, Tech and Duke are the only two teams that will play two league games against opponents that will have advantageous rest. In the Coastal, Miami, Pitt and Virginia Tech will not have any such games.
Nov. 4 at Virginia
Tech averaged 7.8 yards per play against Virginia in its 31-17 win over the Cavaliers in November. Only Oregon had a higher average against Virginia last season.
Nov. 11 Virginia Tech
The Jackets and Hokies will meet on a Saturday for the third year in a row after playing in weeknight games the previous four years (three Thursdays and a Monday).
Nov. 18 at Duke
Tech will get its first look at the Blue Devils’ renovated stadium, completed before the 2016 season. Duke will play the Jackets a week after playing Army, which runs an offense highly similar to Tech’s.
Nov. 25 Georgia
The Jackets have beaten the Bulldogs twice in the past three seasons and will have the opportunity to end a most nettlesome streak — Georgia has beaten Tech at Bobby Dodd Stadium eight consecutive years and 12 of the past 13.
