Jackets' 2020 football schedule a gauntlet

Things won't be easy for Geoff Collins in his second year at Georgia Tech. The Jackets' 2020 schedule was always going to be a hard one with Notre Dame and UCF added to Georgia as non-conference games. Former head coach Paul Johnson referred to the schedule as a "coach-killer" when asked about it during his regime.

It starts off tough and ends tough bookended with games against the runner-ups for the National Championship Clemson and a top 10 Georgia squad in Athens. In-between the Jackets play three teams that won 10 games a year ago in Clemson, Georgia and UCF and nine bowl teams out of the 11 FBS opponents.

The month of November is particularly tough with Duke who has won three-straight over the Jackets, Notre Dame in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Miami who the Jackets' upset last year for their lone division win and Georgia.

The opening month of the season isn't a picnic either with Clemson, UCF and a trip to Chapel Hill to face a revitalized Tar Heels squad. In October, the Jackets have just one home game with back-to-back long road trips to Pittsburgh and Syracuse as well.

Sept. 3 CLEMSON (Thurs.)

Sept. 12 GARDNER-WEBB

Sept. 19 UCF

Sept. 26 at North Carolina

Oct. 3 at Virginia Tech

Oct. 10 BYE

Oct. 17 VIRGINIA

Oct. 24 at Pitt

Oct. 31 at Syracuse

Nov. 7 DUKE

Nov. 14 NOTRE DAME (Mercedes-Benz Stadium)

Nov. 21 MIAMI

Nov. 28 at Georgia