Thirty five years later, the programs that split a national championship in 1990 will reunite on the field.

While Bill McCartney’s Buffaloes received the most votes in the Associated Press poll, Bobby Ross’ Yellow Jackets were the top team in the coaches’ poll. It was one of the last split titles before college football developed the Bowl Alliance, later the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) and now, the College Football Playoff, to determine a champion on the field.

In 2016, the Buffs and Yellow Jackets scheduled a home-and-home that begins in Boulder this fall and concludes in Atlanta in 2026.

None of the players on the field may realize it, but the season opener for both teams on Aug. 29 (6 p.m. ESPN) carries historical significance.

Here’s what to expect from Georgia Tech:

Offseason storylines

Georgia Tech’s regular season was bookended by two of the more compelling games of the college football season. The Yellow Jackets beat then-No. 10 Florida State on a walk-off field goal in Ireland then suffered a heartbreaking, eight-overtime defeat at rival Georgia in Athens.

The season ended on a sour note with a loss to Vanderbilt in the Birmingham Bowl, but optimism persists in Atlanta. There is plenty of returning talent for coach Brent Key as he heads into year four at Tech. The Yellow Jackets have yet to win double digits games since they won 11 games, including the Orange Bowl, under Paul Johnson in 2014.

After back-to-back seven-win seasons under Key, Georgia Tech will be looking to take a step forward in 2025.

On offense

Keeping quarterback Haynes King was a big win for Georgia Tech in a world where dynamic quarterbacks go for multiple millions of dollars in NIL money on the open market. King threw for over 2,100 yards while completing nearly 73% of his passes with a 14-to-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio in 11 games. He also ran for nearly 600 yards and a team-high 11 touchdowns.

His backfield partner, running back Jamal Haynes, is also back in 2025 and will be one of the top at his position in the ACC after rushing for nearly 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns a year ago.

At wide receiver, the Yellow Jackets lost leading receiver Eric Singleton Jr. to Auburn. They return second-leading wideout Malik Rutherford and added one of the most sought-after pass catchers in the portal in Florida International transfer Eric Rivers, who was ranked by ESPN as the No. 89 player to change teams in the offseason. Rivers racked up over 1,100 receiving yards to go with 12 touchdowns last year.

On defense

The biggest offseason change for the Yellow Jackets came on the defensive coaching staff as defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci left for the NFL to become the inside linebackers coach for the Baltimore Ravens. Key hired Texas safeties coach Blake Gideon, a one-time player for the Denver Broncos, to replace Santucci. It will be Gideon’s first game as a coordinator.

Defensive lineman Akelo Stone returned to Atlanta after spending the last two seasons at Ole Miss, where he racked up four sacks, after originally leaving Georgia Tech following the 2022 season. He and linebacker Kyle Efford, who led the team with 64 total tackles last season, will look to improve a defense that was in the middle of the pack in the ACC last season.

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets file

2024 record: 7-6 (5-3 ACC)

Head coach: Brent Key (fourth season, 18-16 record)

Offensive coordinator: Buster Faulkner (third season)

Defensive coordinator: Blake Gideon (first season)

Key returners: QB Haynes King, RB Jamal Haynes, WR Malik Rutherford, S Clayton Powell-Lee, LB Kyle Efford

Key newcomers: WR Eric Rivers, OT Malachi Carney, DL Akelo Stone