The 2024 bowl season is set to bring an intriguing matchup as Georgia Tech football has accepted an invitation to face Vanderbilt. The game will take place on Friday, Dec. 27 at Protective Stadium in downtown Birmingham, Ala., with a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff and will be televised nationally on ESPN.

Historical Rivalry and Series Stats

This matchup marks the 39th encounter between Georgia Tech (7-5, 5-3 ACC) and Vanderbilt (6-6, 3-5 SEC), with the first meeting in the postseason. Georgia Tech holds a lead in the all-time series, 20-15-3, and has been undefeated against Vanderbilt since 1948, with a 12-0-1 record. The Jackets have won six consecutive games in the series since a 10-10 tie in 1965.Most recently, Tech and Vandy have squared off four times since 2002, with the Jackets emerging victorious with scores of 45-3 (2002 in Atlanta), 24-17 in overtime (2003 in Nashville), 56-31 (2009 in Nashville), and 38-7 (2016 in Atlanta).Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt were conference-mates for 48 years, participating in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (1916-21), Southern Conference (1922-32), and Southeastern Conference (1933-63). Their rivalry gave birth to a traveling trophy, a cow bell, which has been awarded to the winning team since 1924. Tech has been in possession of the bell since its 13-0 win over Vandy in 1948.

Unranked Teams with Top-10 Victories

This season, both Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt are among the 14 unranked teams that have defeated top-10 opponents. The Jackets achieved this by beating No. 10 Florida State on Aug. 24 and No. 4 Miami (Fla.) on Nov. 9. Vanderbilt, on the other hand, took down No. 1 Alabama on Oct. 5.

Georgia Tech's Bowl History and Recent Success

The bowl appearance is Georgia Tech's 47th, tying for 15th all-time. The Yellow Jackets have a record of 26-20 in bowl games, with 26 victories tied for 11th all-time and a.565 winning percentage ranking 11th among teams with a minimum of 15 bowl wins.Last season, in its first bowl appearance since 2018, Georgia Tech defeated UCF, 30-17, in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa.

Full Steam Ahead Fundraising Initiative

Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative aimed at helping Georgia Tech athletics achieve the goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects such as renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball), and O'Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball). It will also support additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program-wide operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.For the latest information on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and at www.ramblinwreck.com.