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Notre Dame's debut in the twelve-team College Football Playoff went even better than expected, as the Fighting Irish dominated No. 8 Indiana. Now, in his third year in South Bend, head coach Marcus Freeman faces the ultimate litmus test: Georgia. This is the type of program former coach Brian Kelly used to struggle against in big games. Recently, when the Fighting Irish have faced elite SEC teams in playoff-caliber games, those contests were largely non-competitive.
Notre Dame is currently 0-3 all-time against Georgia. Two of those losses took place semi-recently in very competitive affairs. In 2017, Georgia escaped South Bend with a 20-19 victory. The Bulldogs additionally won 23-17 at home in 2019. Kirby Smart's team is trying to win its third national championship in four years, cementing themselves as college football's modern-day dynasty. The Bulldogs, however, will be starting backing quarterback Gunnar Stockton, with Carson Beck out for the season due to a UCL injury.
Notre Dame has a clear strength that can exploit Georgia's weakness
A lot of the discussion for the 2025 Sugar Bowl is revolving around how Georgia will approach this contest offensively. Nick Saban has discussed how Gunnar Stockton has different qualities from Carson Beck, especially as a runner, that the Bulldogs could use to keep an aggressive Notre Dame defense on their toes. However, this contest will likely depend on what happens on the other side of the ball. Because it's pretty clear that Georgia will be looking to keep this affair relatively low-scoring with a new quarterback.
Notre Dame's explosive offense has been averaging 38.8 points per game. The fourth-highest-scoring offense in the country is very reliant on the ground game, led by quarterback Riley Leonard and star running back Jeremiyah Love. Leonard, a Duke graduate, has been heavily involved in this facet of the offense, rushing for 751 yards and 15 touchdowns. Dual-threat quarterbacks are exactly the kind of players Georgia's defense has struggled with this year.
In their thrilling loss to Alabama, the Bulldogs gave up four touchdowns and almost 500 yards of offense to Jalen Milroe. In their other defeat this year to Ole Miss, Georgia gave up 50 yards rushing to Jaxon Dart, who is way less of an explosive runner than Riley Leonard. Fighting Irish offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, therefore, will be sure to implement many run-pass options in this matchup, allowing Leonard to read how seriously the Bulldogs are taking their biggest weakness on defense.
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Marcus Freeman can prove his team has taken the next step
Overall, this game will come down to the battle in the trenches. Brian Kelly's teams in South Bend were largely dominant on the line of scrimmage until they faced the elite of the college football world. The Sugar Bowl will reflect how much the Fighting Irish have improved upfront under Marcus Freeman. The third-year head coach has breathed new life into the program after its embarrassing early-season loss to Northern Illinois.
While the season has been a positive step in the right direction, the Fighting Irish need to win on New Year's Day to make it truly memorable for this historic program. Notre Dame football has not won a national championship since 1988. At the same time, they have been close on many occasions, even though there has also seemed to be a bit of a gap between this program and the title favorites.
Georgia is currently the gold standard in college football. Despite its injuries, this team is expected to win the Sugar Bowl and advance to Atlanta for the title game. Wednesday's game is Notre Dame's chance to show there is no gap and cement itself as possibly the favorite to emerge from this twelve-team field.
What's at stake in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal
The winner of this matchup will play the winner of No. 9 Boise State and No. 4 Penn State in the Orange Bowl. While both teams have had phenomenal seasons, the Sugar Bowl winner will be the favorite in the semifinal. The Orange Bowl will take place on January 9th, giving either Notre Dame or Georgia game plenty of time to rest. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs have lost players during the extra time they've had preparing for the Sugar Bowl.
Against an injury-ridden Georgia backfield, Notre Dame must get their opponent in as many third and long situations as possible. Gunner Stockton benefited from a Bulldogs offense that ran the ball better in the second half against Texas. The Fighting Irish, however, have the personnel to control possession time and wear down Georgia's defense, which has previously struggled against dual-threat quarterbacks like Riley Leonard. Notre Dame football has a chance to truly show it has turned the corner in this season.
