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Notre Dame football will take on Georgia in one of the most anticipated College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchups. The 2025 Sugar Bowl gives Marcus Freeman's team the chance to announce themselves as true national title contenders. Despite Notre Dame's. huge opportunity and Georgia's recent string of injuries, the No. 2 ranked team in the country is still one of the favorites to lift the trophy on January 20.
Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart is trying to win his third championship in four years, cementing his program as college football's modern-day dynasty. However, the path to a championship will be difficult, especially with quarterback Carson Beck out for the season. Sophomore Gunner Stockton will be under center on Wednesday, having recently rallied the Bulldogs to an SEC Championship win over Texas.
Overall, Notre Dame has the talent and momentum to capture its first signature win in a while. Here are our bold predictions for the Fighting Irish's performance against Georgia.
Riley Leonard will have more rushing yards than Jeremiyah Love
One of the calling cards for Kirby Smart's team has been on defense. The Bulldogs have almost always dominated the line of scrimmage throughout the years, regardless of their opponent. Georgia's defense, however, has been more inconsistent this year, giving up 20.4 points per game. Still, the Bulldogs did an excellent job containing a Texas backfield that was putting up around 250 rush yards a game against their last few opponents. The Longhorns only ran for 31 yards in the SEC Championship.
Where Georgia has struggled with the rush is against dual-threat quarterbacks. In their early season loss to Alabama, the Bulldogs gave up 117 yards and two touchdowns to Crimson Tide QB Jalen Milroe. Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King additionally ran for a season-high 110 yards and three touchdowns against his in-state rival.
The Fighting Irish are averaging 222.4 yards per game on the ground behind quarterback Riley Leonard and tailback Jeremiyah Love. Love was the star of Notre Dame's win over Indiana, running for 108 yards, including an electric 98-yard run in the dominant win. Marcus Freeman will likely put the ball in Leonard's hands in multiple read-options situations with Love throughout the game. With 751 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground to his name, the Duke grad is the kind of QB Georgia struggles to contain on the ground.
Notre Dame's defense will get two turnovers from Gunner Stockton
Georgia was down 6-3 at the half against Texas before Gunnar Stockton went in for an injured Carson Beck. The Bulldogs put up 13 points in the second half, thanks primarily to a run game led by Trevor Etienne. The junior ran for 94 yards and two scores. While Stockton adds more of an element to Kirby Smart's offense on the ground than Carson Beck, he pales in comparison to Georgia's ailing starter in the passing game.
On the other side of the field, Notre Dame football has one of the best defenses in the country. The Fighting Irish are especially elite in the secondary despite losing star cornerback Benjamin Morrison for the year. They are only giving up 162.3 yards in the air and were a big part of Marcus Freeman's team having the third-best turnover margin in the country.
While Georgia would be wise to keep the offense on the ground, Kirby Smart's team will eventually have to air it out. With his limited experience in big games, Gunner Stockton will likely struggle on a bigger stage against a defense he will have to be more aggressive against.
Marcus Freeman's team will shut down a narrative about the Fighting Irish
Marcus Freeman has the opportunity to rip a bandaid off on Wednesday. Notre Dame football hasn't won a major bowl since the 1994 Cotton Bowl. That drought goes back to before the BCS era. The Fighting Irish also have a recent history of getting dominated in matchups against elite SEC competition. In addition, Georgia has been the gold standard in college football since winning the title in 2021. Regardless of how hurt they are right now, the Bulldogs are still favored in this game.
And Kirby Smart's team would likely be favored in the semifinals against either No. 9 Boise State or No. 5 Penn State as well. A win on Wednesday and Marcus Freeman will prove to most doubters that this could be the best Fighting Irish team since 1988. Beating an opponent like this and that can open the flood towards Notre Dame football being at the top of the sport for the foreseeable future.
