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Notre Dame Football: Game-by-game predictions for 2019

By Gavin Jernigan

EVANSTON, IL - NOVEMBER 03: Ian Book #12 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish looks to pass during the second half of a game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field on November 3, 2018 in Evanston, Illinois. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
EVANSTON, IL - NOVEMBER 03: Ian Book #12 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish looks to pass during the second half of a game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field on November 3, 2018 in Evanston, Illinois. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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BATON ROUGE, LA – OCTOBER 13: Jake Fromm #11 of the Georgia Bulldogs reacts after throwing an incomplete pass during the first half against the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium on October 13, 2018 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
BATON ROUGE, LA – OCTOBER 13: Jake Fromm #11 of the Georgia Bulldogs reacts after throwing an incomplete pass during the first half against the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium on October 13, 2018 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

Every single Notre Dame fan has Sept. 21 circled on their calendar. Heck, I wouldn’t even be surprised if Brian Kelly himself had it circled since the Irish got knocked out of the 2018 College Football Playoff.

The “Georgia game” is likely to be the sole determinant of whether Notre Dame will have a shot at the playoff this year. Not only is it the Fighting Irish’s toughest game of the season, but it also is one of Georgia’s toughest game.

A win for Notre Dame would heavily improve their standing with the College Football Playoff Committee but would also likely knock out another strongly favored playoff contender.

Yearly, Georgia is incredibly strong on defense. Also yearly, Notre Dame’s offense is inconsistent at times. Those two facts alone make this an uphill battle for the Irish. Furthermore the game is being played in Athens, giving the Bulldogs even more of an advantageous. And, if that wasn’t enough, Jake Fromm will be coming back for his third campaign as Georgia’s starting quarterback.

Notre Dame’s quarterback, Ian Book, is going to have to play his best game of his career if he wants to give his team a chance to win. Book will likely rise to the challenge and play spectacularly. In the end, it won’t be enough.

Final: Notre Dame 10, Georgia 24 (2-1)

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