The State of Indiana kicked off the newly expanded 12-team college football playoff as Notre Dame hosted the Indiana Hoosiers in the brutal cold in South Bend.
The pregame hype was abundant, but Indiana’s hype and expectations did not hold up against the poor performance on the field. As a result, the Fighting Irish dominated the Hoosiers in the first half and defeated Curt Cignetti and Indiana 27-17.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (12-1)
The Fighting Irish and the Georgia Bulldogs will meet in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day. Georgia received a first-round bye.
Notre Dame carries the momentum of a decisive and winning performance against Indiana into the Big Easy against a well-rested Bulldogs squad.
The Fighting Irish got banged up against Indiana, but they have about 10 days to get healthy. Notre Dame deploys a balanced offensive attack. Their running backs are three deep, are highly productive and they will pound a defense into submission. They rushed for over 190 yards against the Hoosiers. Before that game, they posted five straight games of over 200 yards rushing.
Riley Leonard has been a steady presence at quarterback as of late for Notre Dame. He set a school record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 15 and has accounted for 32 total TDs on the season. In the passing game, Leonard has completed over 70 percent of his passes in each of the last three games.
Notre Dame will lineup a Top Ten overall defense, and the No. 4 pass defense led by Xavier Watts (6 INTs), against a Georgia team that will start an unproven player at the most important position on the field-quarterback.
Georgia Bulldogs (11-2)
Gunner Stockton will start for the SEC Champs against the Fighting Irish due to QB1 starter Carson Beck suffering an injury that will require surgery. Stockton has languished in backup purgatory to Stetson Bennett IV and Beck for the past three seasons.
When it comes to Georgia high school football, Stockton is No. 1 all-time with over 13,600 passing yards and 254 total touchdowns, surpassing both DeShaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence.
To his credit, Stockton stuck it out and did not enter the transfer portal. That’s a relief for Georgia coach Kirby Smart because Stockton is now needed in the worst way to lead the Bulldogs down the path to another national championship. He has just 354 career passing yards, 2 TDs, and 2 INTs in a Georgia uniform.
Georgia will trot out a 2-headed monster at running back in the form of All-SEC Freshman Nate Frazier and Trevor Etienne. Frazier is the leading rusher for Georgia and Etienne has rushed for over 500 yards.
Stockton will have weapons on the perimeter as 8 players have scored receiving touchdowns, led by Arian Smith, Dominic Lovett, Dillon Bell and Oscar Delp.
What doesn’t bode well for Stockton is the Bulldog pass protection. Georgia ranks No. 52 in sacks allowed with 21. By contrast, Notre Dame is ranked in the Top 30 in sacks and averages 2 sacks per game. The Fighting Irish have posted at least one sack in each of the last five games.
Notre Dame has the better defense and the better quarterback, which will translate into victory for the Fighting Irish. Look for Notre Dame fans wearing their Kelly green to flood the streets of the French Quarter for an early Mardi Gras celebration.