2024 has been one of the most chaotic football seasons of recent memory and there is really no team that is head and shoulders above anyone else.
With that being said, as we move into the quarterfinals of the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff, it is Notre Dame's time to shine, and here's why.
Since that inexplainable loss to Northern Illinois, the Irish have been one of the most consistent teams in America. They are a tough, physical team and this isn't past teams from South Bend who got blown out in the BCS and four-team playoff field. Marcus Freeman has his team playing great football at the right time of the year, and Georgia might be in trouble in New Orleans.
Recent history says the Bulldogs roll New Year's night but that seems very far from being what I expect to see in the Sugar Bowl. Both teams play very similar physical smash mouth football on both sides of the ball. Usually nobody is able to out Georgia, Georig, but if there is a team who might be able to just do that, it's Notre Dame.
We all know Gunner Stockton is starting his first game under center at Georgia, but after having near a month to get ready for this game, I don't think he will be overly tentative. He showed some positive things in the SEC Championship Game against Texas and I expect to see him have another decent performance.
The difference in this game will be Riley Leonard, as one of Georgia's flaws is not being able to stop a mobile QB. We saw both Jalen Milroe and field days against the Bulldogs, and Leonard has similar abilities in the running game.
Notre Dame has a much more consistent defense than either Alabama or Georgia Tech, which greatly slows down the the chances of a shootout like we saw in Athens at the end of the regular season. Kirby Smart will have his team ready to go and they are one of the toughest teams to finish off in college football, but I just get this feeling we will see one of these rare events on New Year's night.
A win will do wonders for the Fighting Irish as they are looking to show they belong amongst the elite in college football, and honestly would be the biggest win in program history since beating a Charlie Ward led Florida State team over 30 years ago.