The stage is set for the Allstate Sugar Bowl, which will be held at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Jan. 1, 2025.
In the second-round College Football Playoff tilt, No. 2 Georgia will play No. 7 Notre Dame for the chance to advance. The winner will face either No.
3 Boise State or No. 6 Penn State in the CFP semifinal on Jan. 9.
Notre Dame defeated Indiana last week in the first round of the CFP. The Fighting Irish will now face Georgia, which got a bye in the first round. The Bulldogs haven’t played since the SEC Championship game on Dec. 7.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said his team has been preparing for the Sugar Bowl for the past few weeks.
“Excited, obviously been in prep now for the Sugar Bowl for I don’t know how many practices, several practices,” Smart said on Dec. 23. “We’re excited and honored to be playing a talented Notre Dame team. I have so much respect for Coach [Marcus] Freeman, his staff, everything they’ve been able to accomplish this year.”
Notre Dame (12-1) is a physical team on both sides of the ball. This year, the Fighting Irish have bullied opponents.
Quarterback Riley Leonard leads a balanced offense that averages 27 points a game. He’s a dual threat and has made big-time plays. Riley has accounted for 3,044 yards from scrimmage and 32 touchdowns this year.
Jeremiyah Love is Notre Dame’s leading rusher with over 1,000 yards and 16 touchdowns. The Fighting Irish have relied on Love, Riley, and fellow running back Jadarian Price to account for tough yards on the ground.
“Those guys are tremendously talented and do a great job,” Smart said of the group. “ I mean, [they] use all of them, too. And then when you throw the skill set of Riley [Leonard] in there, the quarterback, it just makes it that much tougher to defend because they have multiple weapons, multiple options, and they’re physical.”
Defensively, Notre Dame loves to get after the quarterback. The Fighting Irish have totaled 33 sacks this year. Defensive linemen Rylie Mills, Howard Cross III, Boubacar Traore, and Donovan Hinish wreak havoc.
Notre Dame’s secondary is also one of the best in the country, only giving up an average of 125.47 yards a game.
“Well, they play great defense,” Smart said. “They have a great pass rush. They’re physical up front. They affect the pass rush with how hard they play and have really good defensive backs. I mean, they play man-to-man. You know, they get up and put their hands on you. You can tell it’s a great brand of football between Coach [Al] Golden and Coach [Marcus] Freeman has done a great job. So, they play really good football.”
The two programs have quite a history. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 3-0. They recently swept the Fighting Irish in 2017 and 2019 during a home-and-home series, with a chance to beat them again next week.
The first game was in the Sugar Bowl at the Superdome on Jan. 1, 1981, when Georgia defeated Notre Dame 17-0 to win the national championship.
So, exactly 43 years later, the Bulldogs and Fighting Irish will play again in the same venue, with a chance to advance in the CFP on their quest to win the national title.
Georgia and Notre Dame will kick off at 8:45 p.m. EST. The game will be televised on ABC.