The No. 2 seed Georgia Bulldogs are playing the No. 7 seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Sugar Bowl. Georgia enters the game as slight favorites in what is expected to be one of the most competitive College Football Playoff quarterfinal games.
The Sugar Bowl will played in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Thursday (Jan. 2) at 4 p.m. ET.
What are three reasons why Georgia will beat Notre Dame?
Trenches
The Sugar Bowl is going to be won in the trenches and the advantage goes to Georgia. Star Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Rylie Mills has been ruled out for the remainder of the 2024 college football season and will miss the Sugar Bowl. That is a major loss to an already-weakened defensive line while Georgia’s offensive line is regaining full strength.
Time off
The Bulldogs have been off for 24 days and that has helped them become healthy. Trevor Etienne is as close to 100% since playing Texas in the Oct. 19 matchup. Junior offensive lineman Earnest Greene has gotten back to 100% since the Ole Miss game. The extended time off has allowed Gunner Stockton to be a fully engaged as top quarterback in the Bulldog offense.
Neutral Site
Stockton’s first game starting is, luckily, not an away game. It is a game that is not going to affect the communication between him and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo too much. Also, Georgia fans have traveled well over the years for neutral site games.