In their inaugural year in the Southeastern Conference, the Texas Longhorns stand as the sole SEC team still alive for the College Football Playoff National Championship. This distinction comes after Notre Dame swiftly defeated Georgia in the quarter final playoff game 23-10.
The Georgia Bulldog’s were denied a trip to the Orange Bowl by the Notre Dame fighting Irish late Thursday night. Quarterback Riley Leonard and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish secured their spot in the College Football Playoff semifinal with a resounding 23-10 victory over the Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl. The Fighting Irish defense played a pivotal role in the victory, forcing turnovers and effectively neutralizing the Georgia rushing attack. Notre Dame’s defense managed to recover the Bulldogs’ fumbles three times, while the Bulldogs struggled to find their footing in the run game, managing only 62 rushing yards for the night.
Texas narrowly avoided a last-minute victory against Arizona State in the Peach Bowl. Despite multiple attempts, they managed to secure a 39-31 win in double overtime. As a result, Texas will face the Ohio State Buckeyes in Arlington for the Cotton Bowl on Friday, the 10th.
People questioned if Texas was ready for the SEC before this season. The only question left is can Texas win a national championship for the conference as the only remaining SEC team in the playoffs. pic.twitter.com/rqFqmdAbhF
— Anwar Richardson (@AnwarRichardson) January 3, 2025
Earlier Thursday, Greg Sankey addressed the media to express his concerns about the scheduling of the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl. He advocated for a change in the dates to allow Georgia, the presumed winner, to have an extra day of rest. However, this request has most likely been disregarded since no other Southeastern Conference team is present and the Longhorns will have sufficient rest time.
Unless Notre Dame and their athletic staff make a strong effort to challenge this decision, which seems unlikely, the games will proceed as scheduled on Thursday for the Orange Bowl between the seventh-ranked Notre Dame and the fourth-ranked Penn State. The Cotton Bowl game on Friday will feature the fifth-ranked Texas against the eighth-ranked Ohio State, both games kicking off at 6:30 p.m. It’s looking like Greg Sankey will head to Dallas, TX for the Cotton Bowl.
In the words of Matthew McConaughey.
Alright, Alright, Alright.