ATHENS — Georgia has opened as a 1 1/2-point underdog to Notre Dame in the CFP quarterfinal Sugar Bowl per oddsmaker FanDuel.
It’s only the third time in the past 57 games the Bulldogs have been an underdog -- but the second game in a row, as Texas was favored to beat UGA in the SEC title game earlier this month.
The No. 7-seeded Irish (12-1) beat No. 10-seed Indiana (11-2) by a 27-17 count on Friday night in South Bend, Ind., to extend their season.
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Notre Dame held a commanding 27-3 lead when quarterback Riley Leonard scored on a 1-yard run with 4 minutes, 50 seconds left before the Hoosiers scored two touchdowns in the final 1:27 to make the score more respectable.
Notre Dame out-gained Indiana 394 yards to 278, rushing for 193 yards against a Hoosiers’ unit that previously led the nation in rush defense (76.2 yards per game entering the CFP).
It was the 11th consecutive win for the Irish, who suffered a stunning 16-14 home loss to Mid-American Conference team Northern Illinois the second week of the season.
That momentum — coupled with an elbow injury that has sidelined Carson Beck — has oddsmakers giving Notre Dame the early edge.
Georgia holds a 3-0 series lead over Notre Dame, with Kirby Smart’s 2017 UGA team prevailing 20-19 in South Bend, before the 2019 Bulldogs won a 23-17 home game.
The SEC champion Bulldogs (11-2), seeded No. 2, have won four straight since suffering their most recent loss, a 28-10 setback at then-No. 16 Ole Miss. UGA’s other defeat came on the road at Alabama, 41-34, on Sept. 28.
Georgia’s most recent two victories have been in overtime: a 44-42, eight-OT home win over Georgia Tech, and a 22-19 overtime win over Texas in the SEC Championship Game
“Georgia, they keep winning, but it feels uncomfortable when you watch them do it,” ESPN commentator Sean McDonough said.
“They keep finding a way to win, but it always feels like they’re right on the tightrope,” the veteran play-by-play man said. “We saw a Georgia Tech team that’s good, not as good as Notre Dame, really should have beat Georgia at the end of the year.
“It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Notre Dame beats them.”
Greg McElroy, who provided analysis for the Irish’s win over the Hoosiers, put UGA’s current status into proper perspective.
“I think this Georgia team has a certain resilience that we haven’t necessary seen at times before from Georgia because they’ve been so dominant,” McElroy said. “I think they are callous and poised to play their best football.
“But I also think it’s a team that’s identity will look different moving forward without Carson Beck.”
Indeed, backup quarterback Gunner Stockton is not the thrower Beck is, but he brings enough mobility to the position to provide a threat.
The Bulldogs have been hard at work practicing and “working on themselves,” per Smart, and can now turn their attention to this version of Notre Dame.
Georgia’s most recent wins over the Irish came with current LSU coach Brian Kelly on the Notre Dame sideline, but Smart has gone up against current Irish head coach Marcus Freeman before.
Freeman was the defensive coordinator for a previously undefeated Cincinnati team that Georgia beat in the 2021 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, 24-21.
The Bulldogs trailed the Bearcats 21-10 entering the fourth quarter before JT Daniels rallied Georgia to victory to cap the 2020 Covid-shortened season with a Top 10 victory.
Kicker Jack Podlesny booted a 53-yard field goal with 3 seconds left to give UGA a 22-21 lead before Azeez Ojulari sacked Desmond Ridder on the final play of the game for a safety.
Much has changed in college football since then, as the winner of the Jan. 1 Sugar Bowl (8:45 p.m., ABC) will advance in the 12-team playoff to play in the Orange Bowl at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 9 in Miami Gardens, Fla.
The other Orange Bowl team will come from a pod that features the Fiesta Bowl winner between No 4 seed Boise State, and the winner of the first-round game featuring SMU at Penn State (Noon Saturday, TNT).
