Notre Dame vs. Georgia Final Score Prediction for College Football Playoff Quarterfinals

Reed Wallach | 16 Hours Ago

Georgia coach Kirby Smart takes the field with his team before the start of the SEC championship game against Texas in Atlanta, on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. / Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Note: The Sugar Bowl has been postponed until Thursday, January 2nd.

Notre Dame and Georgia meet in the Sugar Bowl with an eye on punching a ticket to the College Football Playoff semifinals, but questions loom large in this one. 

With the lowest total on the board of the quarterfinals, Georgia will need to prove that it can operate at National Championship capacity with backup quarterback Gunner Stockton slated to make his first college start in place of Carson Beck. 

The Notre Dame defense has been elite all season but has battled injuries as well, and now has another on its hands with starting defensive tackle Rylie Mills slated to miss the Sugar Bowl with a knee injury.

How will each team fare in this CFP matchup? 

Here’s the updated odds and our betting preview. 

Notre Dame vs. Georgia Odds, Spread and Total

Spread

• Notre Dame: +1.5 (-105)
• Georgia: -1.5 (-115)

Moneyline

• Notre Dame: +106
• Georgia: -128

Total: 44.5 (Over -106/Under -114)

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Notre Dame vs. Georgia Prediction and Pick

Yes, Georgia will be starting its backup quarterback, but I’m not sure the drop-off from Beck to Stockton is all that impactful as the Bulldogs offense has struggled at times this season trying to force the passing game onto a lackluster group of pass catchers. With Stockton in, the SEC champs may force the issue on the ground and take advantage of the Notre Dame defensive front. 

Further, with an extra week or so of prep, I trust Kirby Smart to scheme a defense that can shut down a fairly pedestrian Notre Dame offense that feasted on a significant talent edge in its games this season. But that won’t be the case in this one. 

Here’s what I had to say in our betting preview. 

The Fighting Irish struggled to move the ball against Indiana. Outside of a 98-yard touchdown run from Jeremiyah Love, the Irish averaged about four yards per snap. Of course, the game script was favorable, but this was not a dominant offensive showing that many made the game out to be. 

Meanwhile, I believe the Bulldogs can use the extra week of prep to acclimate Stockton into the role of QB1 and the team can craft a gameplan that can test a Notre Dame defense that has faced a limited group of offenses to date. 

As well, the Fighting Irish will be down starting defensive line Rylie Mills for this one after he suffered a knee injury in the first round win. 

The Notre Dame defense is far worse against the run, 46th in EPA/Rush, and the Bulldogs may be able to pound the Irish into submission. 

Even with Stockton in for Beck, I like this matchup for Georgia to dominate in the trenches and grab a Sugar Bowl victory. 

Final Score Prediction: Georgia 20, Notre Dame 13

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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