PREVIEW: Notre Dame vs. Georgia, Score predictions from the expert

The Notre Dame game is finally here folks. Our site experts will give you their score predictions and tell you why Georgia wins this football game.

It's the night before Christmas (or at least it feels like it), and it's time to put the finishing touches on this marvelous present given to us on this incredible September Saturday. Gameday - CBS - Notre Dame & Georgia between the hedges at night. 

It simply doesn't get much better.

Nonetheless, it's predictions time. Our site experts give you their score predictions and the reasonings behind them. Enjoy! 

Jordan Jackson (Georgia Wins, 37-16)

All eyes will be on Athens, as the Bulldogs matchup with the Fighting Irish. The country is expecting a close battle, but as College GameDay's Lee Corso would say "not so fast my friends!" The Notre Dame defense will attempt to stack the box against UGA, but it won't matter as the Dawgs' talented offense line averages nearly 329 pounds per man. They are not the unit that a team allowing 235 yards of offense on the ground wants to face.

Look for offensive coordinator James Coley to call passing plays for Jake Fromm on first downs, along with second down and short situations from time to time. This will keep the Irish honest and set up opportunities for the Dawgs' multi-dimensional rushing attack. Expect to see new wrinkles in the Georgia Bulldogs offense unveiled as well.

Defensively the Dawgs match up well, as Notre Dame likes to run the football. They average 40 runs, compared to 25 pass plays per game. Nearly 12 of those attempts on the ground come at the hands of quarterback Ian Book, who averages over five yards per carry. Yet the Georgia Bulldogs are stout upfront and won't allow much to Book, or running back Tony Jones Jr.

Look for nose tackle Jordan Davis to command a double team, allowing three-technique Tyler Clark to disrupt the Notre Dame interior running game. He will also provide pressure up the middle against the pass. Young edge defenders Aziz Ojulari and Nolan Smith have the speed to contain Ian Book. Though, Book will make a big play or two because he's a good player, and the Georgia Bulldogs edge players are very young. However, it won't be enough for the Irish. Book has yet to turn the ball over this year, but that will change more than once come Saturday as UGA defensive havoc ensues.

Georgia Bulldogs 37 - Notre Dame Fighting Irish 16

Georgia will be wearing red jerseys this weekend 

Jamey Goodman, The Voice of the Fan (Georgia Wins,  27-20) 

Dawgs win this one 27-20. This game will not be nearly as close as the final score. We dropped our Preseason predictions back in late July and I went with 28-21. I'll switch it up ever so slightly. Being the first step up in competition this year, I can see us playing it a little conservative. 

Once we get a comfortable lead we may pump the breaks a tad to limit the opportunity for big mistakes. I see us being up 27-13 late and allowing a garbage time TD to make it appear closer than it really is. But don't fret, this game should be sealed up by mid 3rd. Soak up Athens this weekend, this will be one for the ages and as always GO DAWGS! 

Brent Wilson (Georgia Wins, 38-14) 

This prediction may be somewhat of a surprise, given that I originally had Georgia winning the game 31-17 a few months ago. However, in the small sample we've seen from both teams, I still think that Georgia does a little more than cover the current spread of 14.5. Though Georgia has only played three games, each lower-tier teams, the team has had the opportunity to clean up some of the mistakes and build momentum and confidence heading into a top-10 matchup. 

We've seen Georgia become more aggressive in the pass rush, maintain dominance in the run game, and work on the passing game with the freshmen standouts, George Pickens and Dominick Blaylock. While Notre Dame has come away with two solid victories with large margins of victory, the concern is in the Irish's rush defense. 

Putting a team who gave up 200+ yards to both Louisville and New Mexico could spell trouble when facing arguably the best running attack in all of college football. The Bulldogs will ride the momentum and atmosphere and use their depth to outplay Notre Dame. In the end, the Irish will be heading back to South Bend with a bigger loss than most college football fans might expect. 

Jake Fromm's first career start was a 17-16 W in South Bend as a true freshman. 

Brooks Austin (Georgia wins 28-24) 

Look, it's no hot take to say Georgia's early-season schedule hasn't been much of murderers row. That being said, neither has Notre Dame's with wins over Louisville and New Mexico. So, this will come down to who can play their first four-quarter football game, to me that's the team with the best quarterback in the matchup, Georgia. 

Jake Fromm is the calm and confident presence you need in your huddle in an environment like we will see Saturday night. And that's not to say Ian Book isn't, but Fromm's been here before, perhaps more than any other quarterback in the country. The Dawgs make a late stand after a great start, 28-24 Dawgs on Top