Notre Dame vs. Georgia: Respect the Dawgs, But Verify Their Dominance

Notre Dame faces Georgia with respect but questions remain. Can the Irish show they can beat the powerhouse?

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

Georgia has been there, done that in big postseason moments

Whenever postseason college football play begins each season, Irish fans are reminded of Notre Dame's title drought which dates back to the 1988 season. Not that long ago, Georgia, another high-profile program that had fallen on hard times, hadn't collected its last title since 1980.

Through relentless and elite recruiting and development, Kirby Smart has been able to update Georgia's Wikipedia page to reflect back-to-back national titles in 2021 and 2022, an incredibly hard thing to accomplish. It wasn't easy, but Smart has rebuilt Georgia's recruiting and on-field success to an elite level.

Georgia is to be respected, there's no doubt about that. But that doesn't mean the 2024 Bulldogs can't be beaten or are invulnerable.

This Notre Dame team can compete with Georgia

2024 Georgia has won the SEC championship and earned their way to a round 1 bye in the new 12-team CFP playoff format.

This being said, the Bulldogs have not been a flawless team this season. The Bulldogs dropped games to Alabama and Ole Miss this season, neither of which are playoff teams, and were stretched to eight OT periods against in-state rival Georgia Tech before eventually collecting a stressful win.

Certainly, Smart knows how to prepare his team for postseason play and I have no doubt the Bulldogs will be ready to clash with the Irish, but this Bulldog team has shown vulnerabilities this year. Notre Dame's program and fan base should respect this team, but not fear them.

The Irish are playing with a ton of confidence, having not lost a game since the first week of September and after collecting the program's first CFP victory last week against Indiana, acquiring a certain amount of national credibility along the way. Now comes a bigger challenge against a better program.

I fully expect this team to respect Georgia, but test them. A victory by the Irish in this contest would change things drastically for Notre Dame and unlock a new level of respect for the Irish program. America is waiting to see just how good this Notre Dame team is and how far Freeman can take it. Respect but verify is the theme of the week.

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