Ravens Stars Troll Each Other Before Notre Dame, Georgia Game

Two of the Baltimore Ravens' top defenders will be trading plenty of jabs during the College Football Playoff.

Nov 12, 2023; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton (14) celebrates with linebacker Roquan Smith (0) after scoring a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns during the first quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jessica Rapfogel-Imagn Images / Jessica Rapfogel-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Ravens have clinched their spot in the NFL playoffs, officially giving them the right to compete for the Vince Lombardi Trophy that has eluded them for so long.

Of course, the playoffs don't begin until mid-January, but the College Football Playoff is currently ongoing, and a pair of Ravens defenders are watching very closely.

On New Year's Day, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Georgia Bulldogs will meet in the CFP quarterfinals at the Allstate Sugar Bowl, pitting the alma maters of All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton and linebacker Roquan Smith against each other. That game is still over a week away, but according to Hamilton, the trash already began following the Irish's win over the Indiana Hoosiers in Friday's first-round game.

"Everybody wants to trash on Notre Dame," Hamilton told reporters Sunday. "'You hate us if you ain't us.' Everybody in here, especially Roquan, I'm sure he's going to have some stuff to say about the next game [against Georgia].

"We'll see though. I think we're going to genuinely win the National Championship this year, so quote me on that if we win or lose. I don't really care. We're headed that way."

The Fighting Irish have famously not won a national championship since 1988, but this year may be their best chance to do so in quite some time. After a humiliating early-season loss to the Northern Illinois Huskies, Marcus Freeman's team has reeled off 11-straight victories, 10 of them by multiple scores.

In contrast, the Bulldogs have been the best team in college football this decade, winning back-to-back national titles in 2021 and 2022. This year's team is a bit weaker than other recent ones, especially with starting quarterback Carson Beck likely out for the playoff, but Georgia is still a force to be reckoned with.

It's become common for teammates to make friendly bets when their alma maters face off, usually involving wearing the other's merchandise in public or something similar. So, perhaps we could see Hamilton wearing a Georgia shirt or Smith wearing a Notre Dame shirt, depending on the outcome.

While their former teams may be at odds, Hamilton and Smith remain committed to bringing the Lombardi back to Baltimore, and their unit's recent performance suggests they're ready to do just that.

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