The College Football Playoff Quarterfinals continue on with the last quarterfinal game of four taking place on Thursday afternoon. Originally scheduled for New Years day, the game was suddenly rescheduled after the tragic events of the prior night when a madman crashed his vehicle into unsuspecting victims.
On the football field, Notre Dame vs. Georgia is a matchup of two teams strong on the defensive side of the football. Notre Dame, playing as in Independent in football, ranked No. 8 in total defense over the course of the year. They won games against ranked teams in Texas A&M, Louisville, Navy and Army. In the First Round of the College Football Playoffs, they then knocked off the upstart #10 ranked Indiana Hoosiers 27-17 in a game that the Fighting Irish dominated for the majority of the game. There only loss this year came in a shocker against Northern Illinois in Week 2.
Georgia, on the other hand, comes into the game with a defense that, while not as strong as in recent memory, still ranks Top 35 in terms of Total Defense. The Georgia defense is sound at all 3 levels, and can defend the run equally as good as they defend the pass. Playing in the SEC has this team battle tested and they should come out ready to play with huge wins this year against the likes of Clemson, Texas (twice), and Tennessee.
Offensively, this is where things get tricky for Georgia. They come into the matchup with the #10 ranked Pass Offense. The only issue? Their No. 1 quarterback Carson Beck will miss the College Playoffs after an injury sustained against Texas in the SEC Championship game. Beck underwent successful elbow surgery just before Christmas and has subsequently declared for the NFL Draft. In his place, Sophomore Gunnar Stockton take the reigns over the Georgia offense and will have his chance to shine. For his part, he didn’t look bad in the time he was on the field in the SEC Championship. Nevertheless, this is a kid who hasn’t had much real playing time in his college career.
The Notre Dame offense, on the other hand, excels at running the ball with the #10 ranked rushing offense in the country. The only problem is that their Passing Offense lags significantly behind. Indeed, Notre Dame’s Passing Offense doesn’t even crack the Top 100 in the nation. Former Duke transfer senior Riley Leonard leads the Notre Dame offense along with Sophomore running back Jeremiyah Love. The duo rushed for more 1,800 yards in 2024.
Looking at the game from a betting perspective, it’s fairly difficult to get a grasp on who might come away with the game. The strengths of the Georgia offense would seem to be neutralized by the absence of Carson Beck and a Notre Dame that is Top 5 against the pass. On the other hand, will a fairly one dimensional Notre Dame offense be able to sustain consistent drives against a Georgia defense that will almost be keyed in on the run. Taking all of this into consideration, picking a side seems like the wrong way to go even thought I might lean towards the way of Notre Dame. Rather, looking to the total, I see a rather cagey defensive affair with both teams fighting for field position and the occasional score. With that being, look to the total instead.
Take the Under 45.5 (-110 @ BetMGM).
