The final game of the College Football Playoff Quarterfinals will determine the last spot in the final four, as the Georgia Bulldogs and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish duke it out in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day.
#7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. #2 Georgia Bulldogs
When: Wednesday, January 1
Time: 8:45 p.m. ET
Where: Caesars Superdome (New Orleans, La.)
Channel: ESPN
The Bulldogs entered the 2024 season hungry to get back top of the polls after missing the CFP last year when they fell to Alabama in the SEC Championship. This year, despite losing to Alabama and Ole Miss during the regular season, Georgia reeled a couple of important wins late in the year, including beating Texas in the conference title game to secure a bye to the quarterfinals.
Unlike some of the other teams in the playoff, there is a lot of experience on this roster, with some players remaining from their national championship squad in the 2022 season.
The Fighting Irish were getting overlooked heading into the playoffs, especially with their lack of a strong schedule, and the embarrassing loss to Northern Illinois. However, Marcus Freeman’s team has shown enough strength throughout the season and asserted its authority in the first round when they hammered in-state rival Indiana. For a team that only made it to the old CFP format twice, losing in the semifinals in 2018 and 2020, they look like a team that can cause a stir.
The Bulldogs have won all three meetings against the Fighting Irish, winning in Athens in 2019. These teams also met in the 1981 Sugar Bowl.