College Football Playoff 2025: Previewing Notre Dame vs. Georgia quarterfinal matchup

The College Football Playoff has given us some fascinating matchups thus far, with stylistic clashes and blue bloods facing off against upstart teams, but Georgia taking on Notre Dame is something else entirely.

A pair of college football's most storied and elite programs, playing very similar styles of football, looking to make a deep run into the playoff. The Bulldogs, trying to win their third title in four years, while Notre Dame is trying to find a level of glory they haven't seen since the 1980s. Who will come out on top? Let's break it down.

Tale of the Tape: Despite their long and storied legacies, Notre Dame and Georgia have played just three times in their histories. The Bulldogs have absolutely owned the Irish in their limited exposure to one another, winning all three games. Their most recent matchups came in a 2017 and 2019 home-and-home series, in which Georgia beat Notre Dame 20-19 in South Bend in 2017, and then Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs beat Brian Kelly and the Fighting Irish again 23-17 in Athens in 2019. Outside of that, the two have seldom been the same level of good at the same time over the years, and Notre Dame rarely ventured into the SEC even when they were.

Georgia's Strengths: The Bulldogs are an incredibly tough, physical team, built in Smart's image of hard-hitting football. That's not to say they can't move the ball; they rank fifth in the nation in offensive EPA, thanks in large part to a two-headed rushing attack that ranks fourth in EPA. Trevor Etienne is back and healthy, and pairing him with Nate Frazier gives Georgia legitimate offensive punch.

While the defense isn't exactly the 2022 monstrosity, it's still very, very good. They rank 12th in EPA on the season, and eighth against the run. The defensive front is still very, very good. This is a team that wants to grind you down, and they're very good at doing just that.

Georgia's Weaknesses: Part of the reason why Georgia is so good at grinding out wins is because they've had to be all season long. Without the skills of superhuman alien playing against regular humans Brock Bowers at tight end, the offense has lacked any real easy way to gain yards. Wideouts Arian Smith, Dominic Lovett, and Dillon Bell have shown a proclivity for dropping passes, and the run game, while effective, hasn't exactly been explosive, either.

We also have absolutely no idea what the passing game is going to look like in this game. Starting quarterback John Beck is done for the year, and backup Gunner Stockton remains a largely unknown quantity in the passing game. What we've seen was...less than inspiring. Stockton went 12-of-16 for 71 yards and a pick against Texas in the SEC title game. When the wide receivers can't get separation, and struggle with drops and the running backs don't break big runs, you have to grind.

Unfortunately, while the defense is good, they can be gotten after. They've shown vulnerability in the run game, especially against mobile quarterbacks. Look at their performance against Georgia Tech, or them conceding 226 rushing yards against UMass, or 134 rushing yards to Ole Miss. Get your quarterback out of the pocket, or run a less traditional run game, and there are plenty of yards to be had.

Path to Victory: The Bulldogs are going to need to find some joy in the passing game in this one to take the Irish down. If Stockton can hit a big play or two early in the game, it should open things up a little for the running backs to go to work. The defense needs to hold firm against the best rushing attack in the country, while making sure Riley Leonard doesn't find his footing throwing the ball.

Notre Dame's Strengths: The Irish are essentially the same team as Georgia, but more extreme. Running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price have combined for 1,740 yards and 23 touchdowns, while quarterback Riley Leonard has added another 751 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground. They want to run, and when that doesn't work, they want to run some more, and they rank third in rushing EPA as a result.

From a defensive perspective, this is one of the best units in the nation. They rank fourth in defensive EPA, and are the best passing defense by the same metric in the entire country. The run defense is fierce as well, ranking ninth in the country. They hit hard, and they want to be hit.

Notre Dame's Weaknesses: Like I said, the Irish are essentially a more extreme version of Georgia, especially offensively. While Leonard has been a dynamo running the ball, things get messy when he has to throw. He's thrown for just 2,293 yards and 17 touchdowns, and his wideouts have struggled to get separation, and have had a knack for some truly rancid drops all season long.

The Irish are also going to be without star defensive lineman Rylie Mills, who suffered a knee injury against Indiana. Mills is a do-everything kind of player in this defense, and losing him could prove a tough piece to overcome in this one.

Path to Victory: The defense needs to fully shut the Bulldogs' offense down in this one. Don't let them get anything going. From there, the offense has to find some kind of joy in the passing game to relieve a little pressure. Notre Dame wants to make this game a rock fight, but when both teams are as good with their big rocks as the Irish and Bulldogs, making a couple big plays throwing the ball will make all the difference.

The Verdict: You could not find two more similar teams here if you tried; Georgia and Notre Dame both want to win the same way: running the ball and grinding out close, low-scoring wins. Historically, the Irish have lacked the talent to hang with elite SEC teams, but this might be the first time that Marcus Freeman's team can match up and punch with anyone. As crazy as it sounds to pick the Irish in a big game, that's what I'm doing here. Expect Notre Dame to knock off the Bulldogs in a close, physical game.

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