Notre Dame vs Georgia College Football Playoff Odds and Picks: No Beck, Take The Irish In Sugar Bowl

Our first College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchup is set. After brutally beating the Indiana Hoosiers, Notre Dame will face the Georgia Bulldogs at Caesars Superdome on New Year's Day. Opening odds for the Sugar Bowl at FanDuel tag the Bulldogs are minor 1.5-point favorites in New Orleans.

With Carson Beck unlikely to play and after witnessing the Irish dominate in the first-round, is fading the favorites the proper play? 

Notre Dame vs Georgia Odds

Matchup Page: Notre Dame vs Georgia, 8:45 pm ET

Odds as of December 21 from FanDuel

Notre Dame vs Georgia Picks – CFP Sugar bowl

When FanDuel released early lookahead lines ahead of the CFP, Notre Dame was actually the favorite if the Irish advanced to meet Georgia. Well, they did jump ahead in the bracket but now they're 'dogs. 

Kirby Smart has the experience, playing in the national championship in two of the last three years. Yet, with two losses under its belt, we've seen this Georgia team look strangely beatable this season. Their last two outings went into overtime and one of those was against an irrelevant Georgia Tech program. For this matchup, I got to push the modern dynasty claims aside -- these 'Dawgs just aren't as big and bad anymore. And without their QB1!? 

Now, onto the Irish, who manhandled that first-round clash with Indiana. The opening two minutes were a whirlwind, with a Riley Leonard interception, immediately followed by Kurtis Rourke being picked off and topped off with Jeremiyah Love rushing a 98-yard touchdown. 

Up until the fourth quarter, Notre Dame held Indiana to just three-points and showcased why its a top-3 scoring defense in the nation. Meanwhile, Georgia's defense isn't what it once was -- giving up a fair amount of rushing (129.3) and passing (224.6) yards. Plus, on a neutral field, can we really trust back-up quarterback with our favored bets?

Marcus Freeman is leading this Irish team to the promised land. Their defense is standing strong and their ground attack is just too lethal. 

Notre Dame vs Georgia Pick: Notre Dame +1.5 (-114)

*picks made as of Saturday, December 21 at 10:30 am ET

Notre Dame vs Georgia News

Well, the big news ahead of the Sugar Bowl is hard to ignore. Carson Beck is currently exploring surgical options for his elbow injury that is nearly guaranteed to keep him sidelined for the CFP meeting. The senior was hurt after attempting a Hail Mary toss in the SEC Championship vs Texas.

While it's yet to be confirmed, I can assume Gunner Stockton will replace Beck. The sophomore stepped in against the Longhorns to throw for 71 yards and an interception. While Stockton has the luxury of a few weeks to prepare and develop for his first playoff appearance, the nerves will be hard to settle. 

Notre Dame vs Georgia Prop Bet: Jeremiyah Love anytime tD

While it's too early for props to be released, I will be taking Jeremiyah Love to hit the endzone. His odds to do so against Indiana hovered around the -145 mark, which I can assume they would be similar here. Love hasn't played this season without hitting the endzone, riding a 13-game touchdown streak. 

LOVE 98-YARDS TO THE CRIB🏡

Tied for the longest touchdown in school history‼️
pic.twitter.com/4pR23NKdd1

— Odds Shark (@OddsShark) December 21, 2024

His 98-yard touchdown early in the first quarter vs the Hoosiers easily proves he will show up in the big moments and capitalize quick to get his team on the board early. Love is Marcus Freeman's go-to man, with seven touchdowns across five meetings against ranked opponents this year. 

Notre Dame vs Georgia Betting Trends