It’s finally Notre Dame week for Georgia football.

The No. 3 Bulldogs and No. 7 Fighting Irish are set to kick off Saturday from Sanford Stadium, and this one will have all the fixings: 2 top 10 teams, a visit from ESPN College GameDay in the morning, a plum primetime spot on CBS in the evening, and a chance for both teams to make an important first impression on the College Football Playoff committee.

In other words, it’s a pretty big deal. And — early on, at least — the matchup might very well favor the Bulldogs. Here’s how:

Depth at tailback

Notre Dame’s Ian Book has proven his worth as a mobile quarterback, producing 127 yards and 2 touchdowns on 23 attempts. RB Tony Jones Jr. has an equal amount of yards on 2 fewer carries, all but 17 of those yards came in a Week 1 win over Louisville. The Fighting Irish don’t have a true running back who has been able to consistently produce.

Conversely, Georgia’s D’Andre Swift and Brian Herrien should be able to handle things out of the backfield, but they’re far from the only options offensive coordinator James Coley has. We’ve seen production from sophomore James Cook, and redshirt freshman Zamir White and true freshman Kenny McIntosh have handled their opportunities well. And that rushing defense has been a bit of a soft spot for the Irish: Brian Kelly’s group has allowed 470 yards on the ground in its first 2 games.

The Dawgs are averaging 287 rushing yards per game. That ranks 4th in America among Power 5 programs. It’s a clear edge for the Bulldogs.

Solid offensive line play

For an offensive line, half of the battle is keeping the quarterback clean, but it’s also holding off the defensive front to allow your tailbacks time and space to make plays. That’s what we’re seeing with Georgia: the line has allowed just 1 sack over the first 3 games. Those results are nothing new for a team that gave up 20 sacks last season, and that’s a credit to players like offensive guard Solomon Kindley, a preseason All-SEC and 2nd-team All-American selection.

To be fair, the entire line deserves credit. Andrew Thomas entered preseason as a 1st-team All-SEC and All-American pick at left tackle. Trey Hill, who saw time at right guard last year, has settled in at center. Cade Mays and Isaiah Wilson, after strong freshman campaigns, are looking to take the next step here in 2019.

In its first true test of the season, the Bulldogs’ front 5 — perhaps as good as any in the country — should be able to hold firm and build on the success it’s had.

Plenty of receiving options

Jake Fromm has shown a knack for spreading the ball around. Last year, Riley Ridley led the team in catches with 45, but Mecole Hardman, D’Andre Swift and Isaac Nauta each caught 30 passes or more. Hardman finished with just 2 fewer touchdowns (7) and 16 fewer yards (543) than Ridley, while Swift ended the year with the 3rd-most catches. Jeremiah Holloman was another key target (24 catches, 418 yards, 5 touchdowns).

Even with Hardman, Ridley and Nauta gone and Holloman dismissed, the trend from 2018 continues. True freshmen George Pickens and Dominick Blaylock have shown instant impact, graduate transfer Eli Wolf has taken Nauta’s role as the primary pass-catching tight end, and Swift continues to see targets on certain offensive sets. He took a screen to the house last week. Cook, who caught just 8 passes all of last year, already has 6 in just 3 games and should see a continued expanded role in the receiving game as the season progresses.

With so many targets at Fromm’s disposal, Notre Dame defensive coordinator Clark Lea has a great deal to plan for on Saturday, especially against that offensive line mentioned earlier that should allow Fromm plenty of time to pick out his targets.

A stout rushing defense

Sure, it’s been against weaker competition, but if early results against Vanderbilt (116 yards), Murray State (23 yards) and Arkansas State (43 yards) are to be believed, the Bulldogs are more than set in the run-stopping department. Last year, they allowed just over 130 yards rushing per game and only LSU topped 178.

The Irish tend to run the ball more than they pass and that’s due to the previously mentioned mobility of Book, something he showcased at Wake Forest before transferring to South Bend. If the Bulldogs are able to contain the senior and keep him from making those plays with his feet while neutralizing Jones, it’s one less dimension of the Irish offense they’ll need to be concerned about.

The crowd

If it feels like it’s been awhile since 2 top 10 teams met at Sanford Stadium, that’s because it has: No. 9 Georgia hosted No. 6 LSU on September 28, 2013, as Aaron Murray threw a touchdown pass to Justin Scott-Wesley with 1 minute, 47 seconds left to lift the Bulldogs to a 44-41 win. (Sanford nearly ended up hosting a 2nd top 10 game earlier that year; South Carolina was No. 6 and Georgia was No. 11 when they played 3 weeks earlier.)

Those Bulldogs ended up finishing the season with a disappointing mark of 8-5 (5-3 SEC) and a loss to Nebraska in the Gator Bowl. This year’s Bulldogs could get a big early boost toward a CFP appearance with a win on Saturday against Notre Dame. While it may sound a bit cliched, it’s certainly worth noting that fans can truly provide that extra “push” in high-intensity games like this one, so expect Georgia to build off that energy in one of the most important home games in program history.