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Georgia opens as underdog for Sugar Bowl matchup vs. Notre Dame
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Georgia can now settle in for the rest of the first round of the College Football Playoff with knowledge of its future opponent. On Friday night, Notre Dame beat Indiana 27-17 in a game that was completely controlled by the Fighting Irish, sending them to the Sugar Bowl to face the Bulldogs.
That New Year’s Day matchup will be just the 4th all-time meeting between Georgia and Notre Dame. The Bulldogs are 3-0 all-time in those games with the last one being a 23-17 win in 2019 when Brian Kelly was leading the Irish.
Shortly after Friday’s game concluded, FanDuel was quick to drop the odds for the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. While Georgia enters as the higher-ranked team with the first-round bye, it is Marcus Freeman’s Notre Dame team who opened as a 1.5-point favorite.
The point total for the Sugar Bowl is set at 46.5, and fans can use our betting apps for real money to get in on all the action.
The major factor in that line is likely the health of starting QB Carson Beck who is unlikely to be able to play in the quarterfinals. Beck injured his elbow in the SEC Championship, and while Gunner Stockton played well at times vs. Texas, he is greatly unproven so far in his career.
To be fair, it’s unlikely Kirby Smart has any negative feelings about the opening line, and he might even be a bit happy to see the Bulldogs being doubted. The head coach knows how to motivate his team in any circumstance, and you can bet he will use any perceived slight as fuel on his team’s fire in the Playoff.
Then again, Georgia’s underdog status did not last long. It took roughly 10 minutes before the odds shifted with the Bulldogs quickly landing as the 1.5-point favorite late Friday night.
We’ll see where the line eventually settles as we get closer to kickoff on New Year’s Day.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
