Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love

Two college football blueblood programs are vying for a spot in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff. Georgia received a first-round bye after defeating Texas in the SEC Championship on December 7. Notre Dame defeated Indiana 27-17 in the first round and faced the Bulldogs in New Orleans. The Irish could not receive a bye because Notre Dame does not participate in a conference and the top four seeds are awarded to the highest-ranked conference champions.

While the Bulldogs escaped with an overtime victory in the SEC title game, quarterback Carson Beck injured his throwing arm in the first half of the game. Beck likely won’t play against Notre Dame and redshirt sophomore Gunner Stockton will make his first career start against the Irish. Stockton played the entire second half of the conference championship, finishing the game 12-16 for 71 yards and an interception.

Notre Dame is led by Riley Leonard at center and Jeremiyah Love at running back. Love recorded 108 rushing yards and a touchdown in Notre Dame’s first-round game against the Hoosiers. But the Irish are powered by their elite defense, as Marcus Freeman’s team has allowed 20 or more points just twice all season. One of the game’s biggest storylines is certainly Stockton’s performance against one of the top-ranked secondaries in the country, led by All-America safety Xavier Watts.

Georgia’s defense doesn’t have the same national rankings as Ireland’s, but the Bulldogs also have playmakers, most notably Butkus Award winner (best linebacker) Jalon Walker. This matchup should be a defensive battle with each squad averaging over 1.5 takeaways per game.

This is how the two teams perform: