WHERE: Superdome

WHEN: Thursday, 4 p.m.

RECORDS: Georgia 11-2, Notre Dame 11-1

TV/RADIO: ESPN (Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy, Molly McGrath); Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (Scott Howard, Eric Zeier, DJ Shockley).

It’s hard not to be a little nostalgic when looking at Wednesday night’s game in the College Football Playoffs at the Sugar Bowl against Notre Dame.

It was the very same Irish that Herschel Walker and the Junkyard Dawgs defeated 17-10 44 years ago to claim the only national crown for former head coach Vince Dooley.

Of course, the current playoff system is far removed from the day when the top two teams in the Associated Press Top 25 met to decide who was No. 1.

Still, there will be no less interest in a game that will send the winner to Miami.

Storylines are everywhere.

The biggest is redshirt sophomore Gunner Stockton, who will make his first career start after Carson Beck's season-ending elbow injury.

How Stockton plays will determine how the Bulldogs ultimately fare, but for those who have watched Georgia all year, other questions will need answering.

Can the Bulldogs overcome what seems like a season-long episode of slow offensive starts?

What about the running game?

Georgia is next-to-last in the SEC in rushing yards, averaging just 123 yards per contest.

The good news is that Trevor Etienne appears to be over the rib issues that cost him the final three games of the regular season after almost rushing for 100 yards and scoring two touchdowns for the Bulldogs in their SEC title win over Texas.

But as anyone who has watched Georgia under Kirby Smart, count the Bulldogs out at your own risk.

Despite being a 1-point favorite, many “experts” seem to be siding with the Irish, who feature one of the more talented dual-threat quarterbacks in Riley Leonard. Notre Dame’s offense and defense rank third nationally in points scored (39.8) and points allowed (13.6), respectively.

At approximately midnight on Wednesday, we’ll know if those numbers meant anything at all.

Georgia

QB Gunner Stockton, RB Trevor Etienne, RB Nate Frazier, OL Monroe Freeling, WR Arian Smith, WR Dom Lovett, WR Dillon Bell, TE Oscar Delp, DL Nazir Stackhouse, DT Warren Brinson, LB CJ Allen, LB Chaz Chambliss, CB Daylen Everette, S Malaki Starks

Notre Dame

QB Riley Leonard, RB Jeremyiah Love, WR Beaux Collins, WR Jaden Greathouse, TE Mitchell Evans, OL Anthonee Knapp, LB Jack Kiser, CB Xavier Watts, LB Drayk Bowe, S Adon Shuler, LB Jaylen Sneed.

Run the ball: Notre Dame is allowing 138 yards on the ground per game, a number that ranks 51st national. With Gunner Stockton running the show at quarterback, and Trevor Etienne coming off his best game of the year, that could be a good sign.

Let Gunner be Gunner: Coaches swear they won’t be changing up the offense much at all. Yes, Stockton’s ability to extend plays with his legs will give Georgia an option it typically does not have with Carson Beck. But Stockton also throws the football better than some are probably thinking right now.

Contain Riley Leonard: Speaking of quarterbacks extending plays, that’s exactly what Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard can do. Considering Georgia has had trouble with these types of quarterbacks before, keeping Leonard contained would be a good start to slowing the Irish down.

QB Carson Beck (elbow) Out

RB Roderick Robinson (ankle) Out

RB Branson Robinson (knee) Out

…After claiming its 15th SEC title in school history with a win over then No. 2 Texas for the second time this season, Georgia secured a bye to the CFP quarterfinals. The Bulldogs face No. 5 Notre Dame in the Allstate Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, 2025. In the CFP first round, the Irish defeated Indiana on Dec. 20. The Sugar Bowl winner advances to the semifinal at the Orange Bowl on Jan. 9 against the winner of No. 9 Boise State versus No. 4 Penn State. The CFP National Championship Game will be on Jan. 20 in Atlanta.

…In school history, the Bulldogs are 3-0 against Notre Dame including a memorable 17-10 win over the Irish in the 1981 Sugar Bowl for the national championship. Then in 2017, Georgia edged Notre Dame 20-19 in South Bend and posted a 23-17 victory in Athens in 2019.

…Georgia is 5-6 in the Sugar Bowl, the most recent appearance coming after the 2019 season when it defeated Baylor 26-14. That victory started a bowl/CFP winning streak that stands at seven.

…Six times this season Georgia has not scored in the first quarter, and the Bulldogs are 5-1 in those games. In six games this season, Georgia has trailed at the half, and it is 4-2 in those contests.

…Georgia owns the nation's longest active bowl streak, extending it this year to 28 seasons. Since 2019, the Bulldogs have won their last seven bowl/CFP matchups.

…The Allstate Sugar Bowl will be Georgia's 63rd appearance in a bowl/CFP game in school history with a record of 38-21-3. The appearances and wins rank second in FBS.

…Georgia's 2024 Senior Class is an FBS-leading and school record 53-4 (46-2 in the regular season) since 2021. The next best mark in this span is 47-8 by Michigan. Georgia's 2023 Senior Class held the previous school mark at 50-4 with two national titles, an SEC crown plus going 6-0 in bowl/CFP games.

…Notre Dame’s 2024 defense is dominant and one of the most complete defenses in the country, ranking among the FBS’ top teams. Through the season and the first round of the CFP, Notre Dame is first in team passing efficiency defense (96.94), first in turnovers gained (29), first in defensive touchdowns (6), third in scoring defense (13.8), fourth in passing yards allowed (162.3), fourth in interceptions (18), seventh in third-down defense (0.308), seventh in fourth-down defense (0.361), eighth in total defense (295.3), ninth in fumbles recovered (11) and ninth in red zone defense (0.727).

…Senior quarterback Riley Leonard owns 34 rushing touchdowns for his career, including three in the first half at Purdue, and two vs. Miami (OH) and Georgia Tech. He ranks second among all active FBS quarterbacks in rushing touchdowns.

…Xavier Watts has made a statement as the best defensive player in college football. Watts has totaled 13 interceptions in his career. His 13 interceptions over the last two seasons are the most by any FBS player during that span; the next closest players have nine. He has averaged 0.5 interceptions per game over that span. He has the most career interceptions by an Irish player since 1996. He is the 19th Notre Dame player to intercept 10 or more passes in a career and is tied for third on the all-time list for career interceptions in program history. Watts is responsible for seven of Notre Dame’s 29 turnovers gained this season (six interceptions, and one fumble recovery).

…Notre Dame held two-straight opponents to 3-24 on third down (Miami 2-12, Purdue 1-12), the best back-to-back two-game total since 2021 (Cincinnati 2-12, Wisconsin 1-14). Those are the two best back-to-back two-game stretches since data is available starting in 1996.

…Jeremiyah Love has scored a rushing touchdown in each game this season, making 13 straight games with a rushing touchdown. This extends his Notre Dame record for most consecutive games with a rushing touchdown and extends his record for most consecutive games with a rushing TD to start a season. He is the only FBS running back to have scored a rushing touchdown in each game this season.

This Notre Dame team is better than the one Georgi faced in 2017 and again in 2019. Of course, that’s just my opinion.

Perhaps that’s why you see so many “experts” siding with the Irish. Of course, much of that has to do with Gunner Stockton starting his first career game against a quarterback in Riley Leonard’s who is one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the country.

But here’s the thing.

I’ll take Georgia’s athleticism over Notre Dame’s in the blink of an eye. The fact the Bulldogs will be playing on the carpet at the Superdome, they’ll play even faster. Notre Dame is giving up 138 rushing per game. That’s not a good sign if you’re a fan of the Irish because any success Georgia has running the football is going to set up play-action and that bodes well for Mr. Stockton, who is a much better passer than some are giving him credit for. When this game became official, I was thinking close game. But the closer we get … I don’t know. I’m starting to feel a little froggy. Prediction: Georgia 31, Notre Dame 17.