Notre Dame vs Georgia – Best Bets and Player Props for Sugar Bowl

One of the most intriguing matchups of the college football quarterfinals takes place in the Sugar Bowl as the No. 7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (12-1) square off against the No. 2 ranked Georgia Bulldogs (11-2) on Wednesday night.

Notre Dame’s lone loss this season came against Northern Illinois during the team’s second game of the year, falling 16-14 to the Huskies. Since that early September upset, the Fighting Irish have been perfect, winning every game by at least a touchdown.

Georgia won the SEC Championship game by defeating Texas for the second time this season. But the cost of the victory was quarterback Carson Beck as he suffered an injury. In his place for this game will be sophomore signal-caller Gunnar Stockton for his first-ever start.

Can Notre Dame rattle Georgia’s new quarterback, or will the Fighting Irish fall to another SEC opponent in the playoffs? We’ll cover that and our three favorite player prop bets for the quarterfinal matchup.

Georgia Bulldogs QB Gunnar Stockton UNDER 175.5 Passing Yards

After Beck’s injury, Stockton took control of the Bulldogs’ offense in the SEC Championship game against Texas. The 6-foot-1 player’s stat line was 12-of-16 passing for 71 yards and one interception against the Longhorns.

With their season on the line, head coach Kirby Smart will have Stockton prepared for this matchup. Still, expect Notre Dame’s defense to show him dozens of looks he won’t be prepared for, giving bettors confidence to take the under for his player prop bet.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish RB Jeremiyah Love OVER 67.5 Rushing Yards

Notre Dame has split the running back workload this season between junior Jadarian Price and sophomore Jeremiyah Love. While Price has earned more carries in the past three games, Love has the better stats this season, earning 1,057 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns on 142 carries in 2024.

Against Georgia, the Fighting Irish will continue to run the football, relying on both Love and Price. Expect Love to have a strong outing, finishing the contest his fifth consecutive game rushing for more than 90 yards to easily cover this player prop bet.

Georgia Bulldogs RB Trevor Etienne UNDER 86.5 Rushing Yards

Georgia has enjoyed a similar two-headed running back monster, featuring freshman Nate Frazier and junior Trevor Etienne. The difference is Etienne is the preferred player, evidenced by his six games with double-figure carries during his nine contests this season.

He’ll again get the lion’s share of the Bulldogs’ carries on Wednesday. The problem he and his teammates will experience is the opponent on the other side. The Fighting Irish defense has been strong against the run this season, and they’ll load up against the first-time starting quarterback. Expect Etienne to find little running room in the Sugar Bowl.

Best Bet: UNDER 45.5 Points

With Beck under center, this matchup would be completely different, and Georgia would be busy making travel arrangements for their semifinal matchup. Instead, the Bulldogs may fall victim to the Fighting Irish with Stockton making his first-ever start.

Calling the contest in either direction with so many variables is nearly impossible. What I believe is the safest bet, however, is that these two stout defenses will make this an ugly game. Expect a final score around 17-14 for this game, making the under the right call for the Sugar Bowl.