Everything to know about the Georgia-Notre Dame College Football Playoff quarterfinal

Georgia football’s College Football Playoff journey begins Thursday, after the Sugar Bowl was delayed a day following a deadly attack in New Orleans.

The CFP quarterfinal matchup against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish — which immediately inspired nostalgia when announced — will be the first chance for fans to see a Georgia offense under Gunner Stockton as a starter. The Bulldogs have repeatedly expressed confidence in the redshirt sophomore from Rabun County.

The Sugar Bowl winner will advance in the CFP to play Penn State in the Jan. 9 Orange Bowl.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of today’s game.

Sugar Bowl time, TV info, odds, tickets

When: 4 p.m. ET Thursday
Where: Caesars Superdome in New Orleans
Rankings and record: No. 2 Georgia (11-2); No. 5 Notre Dame (12-1)
TV/radio: ESPN/Georgia Bulldogs Sports Network
Series: Georgia is undefeated against Notre Dame. The teams have met three times: the 1981 Sugar Bowl and then a home-and-home series in 2017 and 2019.
Last meeting: In 2019, Georgia defeated Notre Dame 23-17 in Sanford Stadium. The game was Jake Fromm’s first collegiate start, as today’s game will be the same for Gunner Stockton.
Tickets: On resale sites such as StubHub and SeatGeek, single ticket prices were as low as $19 (before fees) on Thursday morning.

Georgia-Notre Dame odds

The Fighting Irish are a 1-point favorite as of Thursday morning. The over/under is 45.5.

Storylines

No rest for the winners?: The first three CFP quarterfinals showed a vast difference in layoff time between the teams that played in the first round and those that had byes, with the advantage going to the former. In the first quarters of the first three quarterfinals, the teams that won their first-round games (Penn State, Texas and Ohio State) overwhelmed their opponents that had byes (Boise State, Arizona State and Oregon, respectively) en route to victory.

A man and his cows: Gunner Stockton’s cattle have been a major off-field talking point leading into his debut as a starter. At least 25 media members awaited Stockton when he climbed onto a platform to reveal what sort of cows they are (black Angus), whether they are dairy cows (no, beef) and whether he named them (no).

“It’s a lot of work, but, heck, I enjoy getting out there and feeding them and doing the work,” Stockton said.

The Rabun County native, fueled by his “mountain blood,” has been described by his teammates as “calm, cool” when off the field, but turns up the heat when he puts his helmet.

Fresh legs: Drew Miller, a freshman from Mediapolis, Iowa, is in line to be Georgia’s starting punter for the remainder of the 2024 season. He’ll step into the role previously held by Brett Thorson, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the win over Texas on Dec. 7 in the SEC Championship game.

Beck in the Big Easy: Kirby Smart said earlier in the week that injured quarterback Carson Beck would be with the team in New Orleans. Smart said Beck, who has undergone surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right arm and is expected to begin throwing in April, has stayed in contact with Gunner Stockton.