Notre Dame Football: Bold predictions for each Irish opponent in 2019

Georgia: Georgia still can’t beat Alabama and misses the playoffs as a result:

I have Georgia undefeated, which means a win over the Irish. But looking down the road, there’s a couple reasons they won’t get over the Alabama hump. Last year, Georgia lost the three biggest games on their schedule: an embarrassment to LSU, a blown lead (again) to Alabama and a close loss to Texas — even though the Bulldogs were a 12 point favorite. Off that team, Georgia has to replace its three top receivers and a 1,000-yard rusher.

The biggest reason doesn’t have much to do with Georgia, but all to do with Alabama. You know Nick Saban won’t respond well to the championship loss to Clemson. Saban will light a fire under his players, even more than usual, come November and December. Georgia is good, but still not Alabama good.

Virginia: Virginia wins 10 games and the ACC Coastal

I’m a big-time believer in Virginia this year, in large part because of the coach/quarterback combination. Bronco Mendenhall has proven he can win in tough situations, between BYU and Virginia. He’s taken Virginia from two to six to eight wins in his three seasons, and there’s no sign this year will stop that momentum. Bryce Perkins was effective last year as well, throwing for over 2,600 yards and rushing for almost 1,200.

Playing Miami on the road isn’t easy, but the Hurricanes have Virginia Tech the week before while Virginia is on a bye. The Cavaliers getting Florida State and Virginia Tech at home certainly helps matters, and a four-game stretch against Duke, Louisville, North Carolina and Georgia Tech could provide some big-time offensive fireworks.