Notre Dame Football: Top Storylines vs. Georgia

Redemption for Both Teams

I sound like a broken record when I bring up Notre Dame and big games, but until they consistently show up on these big stages, the record will stay broken.

Brian Kelly took a step in the right direction last year with big wins over Michigan and Stanford, but then fell short again on the biggest stage vs. Clemson at the end of the year. This game is another chance at redemption for Kelly and this program.

Most Notre Dame and football fans that followed the Irish understood the Clemson score was not indicative of the talent last year’s team had. Yes, Clemson was the better team and took control of the game, but Notre Dame was a Julian Love injury and a few fortunate bounces away from making that a ball game.

But, for all your college buddies or crazy uncles obsessed with Alabama, that’s a lot harder to understand than just saying “30-3” any chance they get.

Saturday night is something that many teams don’t get a shot at, and that’s a second chance at redemption. They failed to deliver last year, and just nine months removed from the Cotton Bowl, the Irish have a chance to go toe-to-toe with an elite SEC team and chip away at the narrative that they can’t show up when the lights are the brightest.

In many ways, this game reminds me of the Notre Dame-Oklahoma matchup in 2012. The Irish were No. 5 in the country entering Norman to face No. 8 Oklahoma and their high-powered offense. College Gameday was there, no one gave the Fighting Irish a fighting chance — and they responded with a 30-13 beatdown.

Crazy things happen in college football, especially when a team has something to prove.

Speaking of something to prove, let’s transition to Georgia, who felt like they were snubbed from the playoff last year after choking away the SEC Championship vs. Alabama. Many players voiced their thoughts about the selection, and were especially vocal on social media following Clemson’s victory over the Irish.

Of course, getting bullied by No. 15 Texas a few days later didn’t help their cause or validate the thoughts many held that Georgia would have put up a better fight vs. Clemson, but regardless, Georgia felt disrespected and would want nothing more than to run up, over, and through the Irish on Saturday night.

The underdog with something to prove vs. the SEC power with a chip on its shoulder. What more could you want?