As the calendar year is about to turn to 2025, Notre Dame football will have a showdown in the Sugar Bowl against the SEC champions, Georgia Bulldogs on Jan. 1 at 7:45 p.m. local time. The Fighting Irish are having a historic season, but history suggests they will have their hands full in New Orleans.
The odds seem to be stacked against them as the program’s history shows they struggle immensely in New Year’s Six bowls and have a hard time when they face Georgia. Fighting Irish are on the brink of entering a new era of success if they can get a win, but if the Irish fall once again, it will be another painful chapter in a story filled with missed opportunities in the postseason. Either way, this Sugar Bowl will be a defining moment for Notre Dame football.
Odds are stacked high against Notre Dame football for Sugar Bowl
The Irish are known to put on an underwhelming performance in the College Football Playoff, or in big games, however the Irish are coming off a historic season and dominant first round win and the belief is that they have the talent to turn the tide.
Notre Dame has had major struggles in New Year six bowl games as the Fighting Irish haven’t won a New Year six bowl game since 1994 in their Cotton Bowl win over Texas A&M. Irish are winless since 1994 and are 0-8 in New Year Six Bowl games since and has caused media to think of the Irish as a fraud.
Their recent track record in major bowl games makes this matchup one that many believe could end in disappointment for the Irish. College Football analyst, Joel Klatt had the Irish losing first round to Indiana, but stated he would pick Georgia with or without Carson Beck over the Irish if they beat Indiana.
Notre Dame lost in the first-round their first two times when they were in the four-team playoff format by 27 to Clemson in 2018 and by 17 against Alabama in 2020. The Fighting Irish recent history isn't on their side as Marcus Freeman first game as Head Coach was against Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl. where the Irish blew a 28-7 lead and lost 37-35 in 2022.
The Irish last national championship was back in 1988, when Notre Dame beat West Virginia by a score of 31-24. Since then, Notre Dame has been back to the championship one time and lost 42-14 to Alabama in the 2012 BCS Championship game.
The Irish are also winless against the Georgia Bulldogs and have a disappointing 0-3 record against Georgia. The last meeting came in 2019 where the Fighting Irish lost 23-17 in Athens. Irish faced them at Notre Dame Stadium as well in 2017 and fell short 20-19.
The Irish often often falls just short against elite competition and is why people like Cam Newton think Notre Dame shouldn’t have made the playoffs. The challenge for Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl is monumental. Not only will they need to break a 0-3 record against Georgia, but they also need to end their New Year’s Six drought that has lasted for nearly three decades. Their past currently hangs over them unless they can prove that this time is different.
The Sugar Bowl represents an opportunity to silence some of the critics who question Notre Dame ability to win big games. Georgia opens up as 1.5 point favorite over the Irish. A win over Georgia would not only end Notre Dame football’s bowl game drought but will send Notre Dame to semifinals to face Boise State or Penn State.