Notre Dame vs. Georgia College Football Playoff Quarterfinal: Everything to Know
What to watch for as the Fighting Irish face the Bulldogs in the Quarterfinal Game at the Sugar Bowl.
The end of the college football season has a new and different look this year, thanks to the inaugural expansion of the playoff format to encompass the game’s 12 top teams. With four of those gone in the wake of a recent first round that tilted heavily in favor of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (and other higher-seeded teams), the Irish are advancing to the eight-team quarterfinal round, where they’ll face perennial SEC power the Georgia Bulldogs.
The winner of the Notre Dame-Georgia game will advance to take on the winner of the quarterfinal playoff game between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Boise State Broncos. That semifinal contest, in turn, will advance the winner to the College Football National Championship Game, slated for Monday, January 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
RELATED: Oregon vs. Ohio State Preview - Everything to Know About the College Football Playoff Matchup
When does the Notre Dame vs. Georgia College Football Playoff game kick off?
Wednesday, January 1. Kickoff time for the game is set for 8:45 p.m. ET
Notre Dame and Georgia will be all business on the football field as their fans ring in the New Year: The Irish and Bulldogs will meet in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal Game on Wednesday, January 1. Kickoff time for the game is set for 8:45 p.m. ET .
Where will Notre Dame and Georgia play in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal?
All four of the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal games will be played in a classic bowl-game setting, continuing an end-of-season sports tradition that dates back more than 100 years. It’s an apt badge of honor for two teams as rich in history as Notre Dame and Georgia: They’ll be meeting under the Caesar’s Superdome in New Orleans, with their quarterfinal matchup also serving as the 2025 Sugar Bowl.
RELATED: NFL Holiday Schedule 2025: Sunday Night Football, Christmas Kickoff Times & More
What other bowl games are included in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal?
In addition to Notre Dame and Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, three other classic bowl games will pull double duty as quarterfinals venues in this year's College Football Playoff.
Beginning on New Year’s Eve, Boise State and Penn State will play their quarterfinals game in the Fiesta Bowl. The following Day (New Year’s Day), the Arizona State Sun Devils will face the Texas Longhorns in the Peach Bowl, followed by the Oregon Ducks and Ohio State Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl. The Sugar Bowl’s prime time 8:45 p.m. ET kickoff start on January 1 will determine the remaining team — either Notre Dame or Georgia — to advance to the playoff’s semifinal round.
RELATED: College Football Playoff 2024/25 Bracket: Games, Times, Everything to Know
Notre Dame and Georgia's Paths to the College Football Playoff Quarterfinals
Notre Dame and Georgia have only faced each other three times in the two teams’ storied football histories — and so far, Georgia holds a perfect 3-0 record against the Irish. Even with only three head-to-head contests between them, the matchup still comes with a ton of its own tradition: Their first meeting in the 1981 Sugar Bowl was an absolute doozy, earning Georgia the national championship on the strength of running back Herschel Walker’s 2-TD, 150-yard performance in his Heisman Trophy-winning year.
This year’s Notre Dame-Georgia matchup feature two teams who each found their own way to overcome early adversity. Under head coach Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame has surged back strong after stumbling in a close September 7 loss at home against Northern Illinois, winning out the rest of their schedule and decisively besting the Indiana University Hoosiers in the playoffs’ first round.
The Fighting Irish enter the Sugar Bowl with a 12-1 record, while Georgia — who sat out the first playoff round as one of the bracket’s four top-seeded teams — brings an 11-2 record into the contest. Georgia’s two losses this season both came against in-conference SEC foes (Alabama and Ole Miss). But with not one but two wins over fellow playoff contender Texas, head coach Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs have definitely proven once again this year that they belong in the playoff mix.
Catch all of Notre Dame's home games next season exclusively airing on NBC and streaming on Peacock.
