Indiana is set to showcase its reputation as a premier basketball state while also drawing attention as a budding college football hotspot just before the Christmas holiday.
The College Football Playoff bracket unveiled on Sunday places Indiana, ranked as the 10th seed, against the 7th seed Notre Dame in a first-round matchup scheduled for December 20. The victorious team will advance to challenge the second-seeded Georgia in the Sugar Bowl during the quarterfinals on January 1.
Located around 200 miles apart within the state, the football programs of Indiana and Notre Dame have not clashed since 1991, and before that, their last meeting was in 1958. In terms of historical rivalry, Notre Dame has the upper hand with a series record of 22-3, with Indiana’s victories occurring in 1900, 1905, and 1950.
The last encounter between these two teams featured notable players, Rick Mirer and Jerome Bettis, who guided Notre Dame to a 49-27 victory in South Bend on a warm September day 33 years ago. The atmosphere will be considerably different when the teams reunite at Notre Dame Stadium in less than two weeks.
Georgia secured the Southeastern Conference’s automatic bid and received a first-round bye after a thrilling overtime win against Texas on Saturday, finishing the season with an 11-2 record. The Bulldogs remain undefeated against Notre Dame in their previous three matchups, all being intense contests, and they have yet to face Indiana.
Georgia’s inaugural game against Notre Dame occurred in the 1981 Sugar Bowl, where the Bulldogs, coached by Vince Dooley, capped off their perfect 12-0 championship season with a 17-10 win. In that game, a freshman Herschel Walker, who would later win the Heisman Trophy, made an impressive contribution by rushing for 150 yards and scoring two touchdowns despite playing with a dislocated shoulder.
The rivalry continued with two more games, both taking place in the early seasons of 2017 and 2019. In their first encounter in 2017, Georgia narrowly prevailed with a 20-19 victory at Notre Dame, propelling the Bulldogs toward a 9-0 start and a slot in the College Football Playoff championship game. The following showdown in 2019 concluded with yet another Georgia win, this time 23-17, with both teams ranked in the top 10 at that time.
