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Although the Georgia Bulldogs and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are two of the most storied programs in college football, this will be the first time that they meet on the field. Georgia comes into this game with a chip on its shoulder after starting quarterback Jacob Eason went down with an injury last week. Eason hurt his ankle in the win over Appalachian State and there is no timetable for his return. As for Notre Dame, the Irish have a decent quarterback in Brandon Wimbush, but no one behind him.
Kickoff for this regular season Week 2 game is set for Saturday, September 9, 2017, at 7:30 p.m.
ET at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana. This game will be broadcast on NBC.
College Football Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Georgia +4.5
Notre Dame -4.5
Over/Under 53.5
Odds Analysis
Notre Dame did something it had never done before in its opener against Temple. For the first time, the Irish had three players rush for over 100 yards against an opponent. Wimbush, Josh Adams, and Dexter Williams all eclipsed the century mark against the Owls as Notre Dame finished the day with 422 yards and five touchdowns on the ground in a rout that easily covered the spread.
The Bulldogs didn’t need to do much on offense to beat the Mountaineers in the season opener. Georgia could only muster 360 total yards of offense, but that was enough to get the job done. The defense held Appalachian State scoreless into the fourth quarter and only then could the Mountaineers move the ball effectively.
Player to Watch
The Jake Fromm era is starting in Athens. Eason’s injury opened the door for Fromm, who played well in his first start despite being a true freshman. He completed 66.7 percent of his passes for 143 yards and a touchdown in relief and did everything the coaching staff asked of him.
Offensive coordinator Jim Chaney loves Fromm and he battled Eason all throughout spring for the starting job. At one point, some even thought that Fromm had surpassed Eason on the depth chart, so this isn’t a big step down at all for the Bulldogs.
Fromm won’t have to worry about looking over his shoulder either. Brice Ramsey was horrible when given an opportunity to do something late. He only threw two passes, both interceptions, and will not see the field outside of garbage time barring injury.
Matchup to Watch
Notre Dame’s commitment to running the football against Temple was a bit of a surprise. The Irish kept handing the ball to their running backs over and over again and found continued success. Whether or not it was Brian Kelly just exploiting a flaw in the defense or if he wanted to give Georgia something to think about, the effectiveness of the run game was huge in the easy win.
This Bulldogs defense is going to be one of the stingiest in the country this year. They return 10 starters from last year’s unit and have upperclassmen starting at every position. Kelly has thought long and hard about how to move the ball against this defense and will try to draw up favorable matchups.
Free ATS Pick
Both sides will be tested in this one. Georgia doesn’t see many original playcallers in the SEC, so matching up against Kelly will be intriguing. He is a firebrand that clashes with his players, but there’s no denying his playcalling ability.
Notre Dame allowed Temple to have success in the passing game, but held firm against the run in its season opener. Opportunities will be there for Fromm to capitalize against this secondary and he should be able to as long as he works out some of the kinks from his freshman start. Georgia on the moneyline is a solid play here.
College Football Odds: Bulldogs 27, Fighting Irish 24
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