Notre Dame’s debut in the twelve-team College Football Playoff went even better than expected, as the Fighting Irish dominated No. 8 Indiana. Now, in his third year in South Bend, head coach Marcus Freeman faces the ultimate litmus test: Georgia.

Georgia head football coach Kirby Smart breaks down Notre Dame and Marcus Freeman ahead of the Sugar Bowl showdown

The College Football Playoff quarterfinal round will see the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs (11-2) facing the No. 3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (12-1) in the Sugar Bowl at 8:45 p.m. ET in New Orleans,

With the Fighting Irish being the "away" team at the neutral site in New Orleans, the traditional white uniform and gold pants combination would be most likely. It can be reasonably anticipated that Georgia will wear red, leaving Notre Dame with a good amount of creative freedom if it chooses to stray away from white.

While seed pairings are #7 VS #2, the reality is that the AP Top 25 Rankings have this as a #3 (Notre Dame) vs #2 (Georgia). To be fair, the AP rankings feel pretty accurate about right now — and even if they aren’t — the disparity between the two programs feels that way.

Notre Dame (12-1) earned a spot in the Playoff Quarterfinals after a 27-17 victory over No. 10 Indiana in the first-ever College Football Playoff First-Round Game. The Fighting Irish, who are seeded No. 7, will be making their fifth Sugar Bowl appearance and are looking to continue their strong postseason run.

Notre Dame plays Georgia on New Year's Day! We continue our College Football odds series with a Notre Dame-Georgia prediction and pick.

The conclusion of the first-ever on-campus game in the College Football Playoff has set the stage for our first quarterfinal matchup in the new 12-team format. Notre Dame will advance to face Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on Jan.