College Football Playoff Quarterfinals: Best Bets and Props for Notre Dame vs. Georgia

After staying up late to watch the ball drop on New Year's Eve, fans of college football will be treated to three college football playoff games on Wednesday. To conclude the festivities on New Year's Day, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will take on the Georgia Bulldogs in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

The Fighting Irish kicked off the college football playoffs with a 27-17 victory over the Indiana Hoosiers, improving their record to 12-1. As for the Bulldogs, they earned a first-round bye in the playoffs after squeaking out a 22-19 win against the Texas Longhorns in the SEC Championship Game in early December.

Using the college football odds at FanDuel Sportsbook, let's discuss the best bets and player props for Wednesday's clash between Notre Dame and Georgia that will kick off at 8:45 p.m. ET.

All college football odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.

Allstate Sugar Bowl Player Props and Betting Picks

Notre Dame Moneyline (-105)

The Fighting Irish got a fantastic draw in their side of the bracket for the playoffs, being scheduled to face a pass-oriented Hoosiers squad (Notre Dame's defense excels at stopping the pass) in the first round, and a Bulldogs team who won't have their starting quarterback available in the quarterfinals. Carson Beck suffered a season-ending elbow injury in the SEC title contest versus the Longhorns, so it will be Gunner Stockton under center for Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

In relief of Beck against Texas, Stockton completed 12 of his 16 passes for only 71 yards and an interception. Stockton will now be tasked with facing a Notre Dame defense that is first in expected points added per drop back allowed (-0.172) and defensive passing success rate (32.1%).

Even if the Bulldogs decide to deploy a run-heavy offense to protect Stockton, the Fighting Irish are also ninth in expected points added per rushing attempt allowed (-0.094). Additionally, Notre Dame is third in turnover margin per game (+1.2) and fifth in takeaways per game (2.2), so Stockton will need to play mistake-free football against a stout defense to give Georgia a chance of advancing.

With the Fighting Irish being one of the more well-balanced teams remaining and the Bulldogs starting an inexperienced quarterback, I'll back Notre Dame to extend their winning streak to 12 games. Lastly, the Fighting Irish are a stellar 10-2-1 against the spread (ATS) this year while the Bulldogs are 4-9 ATS. Taking the moneyline is nearly identical to a narrow spread here.

Jeremiyah Love Over 67.5 Rushing Yards (-114)

One major reason why the Fighting Irish are still alive in the playoffs is due to the contributions of Jeremiyah Love in the rushing attack. Among running backs with 140-plus rushing attempts this season, Love is averaging the most yards per attempt (7.5) and second-most yards after contact per attempt (4.68), per PFF.

As a result of Notre Dame leaning on Love and allowing Riley Leonard to use his legs from the quarterback position, the Fighting Irish are third in expected points added per rushing attempt (0.116). In the win over Indiana in the first round, Love tallied 108 rushing yards on 8 carries on the back of an 98-yard touchdown run, but he was in store for more production if Notre Dame didn't jump out to a 20-3 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Although Georgia's defense is 8th in expected points added per rushing attempt allowed (-0.099) and 24th in defensive rushing success rate (38.1%), Indiana's defense is 11th in expected points added per rushing attempt allowed (-0.086) and 3rd in defensive rushing success rate (34.2%). Despite the Bulldogs always having a formidable defensive front, the Fighting Irish have an offensive line that is capable of controlling the line of scrimmage against any opponent, which has helped them average the second-most yards per rushing attempt (6.2).

Considering that I don't envision Notre Dame blowing out Georgia in this game, Love should get enough usage to reach 68-plus rushing yards -- a number he's achieved in 8 of his 13 outings this season.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.