The college football bowl schedule weathered a very sudden and tragic change this week after a terrorist attack in New Orleans forced the Sugar Bowl to postpone its playoff quarterfinal game by a full day following a mass casualty event that has killed at least 15 people.
A man intentionally drove a pickup truck into a crowd of people just after 3 a.m. on New Year’s Day in an incident the FBI described as a terrorist attack.
Police found an ISIS flag on the back of the truck used in the attack, and later discovered several other improvised explosive devices around the city.
As disaster struck in the French Quarter, both Georgia and Notre Dame were forced to shelter in place in their hotels and not venture outside while police secured the area.
Authorities locked down the Superdome and swept the stadium and surrounding area for other explosives, a project of such scale that a postponement seemed like the only possible outcome.
But now, the football is back on, and the Bulldogs and Fighting Irish are set to bring a conclusion to the quarterfinal round of a historic College Football Playoff.
That’s not the only pigskin we’ll see in action today, as another SEC team bids farewell to an all-time great quarterback in a matchup against an up and coming ACC challenger.
All times Eastern, game lines are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
Sugar Bowl
College Football Playoff Quarterfinal
Georgia vs. Notre Dame
Thurs., Jan. 2 | 4 p.m. | ESPN
Line: Georgia -1.5
SEC champion Georgia earned the first round bye, all the better considering it has to break in a new quarterback on rather short notice after Carson Beck suffered an injury to his throwing arm.
That paves the way for Gunner Stockton to step into the QB1 role for the Bulldogs, short on experience, but high on potential and confidence from his teammates, who have spent the last week talking up their new quarterback.
Notre Dame handled Indiana in the first round game behind another solid rushing effort and dominant defensive showing, and pose a real threat when running the ball.
Jeremiyah Love and quarterback Riley Leonard power an Irish ground attack that ranks 10th nationally in total production, but faces a stiff test against Georgia’s front seven defenders.
Notre Dame is the narrow favorite in the matchup, winning out in 54 percent of the FPI’s computer simulations, and is projected to be 1.4 points better than Georgia on the same field.
More … Georgia vs. Notre Dame Prediction
–
Gator Bowl
Ole Miss vs. Duke
Thurs., Jan. 2 | 8 p.m. | ESPN
Line: Ole Miss -17.5
Yes, the Rebels are heavy favorites in this matchup against the Blue Devils, the biggest point spread of any game on this year’s college football bowl schedule.
And with some reason: Duke played some good football this year, finishing 9-3 and fourth place in the ACC with a 5-3 conference record in Manny Diaz’s first season as head coach.
But this team will be down two key offensive players after quarterback Maalik Murphy and tailback Star Thomas both announced they will enter the transfer portal ahead of the 2025 season.
Murphy was a revelation for the Duke offense this year, establishing the school’s single-season record by throwing 26 touchdown passes.
And while the Blue Devils were among the nation’s least-productive rushing attacks, Thomas still accounted for more than 800 yards and 7 touchdowns on the ground.
Even backup quarterback Grayson Loftis is in the portal, leaving this team in the hands of third-stringer Henry Belin IV, who threw just one pass this year.
Ole Miss put itself back in College Football Playoff contention after a tough 1-2 start in SEC play, but a stunning and costly loss at unranked Florida late in the year ended those ambitions.
Now, the Rebels will say goodbye to three-year starting quarterback Jaxson Dart, who compiled 80 all-purpose touchdowns and passed for over 10,000 yards in that time.
Dart commands an offense that ranked 9th in FBS by scoring nearly 38 points per game on average and himself led an aerial attack that was 3rd with almost 344 passing yards each time out.
Defensively, the Rebels put on a show behind a stout front seven, sitting 4th among 134 FBS teams in scoring output, limiting opponents to just 13.9 points per game.
Ole Miss is the dominant favorite in the game, winning out over Duke in 83.5 percent of simulations and projected to be 14 points better than Duke on the same, according to the FPI prediction model.
–
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, please call 1-800-GAMBLER.
–
More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | Teams
Follow College Football HQ: Bookmark | Rankings | Picks
James Parks is the founder and publisher of College Football HQ. He previously covered football for 247Sports and CBS Interactive. College Football HQ joined the Sports Illustrated Fannation Network in 2022.
© 2025 ABG-SI LLC – SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC. – All Rights Reserved. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates, licensees and related brands. All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.
