Notre Dame Outshines Indiana to Set Up Sugar Bowl Clash with Georgia

The inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff got off to a roaring start Friday night, but not for the Indiana Hoosiers. The No. 7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish cruised past the No. 10 Hoosiers with a 27-17 win that was more lopsided than the score suggests. If there was any doubt about how this game was going to go, Jeremiyah Love erased it in the first quarter with a jaw-dropping 98-yard touchdown run—tying a school record and setting a new College Football Playoff milestone.

Fans may not have known it at the time, but that run sealed Indiana’s fate. By halftime, Notre Dame held a commanding 17-3 lead, leaving Indiana fans to ponder their life choices while their team pondered why they kicked a field goal instead of going for it late in the second quarter. Notre Dame promptly answered with a field goal of its own, essentially stamping its ticket to the next round.

Missed Opportunities and Missteps

Indiana’s chance to make this game interesting vanished faster than their hopes of an upset. After receiving the ball to start the third quarter, Notre Dame’s kickoff return past midfield set the tone for what was to come. While Indiana managed to force a punt, their offense sputtered with a three-and-out.

Then came the moment that all but broke Indiana’s spirit: a third-down penalty for a late hit on Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard. The unnecessary flag gave the Irish a free first down, leading to a touchdown and a 17-point deficit. Indiana never recovered, and for neutral fans, the Hoosiers’ decision to punt while trailing by 17 with less than 11 minutes left felt like the ultimate white flag.

Looking Ahead to Georgia

Notre Dame’s win sets up an epic Sugar Bowl showdown with No. 2 Georgia on Jan. 1. It will mark Notre Dame’s fifth Sugar Bowl appearance and their first since 2007, when they lost to LSU in a blowout. Interestingly, Notre Dame and Georgia last met in the 1981 Sugar Bowl, with Georgia claiming an unofficial national title. The stakes couldn’t be higher this time around.

Georgia enters the game with question marks at quarterback, as Gunner Stockton is likely to start following Carson Beck’s injury in the SEC Championship. Notre Dame, however, will need to sharpen its offensive play if it hopes to capitalize. While Love’s historic run dazzled on Friday, the Irish’s offense was otherwise underwhelming. Leonard threw an interception on their first drive, and the ground game outside of Love’s heroics left much to be desired.

The Irish also face potential challenges on defense, as lineman Rylie Moss limped off the field with a leg injury after a second-half sack of Indiana’s Kurtis Rourke. Moss’s availability could be a key factor in their matchup against Georgia’s dynamic offense.

Indiana’s Rollercoaster Season

To call Indiana’s season a mixed bag would be an understatement. On one hand, the Hoosiers posted an impressive 11-1 record, navigating a Big Ten schedule that conveniently skipped Penn State. On the other hand, they struggled mightily against top-tier competition, as evidenced by their losses to Ohio State and now Notre Dame.

Against Ohio State, Indiana’s offensive line was overwhelmed, and history repeated itself on Friday. Notre Dame dominated the trenches, exposing the gap between Indiana and college football’s elite programs. Still, Indiana’s season was far from a fluke. Wins over Michigan and Washington—both programs in transition—helped solidify their place in the playoff field. The Hoosiers didn’t just sneak into the postseason; they earned their shot.

The Bigger Picture

Indiana’s blowout loss serves as a reminder that the 12-team playoff isn’t immune to mismatches. But let’s not label Indiana a fraud. Not every playoff team needs to be a juggernaut. The beauty of the expanded format is that it gives programs like Indiana a chance to compete on the big stage. They may not have been up to Notre Dame’s level, but they proved themselves worthy of inclusion with a stellar regular season.

For Notre Dame, the focus now shifts to Georgia and the opportunity to prove they belong in the conversation for a national championship. The Irish have the talent to pull off an upset, but they’ll need to play a more complete game to take down the Bulldogs. As for Indiana, their journey may have ended in disappointment, but their season remains a testament to resilience and ambition—qualities every collegiate athlete can appreciate.