Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton (14) looks to throw a pass during overtime of the SEC championship game against Texas in Atlanta, on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024.
Sugar Bowl rescheduled for Thursday
The Sugar Bowl will be played today (4 p.m. ET, ESPN), postponed because of the tragic events in New Orleans early Wednesday.
So let’s take another look at the Notre Dame-Georgia matchup now that we have three CFP quarterfinals behind us,
Is it a coincidence or a handicapping factor that the three underdogs with byes came out of the gate slowly?
>Arizona State (+13.5) fell behind 14-3 in the first quarter, rallied late but lost to Texas in OT 39-31. The Sun Devils at least covered.
>No. 1 seed Oregon (+2.5) was down 14-0 after 15 minutes and was routed by Ohio State 41-21.
>On New Year’s Eve, Boise State (+11.5) dug a 14-0 first-quarter hole and lost to Penn State 31-14.
Unless there is more line movement today, a well-rested Georgia team will be the underdog vs. the Irish, who flipped to a 1-point favorite on Wednesday.
The Notre Dame-Georgia winner will play Penn State, which is a 1-point underdog vs. both teams in the DraftKings lookahead lines.
Ohio State opened as a 5.5-point favorite vs. Texas at Circa and moved to 6 while DK was at 6.5.
Who’s in and out for Week 18
Eagles RB Saquon Barkley won’t play Sunday vs. the Giants. . . . Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes won’t play vs. the Broncos, replaced by Carson Wentz. . . . The Dolphins are prepping QB Tyler Huntley to play vs. the Jets because of Tua Tagovailoa’s hip injury. . . . Rams QB Matthew Stafford will rest vs. Seattle with Jimmy Garoppolo starting instead. . . . With QB Brock Purdy (elbow) injured, the 49ers will start Joshua Dobbs.
Steve Makinen has been tracking these late “rest” games for years and offers his counsel:
My best advice is not to assume that resting starters equals tanking the game. You’ll also want to avoid automatically downgrading the offenses because backup quarterbacks are in place. Remember, there are also a lot of second-string defenders in as well.
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