What a setting for the titanic showdown in the Sugar Bowl, as college football superpowers collide, the Georgia Bulldogs and Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Sugar Bowl and the College Football Playoff.
When it comes to college football lore, Notre Dame wrote the book. The preeminent program of the first half of the 20th century, and winners of national championships in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, the Golden Dome has long been a gold standard for college football.
The list of Hall of Famers, Heisman Trophy winners and legendary coaches in South Bend is iconic. And no name is bigger at Notre Dame than one of the most famous and influential figures in the history of the American sporting landscape than Knute Rockne. One of college football’s great innovators, Rockne receives much credit for the popularity of the forward pass. His powerful Notre Dame teams of the Roaring 20s elevated college football’s popularity to the front page for sports fans, and helped transform this beloved game into a cultural phenomenon.
“Win one for the Gipper.” – future President of the United States Ronald Reagan, as George Gipp in the 1940 sports cinema classic Knute Rockne, All-American.
Rockne tragically died in a plane crash on March 31, 1931 at the age of 43. He and Notre Dame were at the height of their dominance and popularity. The Fighting Irish were coming off back to back national championships in 1929 and 1930. Along with the No. 1 ranking of 1924, Rockne led Notre Dame to three national titles in his 13 seasons as Notre Dame’s head coach.
Knute Rockne’s career head coaching record was an amazing 105-12-5.
Kirby Smart’s record as Georgia’s head coach is 105-18.
Like Rockne, who was a standout player at Notre Dame, Smart, who shined on the gridiron in the 1990s for the Bulldogs, is leading his alma mater to astounding success.
The numbers and accomplishments are astounding.
This trip to the Sugar Bowl extends Georgia’s record of eight consecutive major bowl berths. Presumably, since the Bulldogs are the No. 2 seed and in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff, the Bulldogs, even if things go wrong in the Big Easy, will be in the top ten for an eighth straight season, also extending a school record. The Bulldogs finished in the top five and had four straight major bowl appearances in the glory days of 1980 through 1983. The Dogs also finished in the top ten four straight years from 2002 through 2005. So that’s eight in a row, doubling the previous marks. Impressive.
Over Georgia’s last 61 games, the Bulldogs are 57-4. Let that sink in, 57-4. This of course includes a pair of National Championship Game victories.
During this run, the Bulldogs set an SEC record with a 42-game regular season winning streak.
The Bulldogs went 12-0 in the regular seasons of 2021, 2022 and 2023, becoming the first team in college football history to reach 12-0 at any point of a season in three consecutive years.
From the 2021 CFP semifinal Orange Bowl victory over Michigan through the 2023 topping of the Yellow Jackets on The Flats, Georgia won 29 consecutive games, the longest winning streak by an SEC team ever.
The Bulldogs won 28 straight SEC games, a record.
Georgia, with the streak extended in the 44-42 eight overtime thriller over the Jackets – has won 31 successive games on Dooley Field in Sanford Stadium.. That is a school record, the longest active streak in the country, and it ties the SEC mark for consecutive home victories set by Nick Saban’s Alabama teams of the 2010s. Saban’s and Smart’s powerhouse teams’ streaks broke the previous total of 30, set by Steve Spurrier’s Mighty Gators of the 1990s.
Georgia’s victory over Texas in Atlanta marked the Bulldogs 7th trip to the SEC Championship Game in eighy years under Smart’s watch. No team or coach had ever been to six of seven – neither Spurrier’s Gators nor Saban’s Elephants – until Kirby’s Canines a year ago. Seven of eight extends that milestone, which could stand a long, long time.
These Bulldogs of 2024 became the fourth consecutive Georgia team to sweep Tech, Florida, Auburn and Tennessee. That’s 16-0 against the Yellow Jackets, Gators, War Eagle Tigers and Volunteers for this senior class. Under Smart’s watch, since his second season when this remarkable run began, the Bulldogs are 30-2 against Tech, Florida, Auburn and Tennessee. This includes a seven game winning streak against the Yellow Jackets, seven of eight against Florida and eight in a row over both Auburn and Tennessee.
And of course, there are those sacred national titles of 2021 and 2022, as Georgia became the only team in the College Football Playoff era to win back-to-back national championships.
The 2021 national championship was Georgia’s first since 1980, when the Bulldogs beat none other than Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl cap a perfect 12-0 title campaign.
Beat the rivals, collect the championships and trophies.
To borrow from another unforgettable ‘40s movie line, ‘it’s the stuff that dreams are made of.”
But as Kirby always reminds us – along the lines of walking, not talking, being confident, not cocky, humility is always just a week away.
Notre Dame is waking up the echoes on the 100-year anniversary of Rockne’s first national title in South Bend. Smart’s Bulldogs meanwhile are aiming to write another chapter in these Georgia tales of glory. It’s a dream come true for the sons and daughters of the Red and Black, that this era for Georgia and Smart are comparable to those days for Notre Dame and Rockne.