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All eyes on Georgia-Notre Dame in 2019

Georgia fans have circled the Sept. 21 game against Notre Dame for a while, given Georgia’s uninspiring 2018 non-conference slate and the thrilling 2017 game between the two schools, which Georgia won 20-19. But it now seems like the rest of the college football world will also be very interested in the game.

ESPN’s Andrea Adelson ranked the Georgia-Notre Dame clash as the No. 1 non-conference matchup in 2019. That’s ahead of games like LSU-Texas, Clemson-Texas A&M and Auburn-Oregon.

Another reason for the added emphasis on the game, Adelson writes, is because of what the Georgia players tweeted about Notre Dame during the College Football Playoff. Many Georgia players voiced the opinion that they belong in the playoff over Notre Dame, who lost 30-3 to Clemson

“The trash-talk coming from Georgia players via Twitter as they watched Notre Dame get trucked by Clemson in the College Football Playoff semifinal makes this Week 4 matchup between the Irish and Bulldogs must-see TV,” Adelson wrote.

Of course, Georgia didn’t do itself any favors by losing to Texas in the Sugar Bowl after the tweets. Still, with Jake Fromm, D’Andre Swift and a host of other contributors returning, the Georgia-Notre Dame game should be viewed as one of the games of the 2019 season.

Both teams figure to enter with high rankings, as Georgia comes in at No. 3 in ESPN’s “way-too-early” Top 25 for 2019. Notre Dame, which brings back quarterback Ian Book but does lose a number of key players on defense, was ranked No. 5.

The Notre Dame game will be Georgia’s fourth of the season, as the Bulldogs open on the road against Vanderbilt on Aug. 31, and then host Murray State and Arkansas State.

Georgia baseball receives top 10 ranking

Last year the Georgia baseball team took a big step forward under Scott Stricklin, as the Bulldogs finished with a 39-21 record. Georgia hosted a regional in the NCAA Tournament and went 18-12 in the SEC, the best conference in college baseball.

And due to a number of returning contributors from the 2018 team, the 2019 has high expectations. The Bulldogs were ranked the No. 9 team in the country in D1baseball’s preseason poll.

Georgia will have to replace some of the production it lost from last year as Keegan McGovern and Michael Curry have both moved on. Look for Tucker Bradley and LJ Talley to make up for it in 2019. Georgia also signed pitcher Cole Wilcox, who was the No. 18 overall recruit in the 2018 class, per Perfectgame.org.

A total of eight SEC teams were ranked in the top 25, including Vanderbilt coming in at No. 1 and LSU sitting at No. 2. The eight teams in the top 25 is the most by any conference. Georgia starts its season on Feb. 15, when the Bulldogs host the Dayton Flyers for a three-game series.

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