ESPN voice Paul Finebaum is notorious for backing the SEC, but in this Orange Bowl matchup doesn't have a team from that conference to pick between, seeing as Notre Dame knocked out Georgia. So who does Finebaum have winning the showdown and heading to Atlanta?

Notre Dame beating Georgia in the Sugar Bowl to earn a spot in the College Football Playoff semifinals is a program-defining result.

Notre Dame is headed to the College Football Playoff semifinals after stunning second-seed Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, being played in New Orleans just a day after an attack on New Year’s revelers left 14 people dead.

Acquiring good players in the portal who have the academics to make it into Notre Dame is one part of the equation. Notre Dame is a unique place. It isn't for everyone. Ensuring these players are a good culture and locker room fit in South Bend is the second aspect of this dynamic.

The narrative coming into the College Football Playoff quarterfinals at the Sugar Bowl on Thursday was that Notre Dame still couldn't beat the big boys and knock off a traditional powerhouse. Marcus Freeman and the Irish put all of that noise to bed with a convincing 23-10 win over Georgia to advance to the semifinals.

In a College Football Playoff game delayed by the attack on Bourbon Street, the Fighting Irish defense sets the tone in a 23-10 win.

Notre Dame matched up against the SEC champions with all the stigmas surrounding this Irish team, and the perceived lack of speed