If this game was played a year ago, it would have been a higher profile matchup, and perhaps one deserving of a more prestigious bowl than the Belk Bowl (no offence to the southern department store chain).

Instead this year it’s a matchup of two teams that have bounced around the Top 25 and are looking to end their mostly disappointing seasons on a high note.

The biggest disappointment for Georgia was of course Todd Gurley’s season. In an era when running backs simply aren’t taken in the first round of NFL drafts (save for Trent Richardson regrettably), Gurley has been ranked by experts and draftniks as high as the Top 10.

The guy is legit, but a combination of injuries and poor decisions, robbed the RB of most of his junior season. Gurley finished with 911 yards and nine touchdowns on just 123 carries but first missed four games to suspension for accepting money for his autograph, and then tore his ACL in his return against Auburn, an injury that would cost him the rest of the season and the upcoming Belk Bowl.

The good news for Gurley and football fans everywhere is the North Carolina native is expected to make a full recovery and the injury isn’t expected to cost too many draft slots come late April.

The loss of Gurley can’t be considered a crutch for Georgia’s below expectations season however as freshman Nick Chubb did an admirable job filling in, rushing for 1,281 yards and 12 touchdowns on 186 carries in Gurley’s absence.

Despite routing eventual SEC East champion Missouri midway through the year, losses to South Carolina and Florida led to Georgia missing out on the SEC Championship game. It likely wouldn’t have mattered however, as the Bulldogs fell to in-state rival Georgia Tech in the last game of the regular season.

The post-Teddy Bridgewater Louisville Cardinals meanwhile, were largely off most college football fan’s radars until late in the season when they found their way into the Top 25.

Bobby Petrino’s Cardinals again finished the year ranked 21st in the nation despite only playing one ranked team – No. 2 Florida State, losing 42-31. Louisville wasn’t without big wins however, opening the year with a 31-13 rout of ACC rival Miami (Florida) and a late season upset of Notre Dame, who spent time in the Top 10 earlier in the year.

In a transition year, Louisville boasts a middle-of-the-pack offence, ranking 77th in the nation at a little under 400 yards per game. The Cards have a better passing attack than Georgia (33rd ranked offence in the NCAA) averaging nearly 250 yards per game through the air to the Bulldogs’ 200, but lose a lot on the ground where Chubb, Gurley, and Georgia averages more than 100 yards per game more than Louisville (255 to 149).

This game could be a low scoring tilt as both teams rank in the Top 20 in the nation on defence Louisville is sixth, giving up less than 300 yards per game while Georgia finished just 12 teams behind, giving up 334 per game. 

The Cardinals are even better against the run, finishing third in the NCAA in that category at a 93.7 yards per game average, and it will be interesting to see if Chubb and the run-heavy Bulldogs can get going at a greater clip than that.

Louisville has played very few teams of Georgia’s calibre, a fact that likely helped their numbers on defence. If the Cardinals’ defence can prove as stout as they’ve been against lesser competition, they’ll have a chance, but the Bulldogs, a seven-point favourite, should be able to establish their run game enough to make sure they don’t lose to two ACC opponents in a row.

Eye on Sunday

WR Devante Parker, Louisville

All the prospect talk at the receiver position has been about Alabama’s Amari Cooper, but that may change in the New Year. The senior missed the first seven games of the year to injury but made up for lost time in the final five, amassing 735 yards and five touchdowns. A big game against Georgia should make things all the more uncomfortable for Cooper as the draft’s top receiver.

LB Leonard Floyd, Georgia

The Bulldogs are known for producing NFL-calibre linebackers and Floyd appears to be the latest high profile prospect. Floyd projects as an up-and-coming edge rusher but may return to school to add more size before entering the draft.

S Gerod Holliman, Louisville

Holliman led the country in interceptions, by a wide margin with 14. He may also be the early leader in draftniks tearing apart his game ahead of the draft. Holliman’s been criticized for a number of things, from poor tackling to immaturity. The playmaker has a chance to silence some of the criticism against Georgia.

RB Todd Gurley, Georgia

Gurley’s struggles off the field, and staying on the field, will probably push him out of the Top 10 in April’s draft but many still feel he’ll be a first rounder. Gurley will now likely battle Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon as the top running back taken in the draft, likely somewhere in the teens.