Sugar Bowl football history: H2H, Records, top matchups and more ahead of Georgia vs. Notre Dame game matchup

The Sugar Bowl has one of the oldest and proudest traditions in college football. Before Wednesday's battle of Georgia and Notre Dame writing a new chapter, it might be a good time to look back.

Here's the back story of the Sugar Bowl, some of the biggest games, and the series history of this year's game.

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Sugar Bowl football history

Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman seeks a semifinal spot with a win in the Sugar Bowl over Georgia. (Photo Credit: IMAGN)

The Sugar Bowl began in 1935, tying it for the second longest-lived bowl game. Only the Rose Bowl is older and the Sun Bowl and Orange Bowl started in the same season. The game has been played in New Orleans, except for a 2006 game in Atlanta when Hurricane Katrina had devastated the Superdome along with the New Orleans area.

Historically, the Sugar Bowl generally involved an SEC team. That link was not formal but has tied the game to top southern teams historically. The attraction for the Sugar Bowl, as with most of the early bowl games, was the promise of warm weather atmospheres for teams, but fans haven't often used to that advantage in January.

The game was played at Tulane until 1974, when it moved to the Superdome, the home of the New Orleans Saints of the NFL. Aside from the single year sojourn in Atlanta, the game has stuck with the Superdome since.

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Notable matchups in the history of the Sugar Bowl

1951: No. 7 Kentucky vs. No. 1 Oklahoma

Kentucky upset No. 1 Oklahoma, on a 28-game winning streak coming in, in a 13-7 victory. It's the biggest win in Kentucky's history and ended an impressive OU dynasty. It also started a trend...

1952: No. 3 Maryland vs. No. 1 Tennessee

And the following year, No. 1 Tennessee was taken down by Maryland 28-13. In consecutive seasons, the Sugar Bowl had seen No. 1 teams knocked off in bowl upsets.

1959: No. 1 LSU vs. No. 12 Clemson

LSU claimed a national title in this game. Heisman winning running back Billy Cannon threw a touchdown pass for the only score in the 7-0 win.

1977: No. 1 Pittsburgh vs. No. 4 Georgia

Pittsburgh destroyed Georgia 27-3 in this battle. This time, it was Heisman winner Tony Dorsett who set the pace. Dorsett ran for 202 yards in the win, and Pittsburgh won the national title.

1981: No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 7 Notre Dame

Georgia won the last national title it would win in more than four decades with a 17-10 win. Freshman running back Herschel Walker ran for 150 yards and both UGA touchdowns.

1983: No. 2 Penn State vs. No. 1 Georgia

Penn State jumped out to a 20-3 lead late in the first half but had to withstand a fierce Georgia rally to win 27-23 and claim a national crown.

1993: No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 1 Miami

The first Bowl Coalition title game, the Tide bested Miami 34-13 in the game that began the arrival of a cleaner process for picking college football's champion. Alabama was dominant and never trailed in the game.

1997: No. 2 Florida vs. No. 1 Florida State

Florida and Steve Spurrier had a great deal of success but hadn't won the big game until this BCS title game. Florida rolled 52-20. Florida State pulled within 24-20 early in the third quarter, but Florida's big-time offense caught fire and pulled away.

2000: No. 1 Florida State vs. No. 2 Virginia Tech

Another BCS game, Michael Vick and Tech couldn't outlast FSU. Tech led 29-28 at the end of the third quarter, but Florida State took over late and won 46-29. Peter Warrick caught two touchdowns and returned a punt for a third.

2004: No. 2 LSU vs. No. 3 Oklahoma

LSU edged out Oklahoma 21-14 but still split the title as the AP poll went with USC. This chaotic situation was one of the major moves toward the modern playoff era, as national titles were still rendered unclear.

2015: No. 4 Ohio State vs. No. 1 Alabama

In the first round of CFP playoffs, No. 1 and seven-point favorite Alabama was topped 42-35 by an Ohio State team that went on to win the CFP title. Reserve QB Cardale Jones outlasted Derrick Henry and the Tide.

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Georgia vs. Notre Dame H2H

Two of the most dominant programs in the storied history of college football, Georgia and Notre Dame have only played each other on three previous occasions. The Bulldogs have won all three, most notably the 1981 Sugar Bowl mentioned above.

The teams played a home-and-home regular season battle with games at Notre Dame in 2017 (20-19 UGA) and at Georgia in 2019 (23-17 UGA). While Georgia holds the 3-0 series lead, the three games have been decided by a total of 14 points.

Georgia is 5-6 in 11 total Sugar Bowl appearances. Notre Dame is 2-2 in the game. The Bulldogs are one point favorites in this year's game.

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