Georgia @ Louisville preview

BELK BOWL STORYLINES

1. The 13th annual Belk Bowl will play host to two top 20 teams for the first time in its history when No. 13 Georgia and No. 20 Louisville meet for the first time. The Bulldogs, who are the first SEC team to be invited to Charlotte, N.C., enter the 50th bowl game in their proud history after winning eight of their final 10 contests. The Cardinals also finished the regular season strong by going 7-2 down the stretch, with the only losses coming to No. 2 Florida State and No. 18 Clemson.

2. In a season marked with a number of highs (routs of SEC East champion Missouri and Auburn) and lows (losses to six-win teams in South Carolina and Florida), Georgia running back Nick Chubb was one of the few constants. After losing Heisman Trophy hopeful Todd Gurley to a season-ending knee injury on Oct. 11, the SEC Freshman of the Year closed the year out by running for at least 100 yards and a touchdown in each of his seven starts. With another 100-yard performance against Louisville, Chubb can tie Bulldog legend Herschel Walker for the most such efforts by a Georgia freshman.

3. The Cardinals’ sixth-ranked total defense could enjoy a significant advantage considering defensive coordinator Todd Grantham served in the same role for the Bulldogs under Georgia coach Mark Richt from 2010-13. Louisville also boasts the third-best rushing defense in the country (93.7 yards) and has yielded only nine scores on the ground. The Cardinals are slightly less accomplished against the pass (31st, 199.6), but finished the regular season tied for first in FBS with 25 interceptions.

TV: 6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: Georgia -6.5

ABOUT GEORGIA (9-3, 6-2 SEC): Thanks in large part to Chubb (12) and Gurley (nine), Georgia ran for a conference-leading 35 rushing touchdowns – a total that trails only the 1971 Bulldog team that finished with 39. Hutson Mason, who was one of three Georgia quarterbacks to combine for a completion percentage of 68.1, saw his six-game streak without throwing an interception snapped on his final attempt in the Nov. 29 overtime loss to Georgia Tech. The Bulldogs finished the regular season with a plus-15 turnover differential – tied for fourth in FBS – and scored 104 points off their 26 takeaways.

ABOUT LOUISVILLE (9-3, 5-3 ACC): Sophomore All-American safety Gerod Holliman emerged as the country’s best ball hawk in 2014 with 14 interceptions, matching the NCAA single-season record held by Al Worley of Washington in 1968 and becoming only the 11th player in NCAA history to record 12 or more in a season. The Cardinals’ offense also finished the season on a roll, scoring 30 or more points in five straight games. That streak coincided with the return of receiver DeVante Parker, who posted team-high totals of 35 catches, 735 yards and five touchdowns despite missing seven contests with a left toe injury.

PREDICTION: Georgia 30, Louisville 24