Notre Dame Football Senior Day: Quick Thoughts Ahead of Virginia Matchup

Quick thoughts as Notre Dame Football celebrates Senior Day before taking on Virginia in a pivotal clash.

Notre Dame linebacker Jack Kiser (24) lines up during a NCAA college football game against Florida State at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in South Bend. / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Notre Dame's march towards the CFP continues against Virginia

Time flies, doesn't it, folks?

It feels like just yesterday that college football fans were eagerly waiting for the season to get started, and now here we are discussing Notre Dame's last regular-season home game of the year.

The Irish will face two different battles on Saturday afternoon. One is with their own emotions on what is understandably an emotional day for those players who are preparing to say goodbye to Notre Dame. Second, the Irish battle a Virginia team that is tough to read. Notre Dame must be prepared to face both.

Irish are a big favorite against the Cavaliers

Depending on where you look, Notre Dame is a 22.5-23 point favorite over Virginia, who enters the game at a very interesting 5-4 clip with a nice win over Pitt in their latest game, but with a three-game losing streak coming before that with defeats coming at the hands of North Carolina, Clemson and Louisville.

Virginia is ranked 81st in the country in PPG scored and 82nd in PPG allowed. This is a team Notre Dame should be able to handle decidedly at home. The Irish are rounding into form and have playoff dreams hanging in the balance. This is no time for a Senior Day letdown.

I expect the suffocating Irish defense to cause problems for Virginia all afternoon and for the Notre Dame run game to lead the way offensively with the passing game sprinkled in for balance. The Irish program knows how close it is to reaching its ultimate goal, there can be no letdowns now.

For more Irish news & notes follow John on Twitter @alwaysirishINC, Always Irish on Youtube and or your preferred audio podcast provider.

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