Final prediction for pivotal game between No. 8 Notre Dame and the Virginia Cavaliers

After a frustrating week two performance against Northern Illinois, Notre Dame football has had quite the turnaround. They enter this weekend’s game against the Virginia Cavaliers in control of their own destiny. Currently sitting with the No. 8 overall ranking in the College Football Playoffs, it’s a pretty easy breakdown, win and you’re in.

The Irish have three games remaining, this week against Virginia, Army, and then USC. While the Black Knight presents unique challenges next week, you could argue that Virginia is the team that could be the trickiest. It starts with their offense, which has some talent but is incredibly volatile.

Quarterback Anthony Colandrea is a “fun quarterback” as the kids would say. While he’s smaller in stature, he’s a really nice athlete moving in and out of the pocket. Colandrea also has a surprisingly strong arm, and likes to push the ball down the field when he can. There is a lot to like about him.

The biggest issue with Colandrea is that he can be very careless with the football. On the season, he has thrown eight interceptions, fumbled four times, and has been sacked 30 times. He is going to hold the football and make plays, both positively and negatively.

For the most part, this Cavalier offense is going to run through Colandrea and wide receiver Malachi Fields. You will quickly be able to tell what type of this game is going to be depending on how No. 10 and No. 8 are affecting the game. If they don’t have an impact, it could be a long day for Virginia.

The biggest mismatch against this Virginia team is working against their defense. Safety Jonas Sanker is a good football player, but otherwise, this pass defense is not very good. Their pass rush has also been pretty anemic, just recording 14 sacks this season.

This has the feel of a big game for Riley Leonard. I expect him to have his biggest passing game of the season, and his speed should be too much to handle for the linebackers on the second level. In a lot of ways, this performance could be a precursor for how dangerous this team could be heading into the playoffs.

Final Prediction: Notre Dame 41, Virginia 17