[3:40 PM] Virginia Tech @ Notre Dame

Who will WIN this matchup?

Virginia Tech Hokies (7-3)

@ Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-6)

 

• Notre Dame needs to win its final two games to reach the six wins needed for bowl eligibility and put a complete game together on both sides of the ball in a 44-6 win over Army last week.

• The Hokies were 14th in the CFP rankings and trying to figure out a path to the playoff through the ACC championship game last week before losing to Georgia Tech at home and falling all the out of the top 25.

• The Hokies can still clinch the Coastal Division and a spot in the ACC Championship game, and a likely date with fifth-ranked Clemson, with a win over Virginia in the season finale on Nov. 26. Quarterback Jerod Evans passed for 316 yards and ran for 75 more while accounting for three touchdowns against Georgia Tech but was intercepted twice and Virginia Tech committed four turnovers in the 30-20 loss.

• The Fighting Irish, who close the regular season at No. 19 USC next week, are finally getting consistent play from quarterback DeShone Kizer, who was in danger of losing his job after the team totaled 13 points in back-to-back losses to North Carolina State and Stanford. Kizer threw for eight touchdowns and one interception in the last three games while completing 65.6 percent of his passes and helping with his legs as well. Notre Dame’s defense starred against Army, continuing a trend that sees the team allowing an average of 17.6 points in the last five after giving up 33.4 in the first five contests.

• Fighting Irish LB James Onwualu leads the team with 9.5 tackles for loss and ranks third in total tackles (60).

 

StreakSmarts Pick: Virginia Tech Hokies

Confidence: 5/10

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