It’s hard not to enjoy being Notre Dame right now. The Northern Illinois loss feels more like a distant memory, especially with other teams that are highly ranked starting to lose games. Their College Football Playoff prospects are looking rosier all the time. They pretty much had to win out after that defeat, and they’ve done just that so far.

Now, the Cavaliers seek their third as they face No. 8 Notre Dame Saturday. The Fighting Irish (8-1) were stunned in South Bend once this season, losing 16-14 to Northern Illinois as 28.5-point favorites.

Notre Dame football has won six straight games since its home loss to Northern Illinois. Can four wins to close get the Irish where they want to be?

There is one football game left to be played inside Notre Dame Stadium this year — for now. While the No. 8 Fighting Irish (8-1) could be hosting a College Football Playoff first round game in a month’s time,

The No. 8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-1) square off against the Virginia Cavaliers (5-4) at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, November 16, 2024. The Fighting Irish's matchup against the Cavaliers will be available on NBC.

Notre Dame didn't need to do anything fancy to close out Virginia. Never mind that it failed to score on fourth-and-goal to cap a lengthy drive that began in the third quarter. It already had done enough to secure a 35-14 victory,