Top 5 matchups for Week 12 of the 2024 college football season

4. Virginia at No. 8 Notre Dame – Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, NBC

Virginia and Notre Dame will face off for just the fifth time on Saturday. The first game in the series came in a neutral-site matchup in East Rutherford, New Jersey in 1989, with the other three contests being played within the past decade, most recently in 2021 in Charlottesville. Notre Dame has won all four previous contests against Virginia by at least a touchdown margin.

The Fighting Irish enter Saturday’s game as heavy home favorites again, but Virginia’s recent play has proven it can keep things close in South Bend. The Cavaliers are just 5-4 overall but are coming off a big-time road win at Pittsburgh and have played other top-tier ACC opponents like Clemson and Louisville tough. Virginia doesn’t rank highly in many team statistics but has a top-40 passing attack in the country thanks to a solid sophomore season thus far from quarterback Anthony Colandrea who has taken another step forward in 2024.

Colandrea will need to play well and protect the football against a Notre Dame defense that ranks seventh in the country and has only allowed 11 offensive touchdowns all year. The unit led by Jack Kiser, Drayk Bowen and others has been especially stout lately, holding the Fighting Irish’s last four opponents to 14 points or less. Notre Dame’s offense led by dual-threat quarterback Riley Leonard has also found some consistency, ranking 12th in the nation in scoring at 38.3 points per game. The 8-1 Fighting Irish have a strong resume and a win on Saturday would be another important step toward a playoff berth.