While looking into the games on Saturday that could impact he College Football Playoff Race, ESPN put the Notre Dame game on the list.  The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have been playing great so far since losing to #2 Cincinnati in Notre Dame stadium.  The Irish are 8-1 and are #9 in the country right now.  Virginia is 6-3 and unranked.

They might be unranked but they have some great talent including Junior quarterback Brennan Armstrong.  Armstrong is passing for 3,557  yards this season with 27 touchdowns and 8 interceptions.  Notre Dame Head Coach Brian Kelly and Defensive Coordinator Marcus Freeman have to figure out how to stop Armstrong and this Virginia offense, which is one of the most explosive offenses in College Football.

On the bright side, there is a slight chance that Armstrong might not play on Saturday.  He is listed as questionable for the game on Saturday.  Armstrong got hit in the ribs last week in the game against BYU.  This decision is a game day decision.

Another key factor in this game is Notre Dame Junior Running Back Kyren Williams.  Williams has rushed for 802 yards this season with 9 touchdowns. He is big part of the Irish offense.  The Irish passing game is also very strong even without with Senior Wide Receiver Avery Davis who is out for the season with a torn ACL.   The Irish still have Junior Wide Receiver Kevin Austin Jr and Sophomore Tight End Michael Mayer.  Austin has 531 receiving yards this year with 5 touchdowns while Michael Mayer has 493 receiving yards with 3 touchdowns.

All of these three guys, including Kyren Williams, should feature heavily in the Irish offense.  If the Irish want to remain in the race for a spot in the College Football Playoffs, they have to shut Virginia down on Saturday.  Watch the game on Saturday at 7:30 on ABC.