Notre Dame Football: Three bold predictions vs. Virginia Tech
By Chase Eyrich
What Notre Dame football was looking for this season has gone by the wayside.
Following a close loss to Georgia, a clean record the rest of the way potentially would have set Notre Dame footballI up for a return to the College Football Playoff. Last weekend that dream was shut down thanks to Michigan.
While the Irish no longer have the postseason goals they had early on, the season still continues.
Five games remain on the schedule, with Virginia Tech up next. The question now becomes whether the Irish fall apart the rest of the season as we’ve seen in the past, or will they be able to finish strong despite no longer being able to obtain the long term goal that seemed so realistic?
Knowing that there is less at stake, the coaching staff also could be asking themselves if they should ride with the players who they initially placed their trust in, or do they look towards younger players and invest in the future.
At this point, things could be more complicated then they were heading into the season before we knew anything.
The Hokies boast the same record as the Irish at 5-2, with losses to Boston College and Duke — two of Notre Dame’s next four opponents. Virginia Tech is not only coming off of the bye week, but also has put together three wins in a row. Gained confidence and having extra time to prepare is exactly the opposite of what Notre Dame needs to deal with from the Hokies.
That said, Virginia Tech comes into this game with many questions of their own, as well as a realization that they don’t match up with the Irish from a talent standpoint.
As we saw last week, anything can happen in college football — you just hope your team is on the right side of it. Here are your three bold predictions for Notre Dame vs. Virginia Tech.