ACC & Big 12 Week 5 Preview: Virginia looks to end Irish’s win streak in Notre Dame Stadium

No. 18 Virginia (4-0) at No. 10 Notre Dame (2-1) – 3:30 p.m. on NBC

On Saturday afternoon, the Cavaliers and the Fighting Irish will meet for the third time in series history and the first time as ranked opponents; the Irish won each of the first two meetings.

Saturday’s matchup will also mark the first time Virginia will visit Notre Dame Stadium and the fourth time in history that Notre Dame has hosted a ranked ACC team. Ranked Irish teams, meanwhile, are a perfect 20-0 against ACC teams in Notre Dame Stadium.

The last time Virginia and Notre Dame squared off, in 2015, the Fighting Irish clinched a narrow 34-27 win. Backup Irish quarterback DeShone Kizer replaced an injured Malik Zaire in the victory and went on to throw a game-winning 40-yard touchdown pass with 12 seconds remaining.

Now, let’s take a closer look at the teams:

Virginia Quick Hits:

• The Cavaliers are 4-0 are the first time since 2004, when the team started 5-0. It marks the 21st time in program history that Virginia has won its first four games.
• Virginia’s defense has 20 sacks on the season, tied with Florida for the FBS lead.
• Inside linebacker Jordan Mack leads the Cavaliers — and the all FBS linebackers — with 5.0 sacks on the year. Mack has recorded at least a half-sack in six-straight games, making him one of only two active FBS players (Ohio State’s Chase Young) to boast such a streak.
• The defense is ranked No. 14 nationally (No. 2 in the ACC) in total defense, allowing an average of 263.8 yards per game.
• Wide receiver Joe Reed is No. 14 all-time at Virginia with 3,701 career all-purpose yards and is the only Cavalier with over 2,000 career kick return yards.
• Quarterback Bryce Perkins leads the offense with 4,639 career yards of total offense, the 10th most in program history.
• Click here to see Virginia’s complete game notes
• Click here for the Cavaliers’ depth chart

Notre Dame Quick Hits:  

• In his 10th season leading the program, head coach Brian Kelly has become the fifth Irish coach to spend a decade or more at the school (Rockne 13; Leahy, Parsegian, Holtz 11).
• The Irish defense has allowed only one passing touchdown so far this season, in last week’s loss to Georgia in Athens.
• Notre Dame has been ranked in the Top 25 for 33 consecutive weeks, the longest such streak for the Irish since 1997.
• Cole Kmet tied the program record for catches in a game by a tight end with nine against Georgia. The mark was last reached in 1977 by Ken MacAfee vs. Purdue.
• The Irish have won 12 straight games in Notre Dame Stadium, including a clean 6-0 slate last season. It’s the third-longest home winning streak for the Irish since Notre Dame Stadium opened in 1930.
• The defense has held its opponents to 30 points or fewer in each of its last 17 games, tied with Washington for the FBS lead in that category.
• Irish running backs hold the second-longest active streak in the FBS of carries without a lost a fumble (1,056), trailing only Northwestern’s 1,120-carry streak.
• Click here to see Notre Dame’s complete game notes
• Click here for the Fighting Irish’s depth chart

Now, let’s take a look at some of the other top games from this weekend’s slate:

Duke (2-1) at Virginia Tech (2-1) – 7 p.m. on ESPN (Friday)
Friday night’s contest will be the 27th overall meeting between the programs; the Hokies hold a 17-9 edge and have won three straight. A Blue Devils win would be head coach David Cutcliffe’s 70th victory while at the helm of the Duke program.

Texas Tech (2-1) at No. 6 Oklahoma (3-0) – Noon on FOX
Oklahoma controls the overall series with a 20-6 all-time record, including wins in each of its past seven meetings with Texas Tech. An Oklahoma victory would be the 900th in program history, making the Sooners the sixth FBS program to reach that milestone (Michigan, 955; Ohio State, 911; Texas, 908; Alabama, 905; Nebraska, 900).

Kansas (2-2) at TCU (2-1) – Noon on FS1
Since joining the Big 12 in 2012, the Horned Frogs are 6-1 versus the Jayhawks. TCU was undefeated against Kansas in conference play up until last season, when the Jayhawks defeated the Horned Frogs 27-26 in Lawrence.

No. 1 Clemson (4-0) at North Carolina (2-2) – 3:30 p.m. on ABC
The No. 1 Tigers will be the first consensus reigning champs ever to visit Kenan Stadium on Saturday, and the first national champion of any kind to come to Chapel Hill since Tennessee in 1951. The last meeting between the Tigers and Tar Heels came in the 2015 ACC Championship, a 45-37 Clemson win.

Iowa State (2-1) at Baylor (3-0) – 3:30 p.m. on ESPN
The Cyclones and the Bears both open Big 12 play this weekend as Iowa State heads to Waco. Iowa State is looking to tie the all-time series as Baylor currently holds a slight lead of 9-8, including a 5-3 edge in games played in Waco.

Wake Forest (4-0) at Boston College (3-1) – 3:30 p.m. on ACCN
The Demon Deacons and the Eagles are meeting for the 27th time this weekend as Boston College looks to become the first team in the series to win at home since 2013, when the Eagles defeated Wake Forest 24-10. These two squads share also family ties, as Boston College linebacker John Lamont and Wake Forest quarterback Jamie Newman are cousins and both hail from the Tar Heel State.

No. 24 Kansas State (3-0) at Oklahoma State (3-1) – 7 p.m. on ESPN+
The Cowboys return home to Boone Pickens Stadium to host undefeated Kansas State on Saturday. Each of the last six games played between the schools on Oklahoma State’s home turf have been one-possession games, with the Cowboys winning five of them.

NC State (3-1) at Florida State (2-2) – 7:30 p.m. on ACCN
Though Florida State leads the overall series 26-13, the Wolfpack have won each of their past two meetings with the Seminoles — a 27-21 win in Tallahassee in 2017 and a 47-28 victory at Carter-Finley Stadium. NC State was also the first team to defeat Florida State on its home turf after the Seminoles joined the ACC in 1992.