Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman wants his No. 8 Fighting Irish locked into playoff mode when they host Virginia.

We've reached the end of the home game line for Notre Dame football, which looks to close out its regular-season slate with another strong showing

Notre Dame linebacker Jaylen Sneed (3) and linebacker Jack Kiser (24) celebrate getting a stop during a NCAA college football game against Florida State at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in South Bend. / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The second installment of the College Football Playoff rankings were released and it was good news for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Notre Dame jumped up two spots to No. 8 in the latest installment, which followed Notre Dame's 52-3 victory over Florida State .

BYU is at No. 6, followed by Tennessee, Notre Dame, Miami, and Alabama. The final two teams inside the top-12 are Ole Miss and Georgia. Due to the rules including a Group of Five school, the Bulldogs wouldn’t make the playoff, Boise State would instead.

Brad Thomas, Vaughn Dalzell, and Eric Froton give their best bets for Notre Dame-Virginia, including Anthony Colandrea's passing yards, the first half spread and more.

After a huge upset-win on the road against Pitt, the Virginia Cavaliers will make the trip up to South Bend to face a hot Notre Dame team. I chatted with the Pat Sullivan, editor of One Foot Down, to get some insight on how the season has gone for the Irish.