The College Football Playoff Committee has begun to release rankings. Notre Dame is currently No. 8, but because the ACC is in rough shape this year and its conference champion is guaranteed a bye, at the moment Notre Dame would be the No. 9 seed. The ninth seed does not get a home playoff game.

For updates and scoring plays on this Notre Dame vs. Florida State, follow along below. Hit REFRESH to keep this page up to date. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 1:43 after kickoff. Keys to the drive: Riley Leonard 28 yard pass to Aneyas Williams. Drive: 16 plays, 75 yards, 7:52 after kickoff.

Notre Dame’s Week 12 opponent is Virginia. The team is coming into Saturday’s game with a 5-4 overall record and 3-3 record against ACC opponents. Even with that record they’re still sitting at #7 out of 17 in the conference standings.

A Nebraska native who started his Irish career at wide receiver, graduate safety Xavier Watts made the move to the secondary in 2021. Starting out as a rover, playing a hybrid of linebacker and safety, Watts waited his turn behind the likes of Kyle Hamilton and Brandon Joseph. Then, in October of last year, he became a household name.

Notre Dame hosted all of their remaining 2025 recruiting targets against Florida State, in what will be a defining weekend for this recruiting cycle

The second set of College Football Playoff rankings were released on Tuesday night in an abbreviated show — which was much appreciated. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish moved up two spots thanks to a loss from Georgia to Ole Miss and a loss from Miami to Georgia Tech.