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Where Notre Dame football ranks in final AP Poll of 2023 season

IMG_9992by:Tyler Horka•01/09/24•

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Notre Dame football head coach Marcus Freeman and his team celebrate after defeating the Oregon State Beavers 40-8 in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl at Sun Bowl Stadium. (Photo by Ivan Pierre Aguirre-USA TODAY Sports)

For the sixth time in the last seven seasons, Notre Dame finished in the top 15 of the final Associated Press Poll rankings of the year. The Fighting Irish (10-3) checked in at No. 14 at the conclusion of Monday’s national championship game, a 34-13 victory for the Michigan Wolverines over the Washington Huskies.

The only season in that span in which Notre Dame did not finish in the top 15 was 2022, Marcus Freeman‘s first year as head coach. The Irish went 9-4 and finished at No. 18. This year, they improved their mark by one game capped by a 40-8 demolition of Oregon State in the Tony The Tiger Sun Bowl.

The Irish are the fourth-highest ranked team with three or more losses behind No. 11 Arizona, No. 12 LSU and No. 13 Penn State. All three teams that beat Notre Dame this season are in the poll; No. 10 Ohio State, No. 20 Clemson and No. 19 Louisville. Only one team that the Irish defeated is in the poll; No. 21 NC State. Oregon State was the first unranked team to receive votes.

The College Football Playoff expands to 12 teams in 2024, but there is still progress to be had if Notre Dame is to have a playoff-caliber campaign. The Irish finished No. 16 in the final CFP rankings of the year. They need a 10-2 regular season at worst to figure into the playoff conversation this coming December.

That seems doable. The only two teams that made the final AP poll of the 2023 season that the Irish are scheduled to face in 2024 are No. 6 Florida State and No. 21 NC State. The Irish already proved they can beat the latter on the road, and this year’s game is in South Bend. The Seminoles, meanwhile, are losing quarterback Jordan Travis. They did not look great without him after he went down with a broken leg late in the year.

Here are the complete rankings for the final AP Top 25 of the 2023 college football season.

Final Associated Press Poll Rankings Of 2023

  1. Michigan (15-0)
  2. Washington (14-1)
  3. Texas (12-2)
  4. Georgia (13-1)
  5. Alabama (12-2)
  6. Florida State (13-1)
  7. Oregon (12-2)*
  8. Missouri (11-2)
  9. Ole Miss (11-2)
  10. Ohio State (11-2)
  11. Arizona (10-3)
  12. LSU (10-3)
  13. Penn State (10-3)
  14. Notre Dame (10-3)
  15. Oklahoma (10-3)
  16. Oklahoma State (10-4)
  17. Tennessee (9-4)
  18. Kansas State (9-4)
  19. Louisville (10-4)
  20. Clemson (9-4)
  21. NC State (9-4)
  22. SMU (11-3)
  23. Kansas (9-4)
  24. Iowa (10-4)
  25. Liberty (13-1)

*Also No. 6, tied with Florida State with 1175 poll points

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