Notre Dame vaults back into Coaches Poll, AP Top 25 by beating Clemson
They’re baaaaaaaackkkkkk. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are once again ranked, climbing into the polls for the first time since Week 2 after beating No. 4 Clemson, 35-14, in South Bend on Saturday night.
Notre Dame snuck into the USA Today Sports AFCA Coaches Poll at No. 25. The Irish landed at No. 20 in the Associated Press Top 25.
The Irish fell out of both sets of rankings after an 0-2 start and a home loss to unranked Marshall, a 20-plus point underdog. Notre Dame had been ranked in 80 straight AP polls prior to that. It was the third longest stretch of consecutive rankings in program history and the fourth longest in the country at the time.
Perhaps this is the start of another lengthy span.
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The Irish should be able to carry a national ranking into a matchup against No. 7/8 USC (8-1) in the regular season finale. Head coach Marcus Freeman‘s team has a neutral site matchup against Navy (3-6) at M&T Bank stadium in Baltimore this Saturday and one last home game against Boston College (2-7) on Nov. 19.
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Saturday’s win over Clemson is by far Notre Dame’s best of the year to date. BYU and Syracuse were ranked at the time the Irish took those teams down, but both have since fallen out of the rankings. The only other currently ranked team the Irish have beaten is No. 14/15 North Carolina (8-1).
A 9-3 regular season finish is still on the table with two games the Irish will be heavily favored in and a potential tossup against the Trojans two days after Thanksgiving. USC has had plenty of close calls this season, including a 41-35 victory Saturday after a California team Notre Dame held down defensively for just 17 points.
Freeman and company have been able to change the narrative of their 2022 season. The victory over Clemson, which dropped to No. 12 in both polls, was the biggest step in doing so to date.
Week 11 Coaches Poll
- Georgia (9-0) (61 first-place votes)
- Ohio State (9-0)
- Michigan (9-0) (2)
- TCU (9-0)
- Tennessee (8-1)
- Oregon (8-1)
- USC (8-1)
- LSU (7-2)
- Ole Miss (8-1)
- UCLA (8-1)
- Alabama (7-2)
- Clemson (8-1)
- Utah (7-2)
- North Carolina (8-1)
- Penn State (7-2)
- NC State (7-2)
- Tulane (8-1)
- Texas (6-3)
- Liberty (8-1)
- Illinois (7-2)
- UCF (7-2)
- Kansas State (6-3)
- Washington (7-2)
- Kentucky (6-3)
- Notre Dame (6-3)
Week 11 AP Top 25
- Georgia (9-0) (62 first-place votes)
- Ohio State (9-0) (1)
- Michigan (9-0)
- TCU (9-0)
- Tennessee (8-1)
- Oregon (8-1)
- LSU (7-2)
- USC (8-1)
- UCLA (8-1)
- Alabama (7-2)
- Ole Miss (8-1)
- Clemson (8-1)
- Utah (7-2)
- Penn State (7-2)
- North Carolina (8-1)
- Tulane (8-1)
- NC State (7-2)
- Texas (6-3)
- Liberty (8-1)
- Notre Dame (6-3)
- Illinois (7-2)
- UCF (7-2)
- Kansas State (6-3)
- Washington (7-2)
- Florida State (6-3)
