Notre Dame ranked No. 8 in Week 2 AP Poll following loss to Ohio State
In the eyes of the Associated Press voters, Notre Dame apparently acquitted itself somewhat well despite defeat. The Irish remained in the top 10 of the AP Top 25 Tuesday afternoon following a 21-10 defeat at No. 2 Ohio State to open the season.
Notre Dame is now the No. 8 team in the AP poll, a three-spot fall from their preseason ranking. Georgia leaped Ohio State for the No. 2 spot after throttling then-No. 11 Oregon 49-3 Saturday. That sent the Buckeyes down to No. 3.
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The Irish led Ohio State for a little more than half the game. They went ahead 3-0 on an opening-drive field goal and took a 10-7 lead with 11:56 left in the first half. That score held until Ohio State pulled ahead 14-10 with 17 seconds to go in the third quarter. The Buckeyes added a fourth-quarter touchdown.
A competitive game for 60 minutes exceeded the betting lines’ and most prognosticators expectations for Notre Dame. The Irish opened as 17.5-point underdogs despite their No. 5 preseason ranking. Beating that spread and leading for two-plus quarters, then, presented a case to keep them ranked around the same spot.
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Head coach Marcus Freeman wasn’t interested in any congratulations for a better-than-expected loss, though.
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“You can’t be surprised when all of a sudden, it’s a 10-7 ball game midway through the third quarter against a really, really good football team,” Freeman said after the game. “Don’t be surprised. That has to be the expectation for this group.”
Three other Notre Dame opponents joined Ohio State in the Week 2 AP Poll: No. 5 Clemson (down one spot), No. 10 USC (up four spots) and No. 21 BYU (up four spots).
Notre Dame was ranked No. 9 in the USA Today Sports Coaches Poll, released earlier Tuesday, a four-spot drop from their preseason placement. The Irish host Marshall for their home opener Saturday (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC).
Week 2 AP Top 25:
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- Georgia Bulldogs
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- Michigan Wolverines
- Clemson Tigers
- Texas A&M Aggies
- Oklahoma Sooners
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Baylor Bears
- USC Trojans
- Oklahoma State Cowboys
- Florida Gators
- Utah Utes
- Michigan State Spartans
- Miami Hurricanes
- Arkansas Razorbacks
- Pitt Panthers
- NC State Wolfpack
- Wisconsin Badgers
- Kentucky Wildcats
- BYU Cougars
- Ole Miss Rebels
- Wake Forest Demon Deacons
- Tennessee Volunteers
- Houston Cougars
