Winless ‘Notre Dame’ rises in AP and Coaches Poll during bye week; Irish now only winless team in Top-25; Reminiscent of unranked Irish jumping into top-20 after losing Lou Holtz’s first game
Another week into the season, ‘Notre Dame’ is now the only winless team in the top-25.The Irish rise to #8 in both the AP and Coaches Poll, still sitting at 0-1 after an early bye week.
One recalls how, in Lou Holtz’s first game at ‘Notre Dame,’ the Irish became the first, possibly only, team to open the season unranked, only to jump into what was then the top-20 after losing their first game.
However, that Irish team, after a losing record under Gerry Faust in 1985, played quite well in Lou Holtz’s 1986 debut, only to lose 24-23 to a #3-ranked, Bo Schembechler-coached Michigan team.
By contrast, the 2024 Irish and their opening-game opponent looked decidedly lackluster.
As a residual carryover from last year’s achievements, they both still enjoy inflated rankings carrying over from the preseason, at least thus far.
The Irish improvement from #9 to #8 during a bye week was due to 1-1 Clemson dropping multiple places after struggling against Troy.
| – AP –
1 Ohio State 2-0 Also receiving votes: Arizona State 94, BYU 92, Georgia Tech 78, Florida 70, USC 64, TCU 58, Mississippi State 52, Louisville 49, SMU 26, Nebraska 10, Tulane 9, Baylor 7, UNLV 5, Pittsburgh 3, Navy 2, Vanderbilt 1, Memphis 1 |
– AFCA Coaches Poll –
1 Ohio State 2-0 Also receiving votes: Missouri 142, Louisville 88, SMU 87, USC 87, Florida 68, Auburn 57, Tulane 55, TCU 36, Georgia Tech 26, Nebraska 19, Navy 16, Mississippi State 15, Washington 15, Memphis 11, Baylor 9, Vanderbilt 7, Kansas 4, UNLV 3, Pittsburgh 1, NC State 1 |