COLLEGE FOOTBALL RANKINGS: Undefeated Notre Dame Jumps to #6/#7 After Win Over Then-Top-10 Stanford; Road Game at #24/#23 Virginia Tech Next Saturday Night
After their decisive 38-17 win over then top-10 Stanford, Notre Dame rose slightly in both polls, to #6 in the AP and #7 in the Coaches Poll, also jumping Oklahoma in the AP in the process. Next week the Irish take on a resurgent #24/#23 Virginia Tech team in Blacksburg.
While some commentators or fans got the feeling that Stanford might be Notre Dame’s last ranked opponent of the regular season, in reality Virginia Tech had stayed in the rankings in the Coaches Poll even after a freakish upset loss to Old Dominion. The Hokies then rebounded with a strong 17-point win over then-#22/#23 Duke, to carry what is now a #24/#23 ranking for Virginia Tech into next Saturday’s primetime contest with the Irish.
Notre Dame opponents Michigan and Stanford remain in the top-15.
Notre Dame opponent Syracuse nearly knocked off top-5 Clemson on the road, only to get edged out in the final minute. The Orangemen/Orange, whom Notre Dame has slated for a neutral-site game at Yankee Stadium on Nov. 22, are getting votes in both polls, sitting at de facto #28 in each.
Notre Dame probably should have jumped ahead of Clemson in the polls. Of special interest will be how Notre Dame and Clemson fare against common opponents, and how close those games are, especially when Notre Dame plays Syracuse on a neutral field in Syracuse’s home state.
Notre Dame opponents Southern Cal and Florida State have clawed their way back to winning records, and the Trojans are getting votes in the Coaches Poll, although not as many as Syracuse. Several of the earlier losses both teams suffered were to Notre Dame opponents, with Southern Cal having lost to Stanford, while Florida State lost to Virginia Tech and Syracuse. (Southern Cal also picked up an early loss to Texas.)
The polls are likely to ebb and flow significantly in the coming weeks and months, and the first official College Football Playoff rankings are not due out for a month, set for Oct. 30.
There already is speculation about whether Notre Dame can run the table in the regular season, and the significance of whether Notre Dame’s opponents are ranked, or how highly.
Yet a peek back at the standings at the end of last year’s regular season reveals that the only team left undefeated was Central Florida. No major program — indeed, no other program besides Central Florida — was undefeated.
This year, if Notre Dame — as a major program, playing a major program kind of schedule — does manage to finish the 2018 regular season undefeated, they just might find themselves the only team in that position, or perhaps one of a few. It would be bizarre for them to be left out of the playoff in that instance. Alternatively, even if another team, or a few, do manage to stay unbeaten, it seems highly unlikely that there could be four.
In any event, as Lou Holtz would point out, the team’s job is not to beat everybody in the country. The team’s job is to beat the team they play next. And right now a resurgent Virginia Tech, in Blacksburg, might prove even more dangerous than Stanford if Notre Dame does not come loaded for bear.
(first-place votes in parentheses) (Notre Dame opponents marked in dark blue)
AP
Rank Team Record Points
1 Alabama (58) 5-0 1497
2 Georgia 5-0 1405
3 Ohio State (1) 5-0 1395
4 Clemson (1) 5-0 1278
5 LSU 5-0 1233
6 Notre Dame 5-0 1216
7 Oklahoma 5-0 1193
8 Auburn 4-1 1002
9 West Virginia 4-0 998
10 Washington 4-1 978
11 Penn State 4-1 920
12 UCF 4-0 759
13 Kentucky 5-0 707
14 Stanford 4-1 700
15 Michigan 4-1 687
16 Wisconsin 3-1 642
17 Miami 4-1 600
18 Oregon 4-1 462
19 Texas 4-1 403
20 Michigan State 3-1 281
21 Colorado 4-0 225
22 Florida 4-1 210
23 NC State 4-0 118
24 Virginia Tech 3-1 89
25 Oklahoma State 4-1 88
Others receiving votes: Boise State 86, South Florida 83, Syracuse 74, Cincinnati 35, Iowa 34, Texas A&M 31, Washington State 14, TCU 13, California 10, Maryland 10, Missouri 8, Boston College 3, Mississippi State 3, BYU 3, Appalachian State 2, Arizona State 2, San Diego State 1, Hawai’i 1, Duke 1
Coaches Poll
Rank Team Record Points
1 Alabama(61) 5-0 1597
2 Georgia 5-0 1490
3 Ohio State(1) 5-0 1467
4 Clemson(2) 5-0 1417
5 Oklahoma 5-0 1313
6 LSU 5-0 1285
7 Notre Dame 5-0 1246
8 West Virginia 4-0 1055
9 Auburn 4-1 1049
10 Washington 4-1 1027
11 Penn State 4-1 1002
12 Wisconsin 3-1 797
13 UCF 4-0 763
14 Stanford 4-1 753
15 Kentucky 5-0 690
16 Michigan 4-1 627
17 Miami 4-1 587
18 Oregon 4-1 453
19 Michigan State 3-1 376
20 Texas 4-1 342
21 Oklahoma State 4-1 255
22 Colorado 4-0 170
23 Virginia Tech 3-1 167
24 Boise State 3-1 160
25 NC State 4-0 121
Others receiving votes: South Florida 109, Florida 105, Syracuse 48, Washington State 43, Cincinnati 42, TCU 40, Appalachian State 34, Texas A&M 31, Iowa 23, Missouri 21, Maryland 14, Mississippi State 13, USC 10, San Diego State 9, Boston College 9, Arizona State 8, South Carolina 6, Troy 5, California 5, Duke 5, BYU 4, Army 4, Louisiana Tech 2, Fresno State 1
