Notre Dame won its fifth straight game last night with a 34-24 victory over the USC Trojans. It was also Notre Dame's fifth straight game by double digits and the win allowed the Irish to climb up one more spot in the latest Associated Press Poll. Notre Dame is now ranked No. 12 in the AP Top 25 rankings.

Notre Dame moved up just one spot from last week despite jumping ahead of Texas Tech, LSU and Tennessee. The reason is the Irish were passed up by Vanderbilt and BYU. The Red Raiders dropped a 26-22 game to Arizona State, Vandy beat LSU by a 31-24 score, and the Cougars knocked off Utah (24-21). Tennessee got smacked at home by Alabama (37-20). 

Notre Dame's two losses were to No. 3 Texas A&M (41-40 in week three) and to No. 9 Miami (27-24 in week one). As was the case in the Coaches Poll, Notre Dame is the highest ranked 2-loss team in college football. Tennessee is next at No. 17. 

Regarding where Notre Dame stands in its hopes to return to the College Football Playoff, the Irish are now not only in striking distance of making the playoff if they win out, it's highly likely. In fact, I would argue winning out would result in the Irish also hosting a first round game. After week nine of the 2024 season the Irish ranked No. 12 in the AP Top 25 and No. 11 in the Coaches Poll. They are currently 12th and 13th in those polls, respectively. Notre Dame ended the year as the No. 5 ranked team in the CFP rankings but were seeded 7th. This year it will be a straight seeding, which means Notre Dame would be the 5-seed if they had the same ranking. The odds of the Irish not climbing higher than 9th - should they win out - are low.

The AP voters also had some absurdity in their rankings. USC dropped out of the Top 25 after their loss to the Irish, but Michigan - who USC dominated 31-13 just a week ago - climbed back into the Top 25 after their 24-7 home win over previously unranked Washington. The emotional overreaction to the latest week without evaluating overall resumes is why the AP and Coaches Poll should never again have any real say on who is named a national champion. 

Notre Dame doesn't have any remaining games against Top 25 teams, but Navy was the 5th highest "others receiving votes" category and could ultimately get into the Top 25 with some help before they play Notre Dame on November 8th.

Here is the complete AP Top 25 rankings:

1. Ohio State Buckeyes (7-0)
2. Indiana Hoosiers (7-0)
3. Texas A&M Aggies (7-0)
4. Alabama Crimson Tide (6-1)
5. Georgia Bulldogs (6-1)
6. Oregon Ducks (6-1)
7. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (7-0)
8. Ole Miss Rebels (6-1)
9. Miami Hurricanes (5-1)
10. Vanderbilt Commodores (6-1)
11. BYU Cougars (7-0)
12. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-2)
13. Oklahoma Sooners (6-1)
14. Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-1)
15. Missouri Tigers (6-1)
16. Virginia Cavaliers (6-1)
17. Tennessee Volunteers (5-2)
18. South Florida Bulls (6-1)
19. Louisville Cardinals (5-1)
20. LSU Tigers (5-2)
21. Cincinnati Bearcats (6-1)
22. Texas Longhorns (5-2)
23. Illinois Fighting Illini (5-2)
24. Arizona State Sun Devils (5-2)
25. Michigan Wolverines (5-2)

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