This past week, Notre Dame had their second and final bye week of the regular season. The last time we saw the Irish was on October 18 when they downed the USC Trojans 34-24 in the annual battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh. There was still a lot of noteworthy games this past weekend around college football, and now that we're creeping closer to the first College Football Playoff poll, every Saturday carries a heavier weight than the week before. Even though Notre Dame had this weekend off, they moved up one spot in this week's Coaches Poll after an eventful weekend in college football. 

The Irish have five opponents remaining in the 2025 season; their most notable opponent, the Navy Midshipmen, have made their first appearance in the US LBM Coaches Poll for the first time this season. The Midshipmen are now ranked No. 23 after beating Florida Atlantic 42-32 and advanced to 7-0 on the season. Boston College, Notre Dame's opponent this upcoming Saturday, gave No. 17 Louisville a run for their money yesterday but fell short 38-24 after allowing a 67-yard touchdown run on 2nd and 20 at the end of the fourth quarter to ice the game. 

From a resume-builder perspective, the Texas A&M Aggies, Notre Dame's second opponent of the season, handled business on the road against LSU and picked up their first win in Baton Rouge since 1994. Head coach Mike Elko and the Aggies left Louisiana with a 49-25 win over Brian Kelly and the Tigers. The Miami Hurricanes rebounded after their upset a week ago to Louisville with a resounding 42-7 victory over Stanford. The Cardinal are Notre Dame's final opponent of the 2025 season. 

There was also quite a bit of movement in this week's edition of the Coaches Poll. The Tigers fell out of the Top 25 after their 48-25 loss to Texas A&M at home. Missouri dropped six spots to No. 20 after their 17-10 loss to Vanderbilt on the road. The Oklahoma Sooners dropped seven spots to No. 18 in this week's Coaches Poll after losing to Ole Miss (No. 8) 34-26 at home. Despite their comeback victory, the Texas Longhorns dropped one spot in the Coaches Poll after defeating Mississippi State in over time 45-38. 

Some teams were left out of this week's Coaches Poll Top 25 despite picking up some big wins this past weekend. The Washington Huskies (6-2) defeated the Illinois Fighting Illini 45-25 at home; Illinois was ranked heading into their matchup. The Iowa Hawkeyes defeated the Minnesota Golden Gophers at home 41-3 and were also left out of the rankings. The USC Trojans (5-2) also remained unranked in this week's Coaches Poll after a bye week. 

Here is this week's US LBM Coaches Poll rankings:

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

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