Irish conquer USC, climb Coaches Poll. See where Notre Dame lands and which once-ranked teams are now left behind.
Notre Dame remained hot last night with a 34-24 victory over USC in what could be the final installment of his storied rivalry. It wasn't always pretty but the Irish dominated in the trenches and in the fourth quarter of the victory. The result was the Irish moving up two more spots in the Coaches Poll, with Notre Dame now ranking 13th.
Fortunately for Notre Dame and the rest of College Football the Coaches Poll has no bearing on the College Football Playoff. USC dropped out of the Top 25 after its loss to Notre Dame. The 5-2 Trojans are now unranked, but 5-2 Michigan jumped into the Top 25 at No. 24. Reminder for those who might not remember something that happened more than three days ago, USC beat Michigan 31-13 last weekend. Yes, last weekend, the Trojans pounded Michigan, they have the same exact record, but USC fell out of the Top 25 and Michigan jumped back in.
This is a big, big reason why the Coaches Poll no longer has any bearing on rankings that matter.
Notre Dame jumped ahead of Texas Tech, Tennessee and LSU. The Red Raiders suffered their first loss of the season yesterday, falling to Arizona State (26-22). Tennessee also dropped its second game after getting thumped by Alabama (37-20), and LSU lost to Vanderbilt (31-24) for their second loss of the season. Notre Dame is currently the highest ranked 2-loss team, with Tennessee being the second highest ranked at No. 17.
Notre Dame's two losses were to now 9th-ranked Miami (lost to Louisville on Friday night) and 3rd-ranked Texas A&M, who beat Arkansas yesterday (45-42). Notre Dame plays Navy in three weeks and the undefeated Midshipmen are the first team out of the rankings, with USC right behind them. Notre Dame also plays Pittsburgh in a month, and the Panthers also received votes, as did Boise State, who the Irish beat 28-7 two weeks ago.
Notre Dame has a bye this weekend before returning to action with a road game at Boston College on November 1st.
Here is the entire Coaches Poll:
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. BYU Cougars (7-0)
11. Oklahoma Sooners (6-1)
12. Vanderbilt Commodores (6-1)
13. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-2)
14. Missouri Tigers (6-1)
15. Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-1)
16. Virginia Cavaliers (6-1)
17. Tennessee Volunteers (5-2)
18. Texas Longhorns (5-2)
19. LSU Tigers (5-2)
20. South Florida Bulls (6-1)
21. Cincinnati Bearcats (6-1)
22. Louisville Cardinals (5-1)
23. Illinois Fighting Illini (5-2)
24. Michigan Wolverines (5-2)
25. Arizona State Sun Devils (5-2)
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