Irish Remain Stagnant In Polls Since Blowout Loss To Michigan
After a 45-14 blowout loss to Michigan, Notre Dame fell from No. 8 in polls to No. 16 in the AP Poll and, ever since, the Irish have struggled to move back up in the rankings.
After four straight wins over power five or ranked opponents, Notre Dame has yet to get above No. 15 in either the AP or Coaches polls, which is where they are in the latest rankings for both. The Irish are one spot lower in the College Football Playoff Rankings at No. 16.
Much of this has to do with very few of the teams in the 10 to 14 range losing since then, but it's hard to avoid coming to the conclusion that getting run off the field against Michigan has had more of an impact on Notre Dame's long-term ability to climb the polls than many imagined when the loss occurred.
This begs the question: how far can the Irish climb before bowl game matchups are decided?
The Fighting Irish will need a convincing win against Stanford next weekend, but can Notre Dame make the top 12? Potentially.
The top 10? That's very doubtful.
It could help that the Irish have three wins over currently ranked teams. This afternoon, Virginia Tech, Navy and USC have all climbed their way into both the AP and Coaches poll and are ranked No. 23, No. 24 and No. 25.
With a 19-13 win over Texas A&M, Georgia was able to hold on to the No. 4 spot, while Michigan is now No. 10 in the AP and No. 11 in the Coaches.
Virginia, who plays Virginia Tech new weekend, is receiving votes in both polls.
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