Notre Dame rises in latest College Football Playoff rankings update
Wake Forest’s loss to North Carolina Saturday was Notre Dame’s gain.
The Irish (8-1) moved up one spot to No. 9 in the second edition of the 2021 College Football Playoff rankings, revealed Tuesday. They leaped ahead of the Demon Deacons, who were No. 9 in the initial rankings but fell to 12th after a 58-55 loss to North Carolina.
Notre Dame defeated Navy 34-6 Saturday for its fourth straight victory. It also gained a second ranked win: Purdue. The Boilermakers (6-3, 4-2 Big Ten) upset then-No. 3 Michigan State 40-29 on Saturday and slid into the rankings at No. 19.
Notre Dame now has another top-20 win over Wisconsin (6-3, 4-2 Big Ten), which rose to 18th, up three spots from No. 21 last week after a 52-3 takedown of Rutgers. Cincinnati — the lone team to beat Notre Dame — climbed a spot to fifth. The Bearcats are 9-0 after a 28-20 escape vs. Tulsa on Saturday.
The Irish have three wins over teams that are .500 or better. They play the final team that will likely finish with a winning record on their schedule this week when they head to Virginia (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC) Nov. 13. Their final two opponents are Georgia Tech and Stanford, which are both 3-6.
College Football Playoff Top 25
1. Georgia (9-0)
2. Alabama (8-1)
3. Oregon (8-1)
4. Ohio State (8-1)
5. Cincinnati (9-0)
6. Michigan (8-1)
7. Michigan State (8-1)
9. Notre Dame (8-1)
10. Oklahoma State (8-1)
11. Texas A&M (7-2)
12. Wake Forest (8-1)
13. Baylor (7-2)
14. BYU (8-2)
15. Ole Miss (7-2)
16. North Carolina State (7-2)
17. Auburn (6-3)
18. Wisconsin (6-3)
19. Purdue (6-3)
20. Iowa (7-2)
21. Pitt (7-2)
22. San Diego State (8-1)
23. UTSA (9-0)
24. Utah (6-3)
25. Arkansas (6-3)
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