It’s not that the poll perception of the Notre Dame football team doesn’t matter in October.
It’s just that where the Irish (5-1) improve in key statistical rankings matters more, because it’s the better gauge of not only their sustainability as a playoff-berth contender but their viability of being able to stick around past the opening weekend in the first-ever 12-team version of the College Football Playoff if they indeed make the field.
For the record, Notre Dame did move up a spot Sunday in the coaches poll, to No. 11, after its 49-7, lightning-delayed dismissal of Stanford (2-4) at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday. And in the AP poll, the Irish find themselves down one spot, at No. 12, at the midpoint of their season.
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That after starting the season at No. 7 in the AP rankings and sinking as low as 18th following a 16-14 loss to Northern Illinois on Sept. 7. The first set of College Football Playoff rankings are still a few weeks away, with a Nov. 5 release date.
Texas remained No. 1 in the AP poll, after its 34-3 Cotton Bowl blowout Saturday of rival Oklahoma in the first-ever meeting between the two as SEC teams. Oregon moved up to No. 2 after nipping Ohio State (32-31), followed by Penn State, Ohio State and Georgia.
There are 11 remaining FBS unbeatens, 10 of which are ranked — including future Irish opponents Army (No. 23) and Navy (No. 25). The only other ND opponent, upcoming or past, in the Top 25 is Texas A&M, at No. 14. Louisville and USC are in the “also receiving votes” bucket.
Incidentally, it's the first time Army and Navy have appeared in the same AP poll since 1960.
Just ahead for Notre Dame is a Saturday date with Georgia Tech (5-2) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, home of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and about a mile and a half from Tech’s campus.
Notre Dame’s heads there as the No. 74 team nationally in team pass efficiency. That’s up 28 spots, and that’s not insignificant.
The misconception, though, is the Irish passing game needs to be prolific. And that QB Riley Leonard’s best-in-an-ND-uniform 229 passing yards (in three quarters, no less) is the most encouraging takeaway on a day full of them — and yet all of them screaming for context.
Here it is when it comes to the passing game. Leonard’s best-ever, at Duke or ND, pass-efficiency number against FBS competition (205.2) on Saturday means more.
No team has won a national title in BCS/CFP Era (1998-present) with a pass-efficiency rating south of 37th (LSU 2007). And only one team even reached the title game in that time frame with a pass-efficiency rating of lower than 43rd.
The team? Notre Dame. And its pass-efficiency standing? 74th, with Everett Golson and Tommy Rees tag-teaming at QB back in 2012.
However, prolific passing attacks are not what drives championships. While five of the BCS/CFP titlists have also been the national pass-efficiency statistical champ and the last five champions have all finished in the tio eight, none of the 26 champs since 1998 have led the nation in passing yards per game.
And only three of them finished in the top 10, while 12 of them finished 50th or below. That includes reigning camp Michigan, which was 81st in 2023.
The other necessary improvement seen Saturday — that needs to keep trending — is Notre Dame’s movement from 49th to 45th in rush defense. Five teams in the past 26 seasons have reached the championship game with a rush defense worse than ND’s current standing, including Washington (58th) last season. All five of them lost. None of the 26 BCS/CFP champs have finished lower than 40th.
Notre Dame has two top 25 rushing offense teams coming up this month — Georgia Tech (25th) and Navy (2nd) and another, Army (1st) on Nov. 23 at Yankee Stadium.
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