Notre Dame ranked #14 in AP Top 25 and #13 in Coaches Poll

The Irish Slide Heading into Blacksburg

Week 5 Top 25

Quick Hitter

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish dropped out of the top 10 this week after shooting themselves in the foot multiple times in the first half. 3 awful turnovers made this one nearly impossible to watch right off the bat. The upside is that Drew Pyne clearly has “it”, and we will most likely make the first start of his career on the road next week. My expectations for this year has always been a NY6 ceiling, and this team can absolutely do that. It will be a week with a LOT to talk about and a LOT to clean up….and we will have plenty of coverage!

Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images

Notre Dame Opponent Rankings Quick Hits

• Cincinnati Bearcats: Moved to #6/#5. The Bearcats moved up after beating the Irish at home. Definitely a head scratcher as to why Oklahoma is still ranked ahead of them in the coaches poll. Anyone with eyeballs would have the Bearcats ahead of the Sooners….but I digress. The Bearcats now have a clear path towards the playoff and will hopefully make it in as I want to see a non power 5 team get a shot (even if they are a sacrificial lamb for Georgia or Alabama)

You’ll notice there are no remaining ranked teams on the schedule. They should be favored in every remaining game, and can absolutely win out. It won’t be easy and offensively things will need to change, but such is life. As always, GO IRISH!!