Notre Dame Rises To #3 In Week 9 USA Today Rankings and AP Poll

Last week, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish moved into the top four in the national rankings after a close win over the Pitt Panthers. This week, the Irish had the week off, but the college football world kept on turning. Notably, the Ohio State Buckeyes, who were ranked #2 in both sets of national rankings, lost to the Purdue Boilermakers 49-20. It’s clear this was the main reason the Irish faithful are seeing Notre Dame’s ranking improve this week.

Here’s the complete week nine USA Today Coaches’ Poll:

Ohio State’s loss drops them from #2 to #9. Clemson, Notre Dame, and LSU all moved up one spot each within the top ten. Michigan’s big win over Michigan State moved them up two spots to #5. Georgia stayed put at #6 during their bye week while Texas moved up a spot and Oklahoma jumped two spots to #8. Despite a win over East Carolina, UCF fell from #9 to #10 this week.

Here’s the complete week nine AP Poll:

In this week’s AP Poll, each team ranked behind #2 last week in the top eight jumped a spot. Florida moves up two spots from #11 to #9 after their bye. Ohio State fell out of the top ten entirely here with the Buckeyes now at #11. UCF held steady at #10. Stanford also rejoined the top 25 this week after a win against Arizona State, which slightly helps Notre Dame’s resume.

Notre Dame now will turn their attention towards the Navy Midshipmen as both teams head to San Diego for the latest chapter in the historic rivalry. That game will kick off at 8 PM ET on CBS.