Notre Dame football: Irish should have moved up in latest AP Poll
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football team stood pat at No. 14 in the AP Poll this week, but they should have at least move up a spot or two after their victory.
Sure, the Notre Dame football team has not looked great this season, and they do have one loss on their resume already. Going into their game against Virginia Tech, a road game in hostile territory, the Irish were ranked as the No. 14 team in the country in the AP Poll.
Throughout their game on Saturday night, the Notre Dame football team looked like they could be headed to win No. 2, their second in a row, and possibly launching them outside of the top-25. Instead, they rallied back against the Hokies, winning the game on the road in primetime, and keeping their slim College Football Playoff hopes alive.
However, when the AP Poll was released on Sunday, the Irish did not move at all, continuing to land at No. 14 overall. That was a miss by the polls, as the Irish should have at least moved up a spot or two after their victory that moved them to 5-1 on the season.
Their only loss is to the No. 3-ranked team in the Poll, and they did beat a ranked Wisconsin team earlier this season.
Notre Dame football has a chance to move up this week
Looking at the teams ahead of them, some certainly deserve to be there, but you could make the argument that they could have been above a one-loss Ole Miss team, or even an undefeated Michigan State team. Going forward, it is going to be hard for the Irish to make a real move in the standings, as they do not play another ranked team this season, and will need teams to lose to make significant jumps.
There will be opportunities this week for the Irish to move up, even with them on their bye week, as there are some crucial top-25 matchups to keep an eye on this weekend. Kentucky is ranked ahead of Notre Dame football, and are undefeated, but they have to go up against No. 1 Georgia, who is widely considered the best team in the country this season.
Also, Oklahoma State takes on No. 25 Texas in a game that could either way, while Ole Miss takes on Tennessee in another huge SEC battle. The Irish will be waiting around to see what happens this weekend, but chips could fall their way and improve their standing within the AP Poll when it is released next Sunday.