The craziness of the college football season always causes some pretty massive shifts in the AP Top 25 from the final preseason poll to the Week 3 poll, when most teams are either wrapping up their non-conference slate or beginning their conference schedule. Notre Dame, with neither conference nor non-conference games, has seen its ranking remain steady despite some serious movement just a few spots below it.
The new AP Top 25 had the top three teams untouched by the chaos that occurred just a little further down the Top 5. Texas, Georgia, and Notre Dame stayed 1, 2, and No. 3, though the Irish did lose their one first-place vote they got a week ago.
Considering Notre Dame won 27-10 over Michigan State, some people might have thought there was nothing to worry about regarding getting jumped in the rankings. However, Ole Miss leaping into the No. 4 spot after fighting off LSU and former head coach Lane Kiffin illustrated that the Fighting Irish could have dropped if voters weren't convinced they belonged at No. 3 in the AP Top 25.
The Rebels jumped 4 spots from No. 8 to No. 4 while both Indiana and Miami dropped a spot each, despite holding serve and remaining undefeated. The Hoosiers are now No. 5 and the Hurricanes are No. 6 while Ohio State, which bounced back after a loss to Texas last week dropped one spot to seventh.
Notre Dame football stays No. 3 as BYU and Miami bolster future schedule strength
The other big shift in the poll that Notre Dame is interested in is the jump into the Top 10 by BYU after it's third straight victory. The Cougars entered the weekend at No. 11 but moved to No. 9 just ahead of a big showdown next week against Iowa State.
Why is that important? If BYU and Miami can both stay undefeated until they face off against Notre Dame, it would mean the Irish will have at least two games against Top 10 teams on their schedule.
With so much talk about how the Irish schedule is weak, if they could post wins against both teams, it could be a serious resume builder.
It's now especially important that BYU and Miami stay in the Top 10, since SMU's loss to Louisville means the Mustangs dropped six spots and are in danger of a Notre Dame opponent dropping out of the AP Top 25 altogether.
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