Breaking down the tight Notre Dame football all-time wins battle in 2022
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Notre Dame is in danger of falling far behind the soon-to-be two newest members of the SEC on college football’s all-time wins list.
In Week 2, Oklahoma slid by the Irish with 930 all-time wins after victories over UTEP in Week 1 and Kent State in Week 2. Notre Dame stayed stuck at 929 with losses to Ohio State and Marshall.
Texas tied Notre Dame at 929 in Week 1 with a win over Louisiana Monroe and nearly moved past the Irish with a narrow one-point defeat at the hands of No. 1 Alabama in Week 2. Through Week 3, Texas (2-1) and Notre Dame (1-2) are tied at 930 wins. Oklahoma has 931 after a 3-0 start.
Oklahoma and Texas appear primed to have successful seasons in 2022. That’s been the norm for the former. The latter is trying to come back from a 5-7 campaign in 2021.
Notre Dame? It’s looking to avoid a similar disaster of its own. The Irish started 0-2 for the first time since 2011 and lost to an unranked team for the first time in 42 games with the 26-21 home defeat to Marshall. The Irish finally got in the win column with a triumph over Cal last week.
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The Irish were overrated from the start, slotting in as the consensus No. 5 team in the country per the Associated Press and coaches polls. The Irish fell out of both polls, and it only took two weeks. Now, they’re going to be battling the ranked Sooners and Longhorns all fall on the all-time wins list.
That is, of course, the last of head coach Marcus Freeman’s worries. He’s preoccupied with righting the ship and getting Notre Dame headed back in the right direction in the short term.
Short-term expectations are built on the standard of long-term success, though. Notre Dame went 54-10 from 2017-22. The brand is what it is and the Irish are top-five nationally in all-time wins because of stretches like the last half-decade littered throughout the program’s storied history. But without a quick turnaround, Notre Dame will lose its top-five all-time standing.
Most all-time wins in college football history
| Rank | Team | Wins |
| 1. | Michigan | 979 |
| T2. | Alabama | 945 |
| T2. | Ohio State | 945 |
| 4. | Oklahoma | 931 |
| T5. | Notre Dame | 930 |
| T5. | Texas | 930 |
| 7. | Penn State | 912 |
| 8. | Nebraska | 909 |
| T9. | Tennesssee | 859 |
| T9. | USC | 859 |
