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Where does Notre Dame football rank in the Week 10 AP Poll?

IMG_7504by: Jack Soble4 hours agojacksoble56
marcus freeman-11
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman. (Mike Miller, Blue & Gold)

Notre Dame stood pat in the AP Poll this week, staying at No. 12.

Since starting 0-2 and falling from sixth in the preseason poll to 24th in Week 4, Notre Dame steadily rose from a fringe top 25 team to a College Football Playoff contender once again. This week, though, the Irish did not play and everyone ahead of them either won or also took Saturday off. Logic dictates Notre Dame was unlikely to rise or fall based on that result.

Voters still have a great deal of respect for Notre Dame’s two losses, a three-point defeat at No. 10 Miami and a one-point defeat at home against No. 3 Texas A&M. The loss to the Aggies in particular looks impressive after A&M dominated LSU 49-25 in Baton Rouge, La., and improved to 8-0. Voters also respect what the Irish have done since their 0-2 start, winning every game and more often than not doing it by a wide margin.

A 56-30 win over Purdue didn’t do much to calm doubters, but a 56-13 win over Arkansas very much did. That win has aged well even as the Razorbacks have continued to lose, because ranked Southeastern Conference teams such as No. 7 Ole Miss, No. 14 Tennessee and Texas A&M have all beaten them by 6 points or fewer.

The Irish then took care of business against Boise State 28-7, NC State 36-7 and USC 34-24. That last victory is Notre Dame’s best win to date, with the Trojans returning to the AP Poll at No. 23. As far as the remaining schedule goes, both Navy and Pittsburgh received votes. The Midshipmen would be No. 26 if the poll extended that far.

Notre Dame is back in action at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, when the Irish will take on Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Mass. The game will be televised on ESPN.

Week 10 AP Poll

  1. Ohio State (7-0)
  2. Indiana (8-0)
  3. Texas A&M (8-0)
  4. Alabama (7-1)
  5. Georgia (6-1)
  6. Oregon (7-1)
  7. Ole Miss (7-1)
  8. Georgia Tech (8-0)
  9. Vanderbilt (7-1)
  10. Miami (6-1)
  11. BYU (8-0)
  12. Notre Dame (5-2)
  13. Texas Tech (7-1)
  14. Tennessee (6-2)
  15. Virginia (7-1)
  16. Louisville (6-1)
  17. Cincinnati (7-1)
  18. Oklahoma (6-2)
  19. Missouri (6-2)
  20. Texas (6-2)
  21. Michigan (6-2)
  22. Houston (7-1)
  23. USC (5-2)
  24. Utah (6-2)
  25. Memphis (7-1)

Others receiving votes: Navy 86, Tulane 59, Washington 46, Iowa 27, South Florida 22, San Diego State 14, LSU 11, James Madison 9, North Texas 4, Illinois 3, Pittsburgh 1

This story will be updated.