Notre Dame made history Sunday after their heartbreaking 41-40 loss to Texas A&M on Saturday. The Fighting Irish became the first team since 1988 to start a college football season 0-2 and still remain ranked in the AP Top 25.
The Irish sit at No. 24 in the latest poll.
Saturday’s defeat marked Notre Dame’s second close loss to a ranked opponent this season. The Irish lost 27-24 against Miami in Week 1.
Both losses came by three points against teams currently ranked in the top 10.
Week 4 AP Top 25 Poll
The complete AP Top 25 rankings for Week 4:
- Ohio State
- Penn State
- LSU
- Miami
- Georgia
- Oregon
- Florida State
- Texas
- Illinois
- Texas A&M
- Oklahoma
- Iowa State
- Ole Miss
- Alabama
- Tennessee
- Utah
- Texas Tech
- Georgia Tech
- Indiana
- Vanderbilt
- Michigan
- Auburn
- Missouri
- Notre Dame
- USC
Texas A&M jumped into the top 10 at No. 10 after the victory over Notre Dame.
Miami moved up to No. 4 following their win over the Irish in the season opener.
Freeman Addresses 0-2 Start
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman acknowledged the challenges facing his team after the loss to the Aggies.
“You gotta go to work and practice and get better. We’re 0-2. So what do you control? You control getting better and getting ready for the next one. I can’t sit here and dwell on being 0-2 as much as I need to dwell on how do we find ways to improve.”
The Irish face Purdue next Saturday in a nonconference matchup.
Notre Dame’s ranking despite the 0-2 start reflects the strength of their opponents and the narrow margins in both losses. The 1988 team that previously accomplished this feat was Miami, according to reports.
The Fighting Irish will look to avoid their first 0-3 start since 2007 when they host the Boilermakers.
