So I guess they were underrated to start the season
With the college football season finally over after Notre Dame’s 34-23 loss to Ohio State in the CFP National Championship game, the polls make their triumphant return after over a month off for the playoffs.
Notre Dame was ranked #2 by both the AP Top 25 and the Coaches Poll. It’s the highest postseason ranking for Notre Dame since the end of the 1993 season.
National champion Buckeyes are No. 1 in final AP Top 25, Notre Dame, Oregon next; Ole Miss, BYU ranked ahead of CFP teams.
Full poll: https://t.co/7dTTUiSC1j pic.twitter.com/z6vyneboBO
— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) January 21, 2025
Notre Dame finishes the season with 4 wins over teams ranked inside the final rankings of the Top 25 (#5 Penn State Nittany Lions, #6 Georgia Bulldogs, #10 Indiana Hoosiers, and #21 Army Black Knights). The Irish also had 3 wins over schools that just missed the final top 25 rankings (Louisville Cardinals, Navy Midshipmen, and Texas A&M Aggies).
The Irish started the season ranked #7, so by every definition — they were not overrated to begin the season like so many suggest every year. While no one wants to celebrate second place, this was, without question, the best Notre Dame Football season in over 30 years.