Notre Dame on Wrong Side of History Heading Into Purdue Game

The Fighting Irish are the first 0-2 team to be ranked in nearly four decades.

Sep 13, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman looks on as the team takes a knee for Notre Dame Fighting Irish tight end Eli Raridon (9) after an apparent injury against Texas A&M Aggies during the second half at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

It's not time to hit the panic button yet in South Bend, but the alarm bells are ringing.

The Fighting Irish are 0-2 after their brutal 41-40 loss to Texas A&M, putting a major dent in their College Football Playoff hopes. It's the second time in the last four years that Notre Dame has started 0-2 under head coach Marcus Freeman, and now this year's version might be on the wrong side of history.

Notre Dame came in at No. 24 on the latest AP poll, becoming the first team in 37 years to remain ranked after starting the season with two losses.

On the plus side, that doesn't mean the season is over. There's still a shot to make something big happen by winning out.

The 1988 Michigan Wolverines were the last team to start 0-2 and remain ranked, entering the season as the No. 9 team before losing their first two games and dropping to 19. (By the way, one of those two was a 19-17 walk-off thriller to Notre Dame.)

From there, the Wolverines went undefeated the rest of the way, going 9-0-1 - back in the day when there were ties - before finishing the year as the Big Ten champion.

This year's team will aim to follow a similar path to the Wolverines and the 2022 Fighting Irish, who were able to avoid a season-altering 0-3 start by winning three straight games en route to a 9-4 record.

A return to the top of the AP poll for Notre Dame starts with a home date against Purdue in Week 4. While the Boilermakers are better than last year, this is the same school that the Fighting Irish destroyed 66-7 last year, handing Purdue the worst loss in its program history.

This year, Notre Dame will look to win in similar convincing fashion. To do that, a defense that has looked shaky at best over its first two games will look to turn in a bounce-back performance against a Boilermaker offense that doesn't have the same firepower as Miami or Texas A&M.

The Fighting Irish are dealing with a slew of injuries stemming from their loss to the Aggies, highlighted by cornerback Leonard Moore, who had an interception against Texas A&M but is listed as questionable against Purdue after picking up a left ankle injury in the loss.

Safety DeVonte Smith is also on the injury report and didn't play any snaps against Texas A&M after rolling his ankle during pregame warmups. Kicker Noah Brunette is listed as questionable with a right hip injury.

Not much has gone right so far for Notre Dame this season, but its matchup against Purdue is a perfect get-right game, and one the Fighting Irish are hoping will help them avoid staying on the wrong side of history.