Was Notre Dame Really Worthy of Moving Up in the Rankings?

Notre Dame moved up in both the AP and Coaches Polls after beating Wisconsin 41-13

Notre Dame running back Aneyas Williams (22) celebrates getting a first down during the second half of a NCAA football game against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026, in Green Bay, WI. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Week 1 of the college football season came and went, and for Notre Dame, it was a productive week.

The Fighting Irish outscored Wisconsin 28-3 in the second half to runaway from the Badgers with a 41-13 victory. For some reason, some think this showing wasn't impressive, despite the fact Notre Dame covered the point spread and didn't allow a run of more than eight yards all night.

Following Week 1's conclusion on Monday night with SMU beating Florida State, the AP Poll and Coaches Polls were both updated on Tuesday morning with Notre Dame moving up a spot.

Updated AP and Coaches Polls Following Week 1

The updated polls were released with Notre Dame moving up a spot in both. The Fighting Irish are now ranked third in the AP Poll and fourth in the AFCA Coaches Poll.

AP Poll Following Week 1

3️⃣ in the AP Poll#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/gCwFFxdLhc

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) September 8, 2026

1. Ohio State (46)
2. Georgia
3. Notre Dame (4)
4. Texas (2)
5. Indiana (8)
6. Oregon (3)
7. Miami (1)
8. LSU (5)
9. Ole Miss
10. Texas A&M
11. Oklahoma
12. Alabama
13. Texas Tech
14. USC
15. BYU
16. Penn State
17. SMU
18. Tennessee
19. Washington
20. Utah
21. Iowa
22. Houston
23. Missouri
24. Louisville
25. Virginia

AFCA Coaches Poll Following Week 1

1. Ohio State (50)
2. Georgia (7)
3. Texas (1)
4. Notre Dame (4)
5. Indiana (11)
6. Oregon (1)
7. Miami
8. LSU
9. Texas A&M
10. Oklahoma
11. Ole Miss
12. Alabama
13. Texas Tech
14. USC
15. BYU
16. Penn State
17. SMU
18. Tennessee
19. Washington
20. Utah
21. Iowa
22. Houston
23. Missouri
24. Michigan
25. Florida
25. Virginia

Was Notre Dame Treated Fairly in Both Polls?

Honestly, I can't pretend to care a whole lot about if Notre Dame should be a spot higher or lower right now.

I think what happened is that a lot of the country saw the first half of Notre Dame's game against Wisconsin and after Notre Dame scored early in the second half, flipped to watch the rest of Ole Miss vs. Louisville, which went down to the final seconds.

If you only watched the first half and the next possession or two from that game then you left not overly impressed with Notre Dame, as it mostly kicked the daylights out of Wisconsin the entire second half.

Hence why Notre Dame wasn't given a ton of love for beating up a decent Wisconsin team.

However, I can't pretend to get mad about where Notre Dame is ranked at the moment. So much of this is built on the perception that preseason rankings were accurate, and don't need to be changed.

Honestly, how is LSU no higher than eighth in either poll? There wasn't a more impressive showing nationally this week than what it did to Clemson - and almost every team out there has just one game data point.

Ultimately, I think Notre Dame deservedly passed Oregon, who struggled to get by Boise State, but LSU should have been given a lot more consideration to be a top-five team than it clearly received.

For whatever it's worth, I would have Notre Dame in my top-four right now, but it'd be Indiana and LSU joining it and Ohio State.

Really, though, just keep taking care of business, and the rankings will take care of themselves.