Notre Dame Rises to No. 13 in AP Poll

Notre Dame moved up to No. 13 in the AP poll on Sunday after beating North Carolina State 36-7 on Saturday.

Notre Dame linebacker Drayk Bowen (34) celebrates after getting a stop in the second half of a NCAA football game against NC State at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Don't look now, but Notre Dame is on the rise. The Fighting Irish have won four straight games after beating North Carolina State, 36-7, on Saturday and are now ranked No. 13 in the AP Poll.

Indiana moves up to No. 3 overall, its highest Top 25 ranking in AP poll history 👏 pic.twitter.com/yotyHzPfsN

— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) October 12, 2025

Notre Dame looked dead in the water after starting the season 0-2, but all Notre Dame has done is respond with four straight blowout wins. I wrote about it on Saturday, but maybe the Fighting Irish aren't as bad as we thought they were after all.

Notre Dame opened the season as a top 10 team after reaching the National Championship game last year, but the Irish looked nothing like the team we saw in the college football playoff back in August and September.

First, Notre Dame lost its season opener to Miami (FL) and then two weeks later lost its home opener 41-40 to Texas A&M in heartbreaking fashion. But what seems to go unnoticed is how good the Hurricanes and Aggies actually are. In fact, both teams are still undefeated.

Miami didn't play this week, but is currently ranked second in the nation behind the defending champions in Ohio State, and Texas A&M is now ranked No. 4 in the country after beating Florida on Saturday.

And if Notre Dame beats USC on Saturday, don't be surprised if the Fighting Irish climb back into the top 10. The Trojans are 5-1 after crushing Michigan on Saturday and are currently ranked No. 20.

Notre Dame still has to win out to make the CFP, but the Irish's chances are looking better and better each week. And the main reason is that the defense is starting to look like an elite unit.

First-year defensive coordinator Chris Ash's job looked like it might be in jeopardy after the Irish defense allowed 27-plus points in its first three games, but after allowing 30 points to Purdue a little less than a month ago, the Fighting Irish haven't allowed more than 13 points in a game.

At the end of the day, Notre Dame moving up in the polls doesn't mean a whole lot, but it's nice to see the Fighting Irish are regaining the respect of the national media. But that could quickly change if Notre Dame is upset at home on Saturday against Lincoln Riley's Trojans.

Kickoff from South Bend, Ind., between USC and Notre Dame is at 6:30 p.m. CT and can be viewed on NBC and Peacock.