7. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Where they were ranked in the 2019 preseason: 9th (1044 points)
- Where they were ranked at the end of 2019: 12th (879 points)
- Where they were in our way-too-early Top 25: 6th
- Where they ranked in the preseason Coaches Poll: 10th (1012 points)
Notre Dame benefitted from its partnership with the ACC to land itself a premier schedule this season. Gone are the traditional rivalry games with Pac-12 schools USC and Stanford, the rivalry game against Navy that was originally scheduled to kick off the season in Dublin, and their neutral-site showcase against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field.
For other independents this would have been a death sentence; for the Fighting Irish, it was just a matter of reconfiguring their schedule to become a temporary full member of the ACC in this coronavirus-impacted season. A home date against Clemson is the crown jewel of the first year where Notre Dame will ever be eligible to win a conference title.
They have a strong roster back, with potential Heisman hopeful Ian Book quarterbacking the offense and linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah back after leading the team in total tackles, tackles for loss, and sacks last season.
Notre Dame seemed like they could be a highly-regarded team in 2020 after they took down Iowa State 33-9 in the Camping World Bowl in Orlando. With a number of teams out of their way, the Fighting Irish will be firmly planted among the top 10 in the first AP Top 25 of the new year.