College Football Rankings 2020: Projected AP Top 25 for Week 6
By Zach Bigalke
819. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 2-0. Notre Dame Fighting Irish. idle in Week 5. 5. player
Notre Dame is sidelined once again in Week 5, this time on a planned bye week. Last week the Fighting Irish were forced to postpone their trip to North Carolina to face off against Wake Forest in ACC play, and the South Bend campus is dealing with ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks that were exacerbated by a university president that refused to follow the same protocols which he has consistently chastised students about over the past month.
That said, Notre Dame actually moved up two spots heading into Week 5 after Oklahoma and LSU suffered upsets. Moving up further than No. 5, though, will require the Fighting Irish to enjoy the benefit of even more upsets above them in the polls. If they continue to be sidelined by the pandemic, pollsters will only give the Irish the benefit of the doubt for so long before they start moving the sidelined Golden Domers back in the rankings.
That makes it all the more imperative, both from a football standpoint and the broader public health of the campus and the South Bend community, that Notre Dame gets its situation under control in time to play Florida State at home on October 10.