College Football Rankings 2020: Projected AP Top 25 for Week 8
By Zach Bigalke
Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Pick Analysis. 4-0. won 12-7 vs. Louisville. 819. Scouting Report. 3. player
Winning ugly is ultimately still winning, an adage the Fighting Irish will need to take to heart this week after narrowly escaping Louisville 12-7 at home. It was the kind of game that could cost Notre Dame some votes in the AP Top 25 this week, though they should still remain in the top five of the poll given the other results over the course of the weekend.
Ian Book was outplayed by Louisville counterpart Micale Cunningham. The Irish quarterback finished 11-of-19 for 107 passing yards and added 47 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground. Kyren Williams had a big game on the ground as well, finishing with 127 yards on 26 carries. When Notre Dame was on defense, they held Cunningham to 134 passing yards and the Cardinals to 95 total rushing yards.
Notre Dame needs to figure out how to put more points on the board, and they need to figure it out as quickly as possible. Brian Kelly’s team hits the road over the next few weeks, playing at Pittsburgh in Week 8 and traveling to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech on Halloween. Both games serve as a prelude to the key November 7 date with Clemson in South Bend.