College Football Rankings 2021: Projected AP Top 25 for Week 9

5 of 14

Oct 23, 2021; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Lorenzo Styles Jr. (21) runs the ball as USC Trojans safety Xavion Alford (29) attempts to tackle in the second quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /

Notre Dame opened some eyes in Week 8, beating USC handily in South Bend. The Irish had a bye last weekend and looked more than fresh against the Trojans.

The Fighting Irish got good games from Jack Coan as he’s starting to separate himself as the clear No. 1 quarterback and Kyren Williams had his best game of the season. The defense, too, looked really good against Kedon Slovis, Keaontay Ingram, and Drake London, holding them to just three points through three quarters.

Bad news for the Fighting Irish: Kyle Hamilton was injured in the first half and never returned. Brian Kelly said that he was questionable to return despite not being able to put any weight on his leg, but hopefully it’s not a long-term ailment because Notre Dame needs him.

If Notre Dame can find a way to win out, there’s a chance the Irish can climb into the top-four conversation when the playoff rankings come out.

This win proved that the Irish are for real and worthy of a top-10 spot as I think they jump Iowa.

Home/College Football News