BYU beat Notre Dame 28-24 in Provo on Oct. 17. Both teams are 6-1. And in this week’s AP poll, Notre Dame is No. 5 and BYU is No. 8. Make it make sense.
I’ll give the Irish their best argument up front: BYU lost last Saturday, 39-31 in double overtime at UCF. Notre Dame’s only loss is to BYU, a 4-point game on the road against a team that was unbeaten at the time. That’s a respectable loss. I get it.
But here’s how we rank teams at Five and a Fade: when two teams have the same record, head-to-head decides it, unless the team that lost has clearly better wins since. Notre Dame hasn’t played since that night in Provo. So let’s look at the résumés.
- BYU’s best wins: No. 5 Notre Dame and No. 22 Arizona (6-1).
- Notre Dame’s best win: No. 25 Wisconsin, 41-13 in the opener. That’s the only ranked team the Irish have beaten.
Who have the Irish beaten? Wisconsin. That’s the list. BYU owns the best win either team has, and it came against Notre Dame. The coaches got closer but still flipped it, Notre Dame No. 6 and BYU No. 9.
The good news is this sorts itself out. Notre Dame plays Navy on Saturday at 11 a.m. Central, then hosts No. 1 Miami on Nov. 7. BYU hosts Arizona State on Saturday at 2:30 on Fox, then goes to No. 6 Utah. Beat Miami and the Irish can have the spot. Until then, the team that won the game should be ranked ahead of the team that lost it.
Who’s got it right, Faders, us or the AP voters? Tell me on X or Instagram at @fiveandafade.
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Jeremy Durham is a sports columnist for TriStar Daily and the founder of Five and a Fade.
