Notre Dame Football: Quick Analysis of 2024 AP Poll Preseason Ranking

Notre Dame will officially be a preseason top 10 team when it opens the year at Texas A&M

Notre Dame defensive back Jaden Mickey (7) at Notre Dame spring football practice Thursday, March 7, 2024, at the Irish Athletics Center in South Bend. / GREG SWIERCZ / USA TODAY NETWORK

The preseason AP Poll is out and Notre Dame checks in No. 7 nationally.

Below is the entire top 25 poll followed by teams that showed up in the receiving votes category.

Below that you'll find some quick thoughts on the preseason rankings.

25. Iowa - 140 pts
24. North Carolina State - 171 pts
23. USC - 172 pts.
22. Kansas - 231 pts.
21. Arizona - 237 pts.

20. Texas A&M - 292 pts.
19. Miami (FL) - 402 pts.
18. Kansas State - 526 pts.
17. Oklahoma State - 538 pts.
16. Oklahoma - 566 pts.

15. Tennessee - 629 pts.
14. Clemson - 689 pts.
13. LSU - 804 pts.
12. Utah - 887 pts.
11. Missouri - 927 pts.

Dec 29, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Missouri Tigers wide receiver Luther Burden III (3) runs upfield during the fourth quarter of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic against the Ohio State Buckeyes at AT&T Stadium / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

10. Florida State - 971 pts.
9. Michigan - 995 pts.

8. Penn State - 1060 pts.
7. Notre Dame - 1122 pts.

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman, right, greets quarterback Kenny Minchey (8) during a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in South Bend. / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK

6. Ole Miss - 1189 pts.

5. Alabama - 1260 pts.

4. Texas - 1386 pts.

3. Oregon (1) - 1403 pts.

2. Ohio State (15) - 1490 pts.

1. Georgia (46) - 1532 pts.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart talks with Georgia quarterback Carson Beck (15) during a football game between Tennessee and Georgia at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. / Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Also receiving votes: Louisville 111, Virginia Tech 77, Boise St. 47, SMU 33, Iowa St. 33, Liberty 32, Washington 23, West Virginia 17, Memphis 16, Nebraska 16, Wisconsin 15, UTSA 6, Tulane 5, Appalachian St. 4, Kentucky 3, Auburn 2, Colorado 1.

Nick's 3 Quick Thoughts on Preseason AP Poll:

3. The Power Four flexed their strength as 24 teams in the AP Poll Top 25 belong to one of the four conferences and the other is No. 7 Notre Dame. The Group of Five conferences are first represented in the receiving votes category as Boise State checks in 28th overall. For those that think this College Football Playoff can resemble March Madness, take a look at a perceived 28th best team in the nation and tell me how, in this rankings, would go on a run in the College Football Playoff.

With how the playoff sets up, Boise State would go to No. 5 Oregon (top ranked non-Power Four champion team) then would be rewarded with a date with the fourth-best Power Four team on a neutral field. David doesn't get to play against another David in this scenario and this only speaks further to it. Knock off Goliath, get perhaps a little less intimidating Goliath, and then two more bouts with Goliath.

2. When you look at the points total you can easily see the teirs that voters use. This sticks out to a couple of Notre Dame opponents this year as USC at No. 23 is just one point ahead of North Carolina State but 59 points behind No. 21 Kansas.

No. 20 Texas A&M seems to be in its own tier as well as the Aggies are 55 points ahead of No. 21 Kansas and 200 points behind No. 19 Miami (FL).

1. The voting in both the Coaches Poll and now the AP Poll make it feel like 2005 when USC and Texas were the clearcut preseason No. 1 and No. 2 teams. It will take a lot different course to get there thanks to conference realignment and the expanded playoff, but good luck finding more than a handful of people nationally that don't' see those two as the nation's top two teams.

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