Notre Dame headed to Chapel Hill in what many called a trap game against former No. 23 North Carolina. That’s exactly what it wasn’t, as the Irish continued their impressive run of play, staying undefeated in winning 31-17 over the Tar Heels.
That win was enough to catch some attention in the latest Amway Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports as the Irish didn’t move up, but garnered more votes than they did last week.
Around the ACC, No. 4 Clemson saw the return of all-world quarterback Trevor Lawrence and blew out Pittsburgh, 52-17. Miami, FL, the No. 9 team, the only other conference team ranked inside the Amway Coaches Poll.
Nationally, No. 13 Northwestern was upended in East Lansing, falling the Michigan State 29-20, giving them their first loss of the year. Iowa State, ranked No. 15, continues it’s impressive run as they defeated No. 21Texas in Memorial Stadium, 23-20. Oregon State upended No. 11 Oregon in their unnamed rivalry game, 41-38 on Friday night. No. 1 Alabama blew out their rivals No. 19 Auburn, 42-13, with head coach Nick Saban watching from home as he tested positive for COVID-19 this week.
Former No. 3 Ohio State dropped one spot after having their game against Illinois canceled due to a spread of COVID-19 this week. It was Clemson’s gain here, as they now hold the same ranking in the College Football Playoff rankings.
Here is the updated Coaches Poll, with ACC teams in bold and last weeks ranking in parenthesis.
1 Alabama (1)
2 Notre Dame (2)
3 Clemson (4)
4 Ohio State (3)
5 Florida (5)
6 Texas A&M (6)
7 Cincinnati (7)
8 BYU (8)
9 Miami, FL (9)
10 Georgia (10)
11 Indiana (12)
12 Iowa State (15)
13 Oklahoma (14)
14 Coastal Carolina (17)
15 Marshall (16)
16 USC (18)
17 Northwestern (14)
18 Oklahoma St (22)
19 Wisconsin (20)
20 Oregon (11)
21 Louisiana-Lafayette (24)
22 Tulsa (25)
23 Washington (NR)
24 Iowa (NR)
25 Liberty (NR)
Dropped out: No. 19 Auburn, No. 21 Texas, No. 23 North Carolina