Notre Dame handled business against Southern Cal last night as the Irish took down the Trojans 31-16, their fourth-straight win in the historic season. Notre Dame was in control the majority of the night in their first of two-straight night games at Notre Dame Stadium.
The win paired with a few loses from both Penn State and Oklahoma State moved Notre Dame up from 13th a week ago to 11th in the latest edition of the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.
The entire rankings are as follows as No. 2 Cincinnati is Notre Dame’s only 2021 opponent to crack this week’s rankings while Virginia showed up in the receiving votes section.
Full USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll:
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Change |
| 1 | Georgia | 7-0 | 1,600 (64) | – |
| 2 | Cincinnati | 7-0 | 1,469 | +1 |
| 3 | Alabama | 7-1 | 1,439 | +1 |
| 4 | Oklahoma | 8-0 | 1,430 | -2 |
| 5 | Ohio State | 6-1 | 1,338 | – |
| 6 | Michigan | 7-0 | 1,313 | – |
| 7 | Michigan State | 7-0 | 1,208 | – |
| 8 | Oregon | 6-1 | 1,139 | +2 |
| 9 | Ole Miss | 6-1 | 1,019 | +3 |
| 10 | Iowa | 6-1 | 1,008 | +1 |
| 11 | Notre Dame | 6-1 | 950 | +2 |
| 12 | Kentucky | 6-1 | 857 | +1 |
| 13 | Wake Forest | 7-0 | 838 | +2 |
| 14 | Texas A&M | 6-2 | 736 | +3 |
| 15 | Oklahoma State | 6-1 | 684 | -6 |
| 16 | SMU | 7-0 | 535 | +3 |
| 17 | Penn State | 5-2 | 517 | -9 |
| 18 | Baylor | 6-1 | 509 | +2 |
| 19 | Pittsburgh | 6-1 | 487 | +4 |
| 20 | San Diego State | 7-0 | 431 | +1 |
| 21 | Auburn | 5-2 | 418 | +1 |
| 22 | UT-San Antonio | 8-0 | 219 | +3 |
| 23 | Iowa State | 5-2 | 190 | +3 |
| 24 | Coastal Carolina | 6-1 | 134 | -8 |
| 25 | North Carolina State | 5-2 | 73 | -7 |
Dropped from the rankings:
No. 24 Clemson
Others receiving votes:
UL Lafayette 42; Brigham Young 42; Arkansas 41; Houston 27; Arizona State 27; Virginia 23; Oregon State 13; Florida 13; Fresno State 10; Air Force 9; Appalachian State 5; Texas 3; Liberty 3; Utah 1
If Notre Dame can beat North Carolina next week a return to the top-ten would seem likely assuming Cincinnati remains unbeaten and at number-two because No. 6 Michigan and No. 7 Michigan State are set to square off in East Lansing.
Related:
Best still images from Notre Dame’s win over USC
Notre Dame beats Southern Cal again – 5 quick takeaways