As the college football world adjusts to almost half the teams in FBS not playing this fall, we continue to adjust rankings nation-wide.
Earlier this week the Amway Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY announced that they were changing the way they went about business, making only coaches of teams playing this fall eligible to vote.
Earlier today we discussed a USA TODAY writer who went and ranked all 76 FBS teams that are playing football this fall, and how he had Notre Dame fifth.
Now Sports Illustrated has changed things up, going away from the traditional ranking of 25 teams and instead coming up with their own “Still Standing 16“.
In those rankings Notre Dame checked in at number six, as Pat Forde said the following about the 2020 Fighting Irish:
The Fighting Irish won at least 10 games for the third straight season in 2019, for only the second time in school history. While that’s partly an accounting trick (they played fewer games during the olden days), it’s also a testament to what coach Brian Kelly has constructed in his decade at South Bend. Notre Dame might not be winning national titles, but the program is consistently relevant.
Continuing the current run could hinge on a new crop of skill-position talent. Among the returnees no running back had 50 carries last season, and no receiver caught a dozen passes. The Irish have intriguing freshman options (TE Michael Mayer, WR Jordan Johnson, RB Chris Tyree), but those players are coming in behind schedule. At least senior QB Ian Book will be operating behind a very good, very experienced line.
Third-year coordinator Clark Lea is a coaching star in the making, having produced the school’s two best scoring defenses since 2012. He’s retooling a bit, but senior rover Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (80 tackles, 5 1/2 sacks, four passes broken up) is a high-impact centerpiece. —P.F
In their rankings, Sports Illustrated included three Notre Dame opponents in their 16 with Clemson first, North Carolina 14th and Florida State 15th, the highest we’ve seen the Seminoles.