It’s been a while since we’ve had to think about Notre Dame not being in the AP Top 25. Yet that’s exactly what happened after a brutal 26-21 home loss to Marshall. The Irish had been in the AP Top 25 for 80 consecutive weeks, one of the longest active streaks in the country. To think of the last time a loss knocked the Irish out of that poll, you have to go back to their 2017 game against Georgia, which was a 20-19 decision.
To be fair, this defeat didn’t come for an Irish team with expectations that were absurdly high. They weren’t ranked to open the season, but they ascended to 24th after a blowout win over Temple in their first game. They wouldn’t be down for long as back-to-back road wins over Boston College and Michigan State right after put them right back in the poll. That’s where they would stay until the Herd shocked everybody this past weekend.
Here are some photos from the last time an Irish loss pushed them out of the rankings: