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Notre Dame’s Placement in ESPN College Football Rankings Is a Total Whiff

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Nate Lunak | Last updated Sep 14, 2025 11:34 AM ET

Week 3 of the 2025 college football season has come and gone, and there were a handful of exciting games to watch. One of the best was between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Texas A&M Aggies.

It was a nail-biter until the end, which finished with a 41-40 win for Texas A&M. Despite the loss though, Notre Dame barely moved in the updated ESPN Football Power Index (FPI).

After sustaining their first 0-2 start to a season since 2022, the Fighting Irish fell just four spots in these rankings, now sitting at No. 14 in the nation.

Of course, after a national championship appearance last season, they entered 2025 as one of the most hyped teams in college football.

Those preseason expectations could be a significant reason why Notre Dame is the only winless team ranked anywhere near the top 25 in ESPN's FPI.

Amazingly, the Fighting Irish sit one spot above the No. 15 Aggies, despite having just lost to them.

The next highest-ranked winless team in ESPN's FPI is the 0-3 Virginia Tech Hokies, sitting at No. 73 and dropping 13 spots after their loss to the Old Dominion Monarchs.

There's no doubt that Notre Dame's two losses came against quality opponents in the No. 11 Miami Hurricanes and No. 15 Aggies, but still, sitting so high feels extreme.

In fact, they're also the only two-loss team to appear within the top 25, with the 1-2 Florida Gators being the next closest at No. 28.

However, the Fighting Irish have a chance to bounce back and collect their first win of the season against the No. 79 Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday.

Despite Purdue being a clearly inferior opponent, it will be interesting to see if Notre Dame's ranking jumps in the event of a win.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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