Notre Dame dominated Navy yesterday, earning a 35-13 victory that boosted the Irish up the Associated Press Top 25 rankings. Notre Dame moved up a spot to No. 4 in the latest rankings after that win, and after Ohio State lost to USC.

The victory sets up a Top 5 matchup between Notre Dame and Miami next weekend. Notre Dame moved up a spot and Miami remains No. 1 after their thrilling 38-35 victory over North Carolina. The Tar Heels took a fourth quarter lead over the Hurricanes, but Miami rallied and scored back-to-back touchdowns to regain a lead they never lost. This marks the second straight season that Notre Dame and Miami face off as Top 25 teams, something we had not previously seen since the 1990 matchup when the No. 6 Irish beat the No. 2 Hurricanes.

Notre Dame and Miami's greatest game against each other came back in 1988, a game the Irish won 31-30, ending Miami's 36-game regular season win streak. In that matchup, Notre Dame was ranked No. 4 and the Hurricanes were ranked No. 1, just like we will see in 2026.

Ohio State losing to USC helped the Irish move up into the No. 4 spot. The Buckeyes were handled by the Trojans, giving them a second loss on the season and dropping them to No. 11 in the latest ranking. Notre Dame remains just three points ahead of undefeated UCLA, but it won't matter after this weekend. If the Irish beat No. 1 Miami they'll jump up, and if they lose they'll fall down, but for now the Irish are fourth behind Miami, Georgia and Utah.

SMU - who Notre Dame faces on November 21st - dropped out of the Top 25 after losing to Syracuse in the final minute of the game. The Irish travel to Syracuse a week after taking on the Mustangs to close out their regular season. SMU still received 27 points this week, leaving them as the fourth team out of the rankings. If they run the table between now and Nov. 21 they will jump back into the Top 25 due to their November matchup against No. 14 Wake Forest.

ASSOCIATED PRESS TOP 25

1. Miami Hurricanes - 8-0
2. Georgia Bulldogs - 7-1
3. Utah Utes - 8-0
4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish - 7-1
5. UCLA Bruins - 8-0
6. Indiana Hoosiers - 8-1
7. BYU Cougars - 7-1
8. Kentucky Wildcats - 7-1
9. Alabama Crimson Tide - 6-2
10. Texas Longhorns - 6-2
11. Ohio State Buckeyes - 6-2
12. Ole Miss Rebels - 6-2
13. Texas Tech Red Raiders - 7-1
14. Wake Forest Demon Deacons - 7-1
15. LSU Tigers - 6-2
16. Tennessee Volunteers - 6-2
17. Houston Cougars - 6-2
18. USC Trojans - 7-2
19. Missouri Tigers - 6-2
20. Boise State Broncos - 7-1
21. Iowa Hawkeyes - 6-2
22. New Mexico Lobos - 7-1
23. South Carolina Gamecocks - 5-3
24. Arizona Wildcats - 6-2
25. Florida Gators - 5-3

---------

Join the Irish Breakdown community!
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown YouTube channel
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunes
Follow me on Twitter: @CoachD178
Like and follow Irish Breakdown on Facebook

Sign up for the FREE Irish Breakdown daily newsletter