Every AP Top 25 college football ranking that fails to make sense: Notre Dame, Texas and more

Notre Dame’s high position questioned

Notre Dame beat Navy by 22 points, but needed a 21-0 second-half run to pull away. The team is ranked No. 4, behind Miami, Georgia and Utah, and is the second-highest-ranked one-loss team.

The ranking is questioned because Notre Dame’s listed wins include Wisconsin, Rice, Michigan State, Purdue, UNC and Stanford. UCLA, by contrast, is unbeaten and won on the road at Oregon, though it also has strength-of-schedule concerns. Notre Dame hosts Miami next Saturday, offering a chance to answer questions on the field.

Texas rises after setbacks

Texas fell toward the edge of the top 25 after consecutive losses to Oklahoma and Florida. It is now ranked No. 10, following home wins over Ole Miss and Mississippi State.

The article argues that those results do not clearly explain the team’s return to the top 10. Oklahoma’s loss to South Carolina has also made Texas’s defeat to the Sooners look worse, leaving questions about how voters are weighing the Horns’ losses against their recent wins.

Alabama and LSU compared

Alabama is ranked six places ahead of LSU, and the teams are set to meet in Baton Rouge on Saturday. The article questions whether the gap reflects their records and performances fairly.