With less than two weeks until opening the 2015 season in primetime against Texas, Notre Dame checked in at No. 11 in the AP preseason top 25 poll. It's the same spot the Irish occupied in the USA Today coaches poll released at the end of July.
Notre Dame's No. 11 ranking is its highest preseason ranking since 2006, when the Irish were No. 2 entering the season. It's the program's third-highest preseason ranking in the last 20 years, only behind 2006 and 1996 (No. 6). The 1997 Irish also entered that season ranked No. 11.
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Four of Notre Dame's opponents were ranked in the AP preseason poll: No. 8 USC, No. 12 Clemson, No. 16 Georgia Tech and No. 21 Stanford. The Irish play USC and Georgia Tech at home and travel to Clemson and Stanford this fall.
Reigning champion Ohio State became the first unanimous preseason No. 1, garnering all 61 first-place votes in the preseason poll.