the University of Notre Dame: School & Program History

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Current Programs & Conferences

2026 FBS football and 2026–27 NCAA Division I basketball. Historical title affiliations appear with the sourced program history below.

Program	Current Affiliation	Sources & References
Football · FBS	FBS Independents	Sources & References 2026 FBS membership ↗

The Bigger Picture · Football

Where Notre Dame Finished

Final AP rankings after the postseason. Coverage: 1989 through 2025.

Meet the School ↓

Top 25 Finishes: 24 / 37 seasons
Top 10 Finishes: 11 / 37 seasons
Best Final Ranking: #2
Last Ranked Finish: #10 in 2025

Summary covers 1989 through 2025.

Season by Season

Showing 2016 to 2025 · 10 seasons

Higher bars mean a higher finish. NR = Not Ranked in the final Top 25, including teams receiving votes. Gold marks a school-recognized FBS / major-college national championship; an AP No. 1 finish alone is not treated as a championship.

View Every Final Ranking (1989–2025)

Notre Dame · Final AP Football Rankings
Year	Final AP Result	Source
2025	#10	Source ↗
2024	#2	Source ↗
2023	#14	Source ↗
2022	#18	Source ↗
2021	#8	Source ↗
2020	#5	Source ↗
2019	#12	Source ↗
2018	#5	Source ↗
2017	#11	Source ↗
2016	Not Ranked (NR)	Source ↗
2015	#11	Source ↗
2014	Not Ranked (NR)	Source ↗
2013	#20	Source ↗
2012	#4	Source ↗
2011	Not Ranked (NR)	Source ↗
2010	Not Ranked (NR)	Source ↗
2009	Not Ranked (NR)	Source ↗
2008	Not Ranked (NR)	Source ↗
2007	Not Ranked (NR)	Source ↗
2006	#17	Source ↗
2005	#9	Source ↗
2004	Not Ranked (NR)	Source ↗
2003	Not Ranked (NR)	Source ↗
2002	#17	Source ↗
2001	Not Ranked (NR)	Source ↗
2000	#15	Source ↗
1999	Not Ranked (NR)	Source ↗
1998	#22	Source ↗
1997	Not Ranked (NR)	Source ↗
1996	#19	Source ↗
1995	#11	Source ↗
1994	Not Ranked (NR)	Source ↗
1993	#2	Source ↗
1992	#4	Source ↗
1991	#13	Source ↗
1990	#6	Source ↗
1989	#2	Source ↗

Sources & References

Beyond the Ballot

Meet the University of Notre Dame

The University of Notre Dame was founded in 1842 by Rev. Edward Sorin and the Congregation of Holy Cross. Its Indiana campus developed into a Catholic university with undergraduate, graduate and professional schools.

Location: Notre Dame, Indiana
University Type: Private · Catholic
Founded: 1842
Undergraduate Enrollment: 8,9342025–26 academic year · University-reported undergraduates
Nickname: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Football Affiliation: FBS IndependentsReviewed affiliation · 2026
FBS / Major College Football National Championships: 11School-Recognized Titles1924 · 1929 · 1930 · 1943 · 1946 · 1947 · 1949 · 1966 · 1973 · 1977 · 1988

Sources & References

Main Building · 2015 · Display images resized and converted to WebPPhoto: Matthew Rice / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Available AP Poll Analysis

These dated views describe specific poll editions and seasons; they are separate from school facts and championship history.

Football · 2026 Ranking History

Football AP Poll Analysis

Existing Football ranking history and individual voter analysis.

SportFootball

SeasonPoll Week

2026 AP Football Poll

Notre Dame · Week 5

Ranked in 6 of 6 published polls this season. Season high: #3.

Latest poll: October 4, 2026

Coverage: 2026-08-17 – 2026-10-04

AP Result

Rank unchanged

Compared with Week 4

Voter Support

Of the 70 available ballots, 70 ranked Notre Dame and 0 left the team unranked.

Ranked Notre Dame: 70
Left unranked: 0

70 of 70 voters · 100%0 of 70 voters · 0%

Highest Vote: #2
Lowest Ranked Vote: #7

2026 Games & Scores

Full Schedule & Results →

Upcoming matchups and recent results, with game statistics and AP voter context.

Oct 102:30 PM CDT

Stanford

#3 Notre Dame

Latest AP RanksView Game →

ESPN | Disney+View Game →

2026 Season at a Glance

AP rank and voter agreement across available polls.

Poll
2026 · Preseason	#4	1510	100%69/69 Voters	1.88
2026 · Week 1	#3	1512	100%69/69 Voters	1.78
2026 · Week 2	#3	1531	100%68/68 Voters	1.32
2026 · Week 3	#3	1517	100%69/69 Voters	1.60
2026 · Week 4	#3	1581	100%70/70 Voters	1.01
2026 · Week 5	#3	1532	100%70/70 Voters	1.45

A Look at the Individual Votes

Week 5 · First 10 of 70 voters, sorted by highest vote. Open the weekly view for the complete list.

Voter	Vote
Kirk Kenney	#2	+1
Brian Howell	#2	+1
BJ Rains	#2	+1
Eric Hansen	#2	+1
Garland Gillen	#2	+1
Ralph Russo	#2	+1
Rece Davis	#2	+1
Andy Kendeigh	#2	+1
Cameron Cox	#3	0
Haley Sawyer	#3	0

View All 70 Voters for Week 5 →

Ballot Distribution

Every complete ballot for Notre Dame.

Notre Dame1.4

100% · 70 of 70 Voters
Average When Ranked: #4.11 · 0 Unranked

Ranked High #2 · Low #70 / 70 Ballots

View Exact Distribution

Notre Dame votes by rank, including zero counts
Rank	Voters
1	0
2	8
3	21
4	16
5	10
6	10
7	5
8	0
9	0
10	0
11	0
12	0
13	0
14	0
15	0
16	0
17	0
18	0
19	0
20	0
21	0
22	0
23	0
24	0
25	0
NR	0

Notre Dame · School Profile

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