Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM OCT. 18, 2025 9 UNDER THE DOME PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER 2 Associated Press voters out of 66 left Notre Dame completely off their ballots following its 28-7 win over Boise State Oct. 4. 4 The number of seasons Notre Dame and Southern Cal have skipped playing each other since the series started in 1926. Three of them oc- curred during World War II (1943, 1944 and 1945), and the fourth was during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020). The 2025 meeting Oct. 18 is the last one contracted at the moment. 5th Is where The Athletic slotted Southern Cal-Notre Dame on its list of the 100 best rivalries in college football this summer, behind only Army-Navy, Oklahoma-Texas, Auburn-Alabama and Michigan-Ohio State. The Irish also appeared on the list at No. 18 (Michigan), No. 40 (Navy/ Army), No. 45 (Michigan State), No. 56 (Miami) and No. 61 (Purdue). "USC-Notre Dame might seem like an unnatural rivalry, but that's the big- gest reason why it's listed in the top five," The Athletic's Scott Dochterman noted. "It's a cross-country trip with no conference allegiance, yet these renowned programs have battled almost yearly for a century. "Rumors persist about how Notre Dame and USC set up their series, in- cluding a conversation between the wives of Irish coach Knute Rockne and USC AD Gwynn Wilson. Originally scheduled as a five-game series, the Trojans and Irish have played every fall outside of World War II (1943-45) and 2020 (COVID-19). "In 13 games, either the Irish (eight) or Trojans (five) were ranked No. 1. The teams have battled 35 times while ranked in the AP poll (18-15-2 Notre Dame) and faced off 18 times as top-10 foes (10-7-1 USC). The most prominent matchup took place in 1988 when top-ranked Notre Dame beat second-ranked USC 27-10 en route to the national title." 13th Overall in the first round to the Chicago Bears was where The Athletic's Nick Baumgardner slotted Notre Dame junior running back Jeremiyah Love in his 2026 NFL mock draft after the opening month of the 2025 college football season. "Ben Johnson's Bears are far from a finished product, but the lack of a dynamic playmaker in the backfield might be the biggest hole on the roster," Baumgardner noted. "Love — a top-five player on my board currently — would be an absolutely perfect fit with Johnson, who was able to work magic with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery in Detroit." 50 Is the number of spots Notre Dame's pass efficiency defense rating rose in the national rankings after head coach Marcus Freeman's "uncomfortable" meeting with the coaching staff. In two games the Irish improved from 103rd to 53rd. Notre Dame ranked first nationally in that statistical category in both 2023 and 2024. 56 Points scored by Notre Dame at Arkansas were the most against a first-time opponent on the road since a 55-2 win at Rice in 1915. 70th Was where Notre Dame ranked in stop rate — the percentage of a defense's drives that end in punts, turnovers or a turnover on downs — heading into Week 7 of the 2025 season. In their first five games, the Irish posted 60.7 percent stop rate and allowed 2.11 points per drive. In 2024, the Fighting Irish finished fifth in that category, with a 75.7 percent stop rate and just 1.34 points allowed per drive over 16 games. 117th Ranking out of 134 FBS schools for the Irish in fourth-down conversion through five games in 2025. The Irish have con- verted only 36.4 percent (4 of 11) of their attempts. In 2024, Notre Dame ranked eighth nationally at 73.3 percent (22 of 30). 2009 Was the last season in which Notre Dame finished with a higher ranking in total offense than the No. 23 placement the Irish brought into its matchup with North Carolina State Oct. 11. That was also the last year a Notre Dame quarterback finished in the top 10 nationally in pass efficiency. Jimmy Clausen was third with a rating that tied the school record of 161.4, which still stands today. Florida's Tim Tebow won the national statistical title that year, less than three points ahead. Through five games in 2025, redshirt freshman CJ Carr ranked ninth nationally and was on a school-record pace with a rating of 177.8. 1 , 005 Career receiving yards on 74 receptions (13.6 yards per grab) for junior wide receiver JORDAN FAISON, following his 6-catch, 83-yard effort versus Boise State Oct. 4. — Eric Hansen ✦ BY THE NUMBERS