Notre Dame found out Tuesday that it will start the 2025 season as the No. 6-ranked team in the country according to the AP Poll. Whether or not that is disrespectful is up for debate, and we'll soon know if that ends up being the case.

2025 is the 76th year of the AP Poll, something Notre Dame has been ranked to start the year in 62 of 76 all-time initial AP Polls. Nine of those unranked beginnings have come since 2000 (the last in 2017), while Lou Holtz's first season in 1986 was the first time Notre Dame began unranked since a four-year run doing so from 1961-64.

Notre Dame Football: Preseason vs. End of Season Rankings

1950s:

1950: Started 1, finished unranked

1951: Started 14, finished unranked

1952: Started 10, finished 3

1953: Started 1, finished 2

1954: Started 1, finished

See Full Page