Notre Dame moves up to 3rd
Clemson easily holds on to top spot in poll; Ohio St. ranked 5th
Notre Dame earned its highest ranking of the season Sunday in the Associated Press poll at No. 3, despite holding off unranked Louisville 12-7 at home Saturday.
The Irish trailed the Cardinals midway through the third quarter before taking the lead. Their ranking was aided by Georgia’s loss to Alabama, which dropped the Bulldogs to No. 4.
Clemson easily held off the Crimson Tide to retain the No. 1 spot, extending its longest run atop the poll to seven weeks.
The Tigers defended their turf with a historic blowout against Georgia Tech. The 66-point rout was the largest ever in an Atlantic Coast Conference game. Clemson received 54 first-place votes out of 62 from the panel of sports writers and broadcasters. Alabama got the remaining eight first-place votes.
Clemson has been No. 1 since the preseason. The Tigers have been top-ranked 23 times in school history but never more than five times in a season before this year.
Ohio State moved up to No. 5 a week before the Big Ten starts playing. North Carolina took a big fall, dropping nine spots to No. 14 after losing at Florida State.
Purdue’s Brohm tests positive
Purdue coach Jeff Brohm returned a presumed positive COVID-19 result during the team’s daily antigen testing protocols Sunday, the school announced.
The football program is awaiting confirmation via a PCR test, which could take up to 24 hours. According to the news release, Brohm informed his coaching staff and team Sunday afternoon and is currently at home in isolation.
The Boilermakers are scheduled to begin the season Saturday with a home game against Iowa. The team was practicing at the time the school issued the release.
Brohm, who is beginning his fourth season at Purdue, is scheduled to hold his weekly news conference Monday via a Zoom call.
Purdue and other Big Ten programs began daily testing of their players Sept. 30.
Ex-Hawkeyes seek $20M, firings
Eight Black former Iowa players are seeking $20 million in compensation and for athletics director Gary Barta, coach Kirk Ferentz and assistant coach Brian Ferentz to be fired over what they contend was intentional racial discrimination during their Hawkeye careers.
The group, which includes two of the football program’s most prolific producers in Akrum Wadley and Kevonte Martin-Manley, made the demands in a certified, 21-page letter sent to Iowa. A copy of the letter, dated Oct. 5, was obtained by the Des Moines Register.
On Sunday, the Iowa general counsel formally replied, saying there would be no $20 million pay
ment and no further firings. Only 21-year strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle has lost his job over racial-bias allegations that shook the program in June.
N.C. State QB Leary has surgery
Quarterback Devin Leary is expected to miss four to eight weeks after breaking the fibula in his left leg in the No. 23 Wolfpack’s victory against Duke. He had surgery Sunday.