AP Top 25 Reality Check: ND is back; Who else can return?

No. 20 Notre Dame is back in The Associated Press college football poll after struggling early this season.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma State and Wake Forest became the latest teams from the preseason AP Top 25 to slide out as eight ranked teams lost this past weekend.

Heading into the stretch of the season, there are 14 teams that started the season ranked and are now unranked. If that number holds it would match the record for turnover from start to finish in the AP Top 25 presented by Regions Bank.

The preseason No. 5 Fighting Irish were near the top of the list of the season’s most disappointing teams after losses to Marshall and Stanford. Now after handing Clemson its first loss, Notre Dame has a chance to make a strong closing statement.

Who else among the preseason ranked to unranked has a path back? Certainly not preseason No. 6 Texas A&M (3-6) or preseason No. 16 Miami (4-5). Scratch preseason No. 15 Michigan State (4-5) off the list, too.

At 5-4, a four-game winning streak (including a bowl game) to end the season could get preseason No. 9 Oklahoma, preseason No. 17 Pittsburgh, preseason No. 18 Arkansas and preseason No. 19 Wisconsin back in the final Top 25.

The window has probably closed for preseason No. 24 Houston (5-4) and preseason No. 25 BYU (5-5).

Keep an eye on preseason No. 10 Baylor (6-3). The defending Big 12 champions still have a chance to get back to the conference title game. Same goes from preseason No. 23 Cincinnati in the American Athletic Conference.

Tricky schedules down the stretch face preseason No. 20 Kentucky (6-3) and preseason No. 22 Wake Forest (6-3). Preseason No. 12 Oklahoma State (6-3) needs to get healthy.

Teams change throughout a season, which is why Reality Check supports second chances. and encourages voters to keep those teams that fall out of the rankings on the radar.

No. 1 Georgia (9-0) Next: at Mississippi State, Saturday.

Reality check: W ith a disruptive performance against Tennessee, DT Jalen Carter showed the country why he will be one of the first players picked in the next NFL draft.

Ranking: Do you have to ask?

No. 2 Ohio State (9-0) Next: vs. Indiana, Saturday.

Reality check: Getting QB C.J. Stroud a little more involved in the running game might be the boost the Buckeyes need on the ground. He ran for 79 yards at Northwestern.

Ranking: This is fine. No. 3 Michigan (9-0) Next: vs. Nebraska, Saturday.

Reality check: Only two Big Ten teams (Iowa and Rutgers) have fewer passes that have gained at least 10 yards than the Wolverines’ 69. They’re limited on the outside.

Ranking: Just right.