What happened: Notre Dame is 2-0 and sits at No. 3 in both the AP and Coaches polls. ESPN's Football Power Index agrees, ranking the Irish No. 3 nationally behind Ohio State and Texas, with the metric's top five unchanged from last week aside from reordering among Marcus Freeman's squad and its peers.
Why it matters: A top-five FPI grade backs up the human-poll ranking and keeps Notre Dame in the thick of CFP projections two weeks into the season. The Irish are now heavy favorites in their next outing, a sign oddsmakers see no immediate threat to that positioning.
By the numbers: Notre Dame: 2-0, No. 3 AP poll, No. 3 Coaches poll, No. 3 ESPN FPI (behind No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Texas). Listed as a over Michigan State. Last meeting: Notre Dame won 38-18 at Michigan State on Sept. 23, 2017.
What to watch: Notre Dame hosts Michigan State Saturday evening in South Bend.