College football expert Josh Pate ranks Notre Dame lower than the US LBM Coaches Poll
Josh Pate sees it a bit differently, ranking the Irish a spot below at No. 6. It's clearly still a very high placement, and matches what we saw from the AP Poll. The team that he differs the most on between the two poll is Alabama, who he ranks as his No. 5 team.
There is an argument to be made that Notre Dame is better than the Crimson Tide, as they struggled last year and are ranked lower in both major polls at No. 8. The top four are the same, although Pate switched the order around, with Texas No. 1 followed by Ohio State, Georgia and Penn State.
He's also very high on USC, as they just received votes in the polls. With Miami and Texas A&M also in his top-20, Pate has the Irish facing three ranked teams this fall. Regardless of how you look at it, Notre Dame will have a tough schedule this year, and shouldn't be questioned about that when the College Football Playoff committee makes its decisions.
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