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Marcus Freeman sets new Notre Dame record for ranked wins to start tenure
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Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame turned in a dominant performance against No. 19 Army on Saturday night under the lights at Yankee Stadium.
The victory was crucial for Notre Dame’s chances to reach the College Football Playoff this fall. The Irish are now likely just 1 win away from securing an at-large berth in the 12-team Playoff field.
It was also a historic win. Notre Dame now has 11 victories over ranked opposition since the start of the 2022 season when Freeman took over as head coach. That’s the most for any Notre Dame head coach in the first 3 years of a tenure, per research from Tyler Horka:
With No. 6 Notre Dame’s 49-14 win over No. 19 Army, Marcus Freeman has 11 ranked wins in his first three seasons as the Fighting Irish’s head coach.
No other head coach in Notre Dame history has ever had more.
Freeman passes Frank Leahy’s previous record of 10 set in 1943. pic.twitter.com/0WGFsedJrG
— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) November 24, 2024
In 2024, Notre Dame leads the country with 4 ranked wins. In addition to Army, Notre Dame also defeated ranked Texas A&M, Louisville and Navy earlier this season.
Notre Dame’s 11 ranked wins since the start of 2022 are tied for second nationally along with Washington and Alabama. Only Georgia (13) has more top-25 victories over that span. At 11-4, Notre Dame (.733) has the third-best winning percentage vs. ranked teams during the Freeman era behind only Georgia (.813) and Washington (.786).
Notre Dame will face USC to close out the 2024 season next weekend.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
