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1988 Notre Dame

12–⁠0, coached by Lou Holtz, finished No. 1 in the AP poll.

Schedule and results

Notre Dame in 1988, game by game: won vs. No. 9 Michigan 19–17; won at Michigan State 20–3; won vs. Purdue 52–7; won vs. Stanford 42–14; won at Pittsburgh 30–20; won vs. No. 1 Miami 31–30; won vs. Air Force 41–13; won vs. Navy 22–7; won vs. Rice 54–11; won vs. Penn State 21–3; won at No. 2 USC 27–10; won vs. No. 3 West Virginia 34–21+45Won 19–17 vs. No. 9 Michigan+2No. 9 MichiganWon 20–3 at Michigan State+17Michigan StateWon 52–7 vs. Purdue+45PurdueWon 42–14 vs. Stanford+28StanfordWon 30–20 at Pittsburgh+10PittsburghWon 31–30 vs. No. 1 Miami+1No. 1 MiamiWon 41–13 vs. Air Force+28Air ForceWon 22–7 vs. Navy+15NavyWon 54–11 vs. Rice+43RiceWon 21–3 vs. Penn State+18Penn StateWon 27–10 at No. 2 USC+17No. 2 USCWon 34–21 vs. No. 3 West Virginia+13No. 3 West Virginia
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below; orange marks an upset win.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 10vs9MichiganW 19–⁠1757%
Sep 17atMichigan StateW 20–⁠347%
Sep 24vsPurdueW 52–⁠783%
Oct 1vsStanfordW 42–⁠1475%
Oct 8atPittsburghW 30–⁠2059%
Oct 15vs1MiamiW 31–⁠3047%
Oct 22vsAir ForceW 41–⁠1373%
Oct 29vsNavyW 22–⁠789%
Nov 5vsRiceW 54–⁠1195%
Nov 19vsPenn StateW 21–⁠378%
Nov 26at2USCW 27–⁠1035%
Jan 2Bowls & playoffvs3West VirginiaFiesta BowlW 34–⁠2155%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat West Virginia 34–⁠21 in the Fiesta Bowl; No. 1 in the final AP poll.

In program history: The 7th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 131 on file).

AP poll, week by week

  1. Wk 1: 13
  2. Wk 2: 13
  3. Wk 3: 13
  4. Wk 4: 8
  5. Wk 5: 8
  6. Wk 6: 5
  7. Wk 7: 5
  8. Wk 8: 4
  9. Wk 9: 2
  10. Wk 10: 2
  11. Wk 11: 1
  12. Wk 12: 1
  13. Wk 13: 1
  14. Wk 14: 1
  15. Wk 15: 1
  16. Wk 16: 1
  17. Final: 1

Players on this team

Before 2004 our records hold honors and the draft; these are the players whose college years here, from their Wikipedia articles or their honors, include 1988.

National championsNo. 1 in the final AP poll, and a title the school claims

Led the nationRaghib Ismail: kickoff return average (36.1)

2 consensus All-AmericansFrank Stams, DE; Michael Stonebreaker, LB

Eddie Robinson Coach of the YearLou Holtz, coach; also the Bear Bryant Award

Record
12–⁠0
Conference
—
AP final
No. 1 peak No. 1
Points
393–⁠156
Coach
Lou Holtz
Elo
1805 +194 this season
SP+ rating
32.9 No. 2 of 102; offense No. 7, defense No. 3
SRS
27.5 No. 2 of 105 in Division I-A
Recruiting class
—
Defensive coordinator
Barry Alvarez
Captains
Ned Bolcar, Andy Heck and Mark Green
Most valuable player
Tony Rice
Offense
Wishbone triple option
Defense
5–⁠2

Drafted in 1989

The 1989 draft
Rd 1Andy Heck OTSeattle Seahawks
Rd 2Frank Stams LBLos Angeles Rams
Rd 5Mark Green RBChicago Bears
Rd 6Wes Pritchett LBMiami Dolphins