SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) – The Notre Dame football team suffered a tough loss in the national championship game to Ohio State on Monday night, but the Irish finished with their highest end-of-season ranking since 1993.

The Fighting Irish (14-2) were ranked No. 2 in the final Associated Press Top 25 college football poll of the season released Tuesday morning.

While Notre Dame ultimately fell short of college football’s ultimate prize, it was still one of the best seasons in recent memory for the program. The Irish finished with a program-record 14 wins, including seven against AP-ranked opponents (which is most in the FBS).

All three teams the Irish beat in their College Football Playoff run also finished in the top 10, including a fellow Hoosier State team that exceeded expectations.

Indiana (11-2) finished at No. 10 after achieving its first 10-win season in program history. The only losses the Hoosiers suffered were to Ohio State and Notre Dame — the two teams that met in the national title game.

Here’s a look at the final AP rankings of the season:

1. Ohio State (14-2)
2. Notre Dame (14-2)
3. Oregon (13-1)
4. Texas (13-3)
5. Penn State (13-3)
6. Georgia (11-3)
7. Arizona State (11-3)
8. Boise State (12-2)
9. Tennessee (10-3)
10. Indiana (11-2)
11. Ole Miss (10-3)
12. SMU (11-3)
13. BYU (11-2)
14. Clemson (10-4)
15. Iowa State (11-3)
16. Illinois (10-3)
17. Alabama (9-4)
18. Miami (FL) (10-3)
19. South Carolina (9-4)
20. Syracuse (10-3)
21. Army (12-2)
22. Missouri (10-3)
23. UNLV (11-3)
24. Memphis (11-2)
25. Colorado (9-4)

Others receiving votes: Navy 55, LSU 39, Louisville 38, Michigan 36, Kansas St. 11, Marshall 8, Ohio 8, Florida 7, TCU 2, Texas A&M 1.

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