AP Top 25 Extra Points: No. 4 Irish still draw on lessons learned from humbling loss to N. Illinois

Now Notre Dame waits.

The Fighting Irish will find out next Sunday if they'll play at home in the first round of the College Football Playoff. They all but clinched an at-large spot with their win at Southern California on Saturday and, combined with Ohio State's loss, strengthened their position to be a host team Dec. 20 or 21.

Their 49-35 win at USC, made possible by 99- and 100-yard interception returns for touchdowns late in the game, helped the Irish move up to No. 4 in The Associated Press college football poll Sunday. It's their highest ranking in four years. They were No. 5 in last week's CFP rankings and, after Ohio State's 13-10 loss to Michigan, should move up a spot when the new rankings come out Tuesday night.

Coach Marcus Freeman and his players like to use their 16-14 loss to Northern Illinois as the starting point for measuring their progress.

“To see where we were 84 days ago to where we are now, it's a testament to the trust and the decisions that those guys in that locker room and the coaching staff and everybody that helps have made," Freeman said. "This is what it's all about, man. It's a journey, and you can't let the highest of highs and lowest of lows deter you from what you need to do to reach your goals.”

Since that dumbfounding September day they’ve won 10 straight games, tied with Boise State for second-longest streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision. No. 1 Oregon has won 13 in a row.

Turnover margin, besides wins, is one of the ways Notre Dame tracks progress. Leonard threw two interceptions against NIU and the Huskies converted both into field goals, including the game-winner in the final minute.

Leonard has been picked off just three times in the last 10 games, and Notre Dame is second in the nation in turnover margin at plus-1.33 per game. The Irish also are one of the highest-scoring teams in the nation, at just under 40 points per game, and have a top-10 defense.

“Sometimes you've got to lose to gain and make a big jump,” Freeman said. “I told our players Monday after that (NIU) game that this will be the greatest thing that ever happened to this football team if we learn from it and continue to use it. It's hard to say that. The greatest thing that happened to this program this season was a loss, because it taught us what it takes to have success.”

Checking in on five of the Top 25:

No. 3 Penn State

Things have changed in a month's time for the Nittany Lions. At No. 3, they're back in the same spot as they were when they lost 20-13 to Ohio State at home. This week, they're headed to Indianapolis to play No. 1 Oregon in the Big Ten championship game for a top four seed in the CFP. The Buckeyes, meanwhile, are No. 7 after falling five spots in the rankings and waiting to find out their playoff fate. Since the loss, Penn State has won four straight and outscored opponents by an average of 39-12.

No. 11 Alabama

Winning takes care of everything, so the fact Alabama committed four turnovers in its 28-14 Iron Bowl win over Auburn was only a minor inconvenience — this time. But QB Jalen Milroe has committed six turnovers over the last two games, and only eight players in the country have more than Milroe's 14 for the season, according to Sportradar.

No. 13 South Carolina

The Gamecocks could make a compelling case for a playoff spot. They've won six games in a row since starting 3-3 for their longest streak in 11 years. Their 17-14 win over No. 18 Clemson was their school-record fourth of the season against a ranked opponent, and it gave them four road wins for the first time since 2006. Redshirt freshman QB LaNorris Sellers is a rising star. He ran for a career-high 166 yards and two TDs and threw for 164 against the Tigers.

No. 19 UNLV

The Rebels' hopes of earning the Group of Five playoff spot have been revived thanks to Tulane losing to Memphis. UNLV has won four straight since its 29-24 home loss to Boise State, and the Rebels get a rematch in Friday's Mountain West title game. UNLV was the third-highest G5 team in last week's CFP rankings, behind Boise State and Tulane. The Rebels likely will be the second-highest G5 team this week, meaning they can punch their ticket with a win on the blue turf.

No. 23 Syracuse

The strides the Orange have made under first-year coach Fran Brown have been overshadowed by turnarounds orchestrated by Curt Cignetti at Indiana and by Kenny Dillingham at Arizona State. Brown snagged Ohio State transfer Kyle McCord out of the portal and the two have led the Orange to their first nine-win season since 2018 and second since 2002. Their 42-38 win over Miami was their first against a top-10 team since 2017 and propelled them into the Top 25.

Extra Points

Oregon has been No. 1 seven straight weeks and the unanimous choice for the fifth straight week. ... At four straight weeks, Notre Dame and South Carolina have the longest active streaks of rising in consecutive AP polls. ... Memphis secured back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time with its 34-24 win over Tulane. That allowed the Tigers to crack the Top 25 for the first time since 2020. ... This week marks the first time since Oct. 16, 2022, that the state of Louisiana has had no team in the Top 25. Tulane dropped out Sunday. LSU fell out Nov. 17.