Apr 23, 2022; Notre Dame, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Marist Liufau (8) and head coach Marcus Freeman talk after the Blue-Gold Game at Notre Dame Stadium. Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

SEC Network's Paul Finebaum: It's an 'absolute joke' that Notre Dame is top five in AP Poll

By Adam Stites | Last updated 8/16/22

The Associated Press released its preseason poll Monday that unsurprisingly had the Alabama Crimson Tide at No. 1, but it was the Notre Dame Fighting Irish rounding out the top five that raised eyebrows.

On Tuesday, SEC Network host Paul Finebaum joined ESPN's "Get Up" and blasted AP for ranking Notre Dame so high.

"They should not even be in the top 10, Greeny," Finebaum told ESPN's Mike Greenberg. "This is an absolute joke and it happens every year with the AP Poll, which is about as worthless as preseason NFL football. It's ridiculous.

"Notre Dame is going to get run in the first game of the season."

.@finebaum says Notre Dame is too high in the AP Top 25 poll

"They should not even be in the top 10. This is an absolute joke. ... Notre Dame is going to get run in the first game of the season!" pic.twitter.com/2KJYNPWLSG
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) August 16, 2022

Notre Dame finished the 2021 season eighth in the AP Poll after climbing to fifth before losing 37-35 to Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl. The Fighting Irish finished the year with an 11-2 record and head coach Brian Kelly left in November to become the new head coach at LSU. Former defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman was promoted to fill the vacancy heading into the 2022 season.

In addition to the coaching swap, the Fighting Irish will also have a new starting quarterback after Jack Coan became a member of the Indianapolis Colts in the offseason. On Saturday, the team announced sophomore Tyler Buchner would take over the role.

Notre Dame opens its 2022 season on the road against Ohio State and later has tough tests against North Carolina, BYU, Clemson and USC.

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