College Football Rankings: Notre Dame and Teams Who Will Surge into Top 25

While all the hype is centered at the top of the poll, there are plenty of teams trying to break through and get into the Top 25.

Notre Dame started the year in the Top 25, but they fell out after two early losses. The same happened to Penn State after they lost to Alabama.

North Carolina is one of those teams who has been on the fringe of cracking the Top 25 all season, but they have been unable to break through.

North Carolina Tar Heels

The Tar Heels face the Miami Hurricanes at home in their next game, and a victory should be enough to propel them into the Top 25 for the first time this season.

The Tar Heels are not the best team in the ACC, but they are one of the most well-rounded. They have both an average running game and an average passing game, which gives the ability to be unpredictable in their play calling.

They are giving up less than 20 points per game this year, and they should be able to hold Miami's offense in check.

If they can do so, they will be 6-1, and should be ranked in the Top 25.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The Fighting Irish should be 6-0, but they don't know how to hold onto the ball. They put up over 450 yards of total offense each week, and hold opponents to just 21 points per game.

However, they struggled with turnovers early in the season.

They have improves as of late, and will move into the Top 25 with a victory over the USC Trojans this week.

The Trojans have also been very inconsistent this year, and give up 26 points per game. They will likely struggle to slow down the Irish offense this week, and will fall to the Irish in South Bend.

Penn State Nittany Lions

The Nittany Lions have been incredible this season despite their loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide.

They give up just over 10 points per game, which is good for fifth-best in the NCAA.

Penn State faces Purdue at home this week, and are another team that could find themselves propelling into the Top 25 with a victory.

The matchups get tougher in the coming weeks for Penn State, but a victory over Purdue should put one of the best defenses in college football back into the Top 25.