Notre Dame ranked No. 17 in preseason AP poll

The writers and coaches agree: Notre Dame ranks as the No. 17 team in the country in both preseason polls.

The Associated Press released its Top 25 on Sunday, which slated the Irish in the same spot as the Amway coaches poll from July 31.

Votes for the newly released AP poll were due Aug. 6, meaning Notre Dame’s ranking was not affected by Friday’s announced academic fraud investigation that has indefinitely sidelined four Irish players – cornerback KeiVarae Russell, wide receiver DaVaris Daniels, defensive end Ishaq Williams and linebacker Kendall Moore.

Five Irish opponents for the 2014 season made the AP Top 25: Florida State (No. 1), Stanford (No. 11), USC (No. 15), Arizona State (No. 19), and North Carolina (No. 23).

Notre Dame finished the 2013 season at No. 21 in the AP poll after a preseason ranking of 14th.

The entire AP Top 25 can be found here.