2013 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

2013 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Pinstripe Bowl Champions
Pinstripe Bowl vs Rutgers, W 29–16
Conference	Independent
Ranking
Coaches	#24
AP	#20
2013 record	9–4
Head coach	Brian Kelly (4th year)
Offensive coordinator	Chuck Martin (2nd as OC, 4th overall year)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Bob Diaco (4th year)
Co-defensive coordinator	Kerry Cooks (4th year)
Base defense	3–4
Captain	Zack Martin
Captain	Bennett Jackson
Captain	T. J. Jones
Home stadium	Notre Dame Stadium (Capacity: 80,795)

2013 Division I FBS independents football records
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
#20 Notre Dame			–						9	–	4
Navy			–						9	–	4
BYU			–						8	–	5
Army			–						3	–	9
New Mexico State			–						2	–	10
Idaho			–						1	–	11
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2013 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represents the University of Notre Dame in the 2013 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Fighting Irish are led by fourth year head coach Brian Kelly and play their home games at Notre Dame Stadium. They compete as an independent.

Before the season

Previous season

The Fighting Irish finished the 2012 regular season 12–0. They lost to the University of Alabama 42–14 in the 2012 BCS National Championship Game.

2013 NFL Draft

The following former Notre Dame players were selected in the 2013 NFL Draft:

Main article: 2013 NFL Draft

Round	Selection	Player	Position	Team
1	21	Tyler Eifert	Tight End	Cincinnati Bengals
2	38	Manti Te'o	Linebacker	San Diego Chargers
6	175	Jamoris Slaughter	Safety	Cleveland Browns
6	199	Theo Riddick	Running Back	Detroit Lions
6	200	Kapron Lewis-Moore	Defensive End	Baltimore Ravens
7	244	Zeke Motta	Safety	Atlanta Falcons

Transfers out / departures

On March 8, 2013, after only one year with the program, reserve quarterback Gunner Kiel announced he would transfer from the university. Sophomore wide receiver Davonte Neal left the team in late March, citing a desire to be closer to home. The day after Davonte Neal decided to transfer from Notre Dame, fellow wide receiver sophomore Justin Ferguson announced he was transferring as well and confirmed by coach Brian Kelly at a news conference. On May 28, 2013, it was announced that starting quarterback Everett Golson is no longer enrolled at the university, and was suspended from the school for the fall semester due to an academic violation. Chris Badger departs back home to Provo, Utah and will transfer to BYU due to family illness and will appeal for waiver to play this season.

Transfers in

Alex Wulfeck, a specialist at Wake Forest, announced he would transfer to Notre Dame in May after he received his degree in May 2013. He would be enrolled in a graduate studies program while exhausting his final season of eligibility.

Coaching changes

There were no staff changes following the 2012 season. The only "change" is that Brian Kelly turned play calling duties over to Chuck Martin.

Recruiting class

Brian Kelly received 24 commitments in his third full recruiting class including four five-star recruits: outside linebacker Jaylon Smith, defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes, running back Greg Bryant, and defensive back Max Redfield. Vanderdoes would later decommit to play at UCLA, citing family health issues required that he be closer to home.

2013 recruits
Name	Home town	High school / college	Height	Weight	40‡	Commit date
Hunter Bivin OT	Owensboro, KY	Apollo HS	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	288 lb (131 kg)	5.1	Mar 24, 2012
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 84
Greg Bryant RB	Delray Beach, FL	American Heritage HS	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	197 lb (89 kg)	4.48	Dec 9, 2012
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 88
Devin Butler DB	Washington, DC	Gonzaga College HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	4.6	Apr 4, 2012
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 83
Michael Deeb LB	Plantation, FL	American Heritage School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	237 lb (108 kg)	–	Jun 29, 2012
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 81
Steven Elmer OT	Midland, MI	Midland HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	305 lb (138 kg)	5.0	Sep 17, 2011
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 81
Tarean Folston RB	Cocoa, FL	Cocoa HS	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	4.5	Jan 2, 2013
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 85
Will Fuller WR	Philadelphia, PA	Roman Catholic HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	168 lb (76 kg)	–	Aug 5, 2012
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 73
Mike Heuerman TE	Naples, FL	Barron Collier HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	4.7	Apr 26, 2012
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 82
Torii Hunter, Jr. WR	Prosper, TX	Prosper HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	172 lb (78 kg)	4.5	Sep 23, 2012
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 84
Rashad Kinlaw ATH/DB	Galloway, NJ	Absegami HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	184 lb (83 kg)	4.5	Mar 26, 2012
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 82
Cole Luke CB	Chandler, AZ	Hamilton HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	–	Nov 1, 2012
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 80
Jacob Matuska DE	Columbus, OH	Bishop Hartley HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	–	Mar 7, 2012
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 76
Mike McGlinchey OT	Philadelphia, PA	William Penn Charter School	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	280 lb (130 kg)	–	Mar 25, 2012
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 82
Colin McGovern OT	New Lenox, IL	Lincoln-Way West HS	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	290 lb (130 kg)	5.4	Mar 24, 2012
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 84
John Montelus OL	Everett, MA	Everett HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	315 lb (143 kg)	–	Apr 21, 2012
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 79
James Onwualu RB/WR	Saint Paul, MN	Cretin-Derham HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	4.51	Mar 14, 2012
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 82
Doug Randolph LB	Richmond, VA	Woodberry Forest School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	237 lb (108 kg)	4.7	Sep 7, 2012
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 83
Max Redfield ATH/DB	Mission Viejo, CA	Mission Viejo HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	4.5	Jan 4, 2013
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 88
Corey Robinson WR	San Antonio, TX	San Antonio Christian HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	197 lb (89 kg)	–	Mar 27, 2012
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 77
Isaac Rochell DE	McDonough, GA	Eagle's Landing Christian Academy	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	260 lb (120 kg)	4.71	Jun 7, 2012
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 83
Jaylon Smith LB	Fort Wayne, IN	Bishop Luers HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	212 lb (96 kg)	4.5	Jun 2, 2012
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 90
Durham Smythe TE	Belton, TX	Belton HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	4.8	Jan 27, 2013
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 80
Malik Zaire QB	Kettering, OH	Archbishop Alter HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	196 lb (89 kg)	4.9	Mar 25, 2012
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 83
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 5   Rivals: 4  ESPN: 4
‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources:

Personnel

Coaching staff

Name	Position	Year at Notre Dame	Alma mater (Year)
Brian Kelly	Head Coach	4th	Assumption (1982)
Chuck Martin	Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks	4th	Millikin (1990)
Bob Diaco	Defensive Coordinator, Linebackers/Assistant Head Coach	4th	Iowa (1995)
Kerry Cooks	Co-Defensive Coordinator/Cornerbacks	4th	Iowa (2000)
Mike Denbrock	Outside Wide Receivers/Passing Game Coordinator	4th (second stint)	Grand Valley State (1987)
Tony Alford	Running Backs,Slot Wide Receivers/Recruiting Coordinator	5th	Colorado State (1992)
Harry Hiestand	Offensive Line/Run Game Coordinator	2nd	East Stroudsburg (1983)
Scott Booker	Tight Ends/Special Teams Coordinator	2nd	Kent State (2003)
Mike Elston	Defensive Line	4th	Michigan (1998)
Bob Elliott	Safeties	2nd	Iowa (1976)
Paul Longo	Director of Football Strength and Conditioning	4th	Wayne State (1981)

Roster

2013 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Roster
Quarterbacks 13 Will Cronin – Senior 6 Charlie Fiessinger – Junior 12 Andrew Hendrix – Senior 11 Tommy Rees – Senior 8 Malik Zaire – Freshman Running Backs 4 George Atkinson III – Junior 1 Greg Bryant, Jr. – Freshman 3 Amir Carlisle – Junior 25 Tarean Folston – Freshman 32 William Mahone – Sophomore 33 Cam McDaniel – Junior 49 Tyler Plantz – Senior Wide Receivers 46 Josh Anderson – Sophomore 2 Chris Brown – Sophomore 10 DaVaris Daniels – Junior 15 Will Fuller – Freshman 81 Omar Hunter – Freshman 16 Torii Hunter, Jr. – Freshman 7 T. J. Jones – Senior 37 Eric Lee – Junior 83 Gerard Martinez – Sophomore 14 Luke Massa – Senior 17 James Onwualu – Freshman 20 C. J. Prosise – Sophomore 88 Corey Robinson – Freshman 87 Daniel Smith – Senior		Tight Ends 9 Mike Heuerman – Freshman 18 Ben Koyack – Junior 85 Troy Niklas – Junior 80 Durham Smythe – Freshman 82 Alex Welch – Senior Offensive Line 67 Kevin Carr – Senior 73 Scott Kingsley – Freshman Offensive Tackles 57 Hunter Bivin – Freshman 79 Steve Elmer – Freshman 70 Zack Martin– Graduate Student 68 Mike McGlinchey – Freshman 78 Ronnie Stanley – Sophomore Offensive Guards 65 Conor Hanratty – Junior 75 Mark Harrell – Sophomore 51 Bruce Heggie – Senior 74 Christian Lombard – Senior 62 Colin McGovern – Freshman 66 Chris Watt – Graduate Student Centers 77 Matt Hegarty – Junior 72 Nick Martin– Junior 60 John Montelus – Freshman Defensive Ends 91 Sheldon Day – Sophomore 95 Marquis Dickerson – Freshman 50 Chase Hounshell – Junior 94 Jarron Jones – Sophomore 86 Arturo Martinez – Senior 89 Jacob Matuska – Freshman 90 Isaac Rochell – Freshman 69 Tony Springmann – Junior 7 Stephon Tuitt – Junior 53 Justin Utupo – Senior		Nose Guards 1 Louis Nix III – Senior 96 Kona Schwenke – Senior 92 Tyler Stockton – Graduate Student Inside Linebackers 44 Carlo Calabrese – Graduate Student 42 Michael Deeb – Freshman 48 Dan Fox – Graduate Student 59 Jarrett Grace – Junior 8 Kendall Moore – Senior 19 Doug Randolph – Freshman 38 Joe Schmidt – Junior Outside Linebackers 30 Ben Councell – Junior 52 Austin Larkin – Freshman 93 Connor Little – Junior 45 Romeo Okwara – Sophomore 56 Anthony Rabasa – Junior 55 Prince Shembo – Senior 9 Jaylon Smith – Freshman 11 Ishaq Williams – Junior Cornerbacks 43 Josh Atkinson – Junior 34 Jesse Bongiovi – Freshman 21 Jalen Brown – Junior 12 Devin Butler – Freshman 2 Bennett Jackson – Senior 26 Rashad Kinlaw – Freshman 36 Cole Luke – Freshman 35 Joe Romano – Senior 6 KeiVarae Russell – Sophomore 23 Lo Wood – Senior		Safeties 29 Nicky Baratti – Sophomore 40 Connor Cavalaris – Junior 28 Austin Collinsworth – Senior 41 Matthias Farley – Junior 16 Eilar Hardy – Junior 46 Eamon McOsker – Sophomore 39 Drew Recker – Freshman 10 Max Redfield – Freshman 22 Elijah Shumate – Sophomore 42 Ernie Soto – Junior 31 John Turner – Sophomore Kicker 43 John Chereson – Freshman 97 Danny Omiliak – Sophomore 40 Nick Tausch – Graduate Student Punter 84 Andrew Antognoli – Freshman 98 Alex Wulfeck – Senior Kickers/Punters 27 Kyle Brindza – Junior 39 Jude Rhodes – Senior Long Snappers 61 Scott Daly – Sophomore 99 Hunter Smith – Sophomore

Season

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 31	3:30 PM	Temple	#11	Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN	NBC	W 28–6	80,795
September 7	8:00 PM	at #17 Michigan	#13	Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI (Rivalry)	ESPN	L 30–41	115,109
September 14	8:00 pm	at Purdue	#21	Ross–Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN (Shillelagh Trophy)	ABC	W 31–24	61,127
September 21	3:30 PM	#24 Michigan State	#21	Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN (Megaphone Trophy)	NBC	W 17–13	80,795
September 28	3:30 PM	#12 Oklahoma	#22	Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN	NBC	L 21–35	80,795
October 5	7:30 PM	vs. #24 Arizona State		AT&T Stadium • Arlington, TX (Shamrock Series)	NBC	W 37–34	66,690
October 19	7:30 PM	USC		Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN (Jeweled Shillelagh / Rivalry)	NBC	W 14–10	80,795
October 26	5:00 PM	at Air Force		Falcon Stadium • Colorado Springs, CO (Rivalry)	CBSSN	W 45–10	44,672
November 2	3:30 PM	Navy	#25	Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN (Rip Miller Trophy)	NBC	W 38–34	80,795
November 9	8:00 pm	at Pittsburgh	#23	Heinz Field • Pittsburgh, PA (Rivalry)	ABC	L 21–28	65,500
November 23	3:30 PM	BYU		Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN	NBC	W 23–13	80,795
November 30	7:00 PM	at #8 Stanford	#25	Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA (Legends Trophy)	FOX	L 20–27	50,537
December 28	12:15 PM	vs. Rutgers	#25	Yankee Stadium • The Bronx, NY (Pinstripe Bowl)	ESPN	W 29–16	47,122
Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Game notes

Temple

See also: 2013 Temple Owls football team

1 2 3 4 Total Owls 0 6 0 0 6 • #11 Fighting Irish 14 7 7 0 28 Date: August 31 Location: Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, Indiana Game start: 3:42pm Elapsed time: 3:10 Game attendance: 80,795 Game weather: Temp: 75 • Wind: NW 5 • Weather: Partly cloudy Referee: Jeff Heaser TV announcers (NBC): Dan Hicks, Mike Mayock & Alex Flanagan

Michigan (Rivalry)

See also: 2013 Michigan Wolverines football team

Rivalry Game

1 2 3 4 Total #13 Fighting Irish 7 6 7 10 30 • #17 Wolverines 10 17 7 7 41 Date: September 7 Location: Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, Michigan Game start: 8:12pm Elapsed time: 3:30 Game attendance: 115,109 Game weather: Temp: 75 • Wind: SW 5 • Weather: Partly cloudy Referee: David Epperley, ACC TV announcers (ESPN): Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit & Heather Cox

Following its game against Temple, Notre Dame played the Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor. Notre Dame won the previous meeting 13–6. Billed as "Under the Lights II", this was the second night game in Michigan Stadium's history; the previous game also featured Notre Dame. Tom Harmon was honored as a Michigan Football Legends, and his #98 jersey was unretired and given to quarterback Devin Gardner.

Michigan won the game, 41–30. The game attendance of 115,109 was the largest crowd ever to watch a college football game. Quarterback Devin Gardner completed 21 of 33 passes for 294 yards and four touchdowns while throwing one interception. Gardner has also rushed for 134 yards and three rushing touchdowns in the first two games of the season. Gardner contributed 376 yards of total offense against Notre Dame ranks as the tenth best performance in Michigan history, as reflected in the following list. The only two Michigan players to contribute more total yards in a single game are Denard Robinson and John Navarre. Wide receiver Jeremy Gallon caught eight passes for 184 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 14 yards. Gallon's 184 receiving yards against Notre Dame is tied for the sixth highest single-game performance in Michigan history. On defense, cornerback Blake Countess had two interceptions for Michigan.

References to chickens were a widely reported side story to the game. After Notre Dame announced one year earlier that it would terminate the rivalry after the 2014 season, Michigan head coach Brady Hoke said Notre Dame was "chickening out". When ESPN commentator Lee Corso made his pick for the game during the College GameDay show (which was in Ann Arbor for the game), he brought out a live chicken, and fans in the background carried signs with poultry references, including "Cluck of the Irish." At the end Michigan's 41–30 victory, in what Chantel Jennings of ESPN.com called the "Dig of the Day", the speakers at Michigan Stadium loudly played the "Chicken Dance" as Michigan fans "danced in the stands."

The win made Michigan favorites in the Big Ten Conference.

Purdue (Shillelagh Trophy)

See also: 2013 Purdue Boilermakers football team

Shillelagh Trophy

1 2 3 4 Total • #21 Fighting Irish 0 3 7 21 31 Boilermakers 7 3 7 7 24 Date: September 14 Location: Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, Indiana Game start: 8:12pm Elapsed time: 3:18 Game attendance: 61,127 Game weather: Temp: 68 F • Wind: E 4 • Weather: Dry Referee: Ron Cherry TV announcers (ABC): Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit & Heather Cox

Michigan State (Megaphone Trophy)

See also: 2013 Michigan State Spartans football team

Megaphone Trophy

1 2 3 4 Total #24 Spartans 0 7 3 3 13 • #21 Fighting Irish 3 7 0 7 17 Date: September 21 Location: Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, Indiana Game start: 3:43pm Elapsed time: 3:29 Game attendance: 80,795 Game weather: Temp: 65 • Wind: 14 NW • Weather: Partly sunny Referee: Dave Witvoe TV announcers (NBC): Dan Hicks, Mike Mayock & Alex Flanagan

Oklahoma

See also: 2013 Oklahoma Sooners football team

1 2 3 4 Total • #12 Sooners 14 7 6 8 35 #22 Fighting Irish 7 0 7 7 21 Date: September 28 Location: Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, Indiana Game weather: Temp: • Wind: • Weather: TV announcers (NBC): Dan Hicks, Mike Mayock & Alex Flanagan

Arizona State (Shamrock Series)

See also: 2013 Arizona State Sun Devils football team

Shamrock Series

1 2 3 4 Total #24 Sun Devils 0 13 0 21 34 • Fighting Irish 0 14 10 13 37 Date: October 5 Location: AT&T Stadium Arlington, Texas Game weather: Temp: • Wind: • Weather: Referee: Brad Allen Television network: NBC

USC (Jeweled Shillelagh) (Rivalry)

Jeweled Shillelagh

1 2 3 4 Total Trojans 7 3 0 0 10 • Fighting Irish 7 7 0 0 14 Date: October 19 Location: Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, Indiana Game weather: Temp: • Wind: • Weather: Television network: NBC

See also: 2013 USC Trojans football team

1st quarter scoring: USC – Silas Redd 1-yard run (Andre Heidari kick); ND – Troy Niklas 7-yard pass from Tommy Rees (Kyle Brindza kick)

2nd quarter scoring: USC – Heidari 22-yard field goal; ND – TJ Jones 11-yard pass from Rees (Brindza kick)

Air Force (Rivalry)

See also: 2013 Air Force Falcons football team

1 2 3 4 Total • Fighting Irish 7 17 14 7 45 Falcons 7 3 0 0 10 Date: October 26 Location: Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, Colorado Game weather: Temp: • Wind: • Weather: Television network: CBS Sports Network

Navy (Rivalry)

See also: 2013 Navy Midshipmen football team

Rivalry Game

1 2 3 4 Total Midshipmen 7 13 0 14 34 • #25 Fighting Irish 10 7 7 14 38 Date: November 2 Location: Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, Indiana Game attendance: 80,795 Game weather: Temp: 45 • Wind: 7 N • Weather: Cloudy Television network: NBC

Pittsburgh (Rivalry)

See also: 2013 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

1 2 3 4 Total #23 Fighting Irish 7 7 7 0 21 • Panthers 0 7 14 7 28 Date: November 9 Location: Heinz Field Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Game start: 8pm ET Game attendance: 65,500 Game weather: Temp: • Wind: • Weather: Television network: ABC/ESPN

Although Notre Dame's sports teams have joined the Atlantic Coast Conference (which Pittsburgh has also joined), the Panthers will be the only ACC team on Notre Dame's football schedule this year, as the agreement to play five ACC teams each year does not begin until 2014.

Brigham Young

See also: 2013 BYU Cougars football team

1 2 3 4 Total Cougars 7 0 6 0 13 • Fighting Irish 14 3 3 3 23 Date: November 23 Location: Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, Indiana Game start: 3:42pm Game attendance: 80,795 Game weather: Temp: • Wind: • Weather: TV announcers (NBC): Mike Mayock, Dan Hicks, Alex Flanagan

Stanford (Legends Trophy)

See also: 2013 Stanford Cardinal football team

Legends Trophy

1 2 3 4 Total #25 Fighting Irish 3 3 14 0 20 • #8 Cardinal 7 7 10 3 27 Date: November 30 Location: Stanford Stadium Stanford, California Game attendance: 50,537 Game weather: Temp: • Wind: • Weather: TV announcers (FOX): Charles Davis, Gus Johnson

Rutgers (New Era Pinstripe Bowl)

See also: 2013 Pinstripe Bowl and 2013 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team

New Era Pinstripe Bowl

1 2 3 4 Total Scarlet Knights 10 3 0 3 16 • #25 Fighting Irish 10 3 3 13 29 Date: Saturday, December 28, 2013 Location: Yankee Stadium Bronx, New York Game start: 12:00 Elapsed time: 3:50 Game attendance: 47,122 Game weather: Temp: 34 • Wind: • Weather: Haze TV announcers (ESPN): Chris Fowler, Jesse Palmer, & Paul Carcaterra

Rankings

See also: 2013 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. ( ) = First place votes.

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	14	14	21	22	22	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	24	RV	RV	25	25	20
Coaches'	11	13	21	21	22	RV	RV	RV	RV	25	25	RV	RV	RV	RV	24
Harris	Not released							RV	RV	RV	25	RV	RV	25	RV	Not released
BCS	Not released								NR	25	23	NR	NR	25	NR	Not released