ND lost 13 straight bowl games for a reason: you can't hide behind over ranking when you play in a bowl game. I think ND is MUCH improved this year. I really do. But they've beaten name teams this year, not good teams.
Elite teams don't win squeakers against Purdue and Michigan this year. Michigan St is garbage. And Miami gave up 50 something to KState. They only have 1 win over a currently ranked opponent: Michigan. And Michigan is painfully average this year.
If ND were ranked accurately, they wouldn't be a double digit dog to Oklahoma in two weeks. Which, I'm willing to bet that line is at least OU -9. There's no way only 6 teams in the country would beat ND on a neutral field. Not when Michigan and Purdue almost did it on the road.
I think ND is headed in the right direction and I like their coach. But every time ND shows even the slightest pulse, the ND lovin sportswriters shoot them up the rankings like a bullet.