The college football season has been thrown into further chaos after No. 1 ranked Miami suffered their first defeat of the year at the hands of Notre Dame. 

The fourth-ranked Fighting Irish avenged their most damaging defeat from last season by securing a dramatic 31-24 victory in South Bend on Saturday night. 

Micah Gilbert hauled in two of those scoring passes, while Jordan Faison secured the other. Nolan James Jr. also added a crucial rushing touchdown on the night. 

The top-ranked Hurricanes looked sluggish out of the gate, struggling to find offensive rhythm in their first game without injured wide receiver Malachi Toney. 

Despite trailing 24-3 early in the third quarter, Miami quarterback Darian Mensah sparked a furious comeback attempt, throwing three second-half touchdown passes to pull within striking distance. 

Miami tight end Elija Lofton nearly secured a miraculous game-tying touchdown on a fourth-down play with just under four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. 

However, Notre Dame's Luke Talich brilliantly knocked the ball away, with officials later ruling that Lofton hadn't completed the pass.

The Irish never trailed at any point during the contest, keeping their own national championship and College Football Playoff hopes very much alive.

Following Miami's crushing defeat, only two unbeaten teams now remain in the Football Bowl Subdivision: Utah and UCLA, who both moved to a 9-0 record this weekend.

Miami's loss comes weeks after previous No.1 ranked sides, BYU and Texas, were also dethroned following respective shock defeats.