Saturday night in Provo has all the setup of a statement game.
No. 8 BYU will host No.
2 Notre Dame in a top-10 showdown that puts the college football spotlight squarely on LaVell Edwards Stadium. Both teams come in unbeaten, and both are carrying the sting of last season’s College Football Playoff cutline after finishing as the first two teams left out.
Notre Dame’s path back to this stage has its own twist. After the CFP decision, the Fighting Irish opted out of their bowl game - the Poptart's Bowl, which would have paired them with BYU.
Instead, the Cougars went on to beat Georgia Tech 25-21 on Dec. 27, 2025.
For both programs, the stakes go beyond a single Saturday. A win over a top-10 opponent would do serious work for either résumé heading toward the postseason.
Notre Dame, as an independent, has no conference safety net, so every game matters. For BYU, knocking off the Irish would lift the Cougars and also add weight to the Big 12’s standing.
Inside the BYU locker room, the message has been to tune out the chatter and stay locked in on the standard that got them here.
"We did such a great job holding to our standard in the off season with all the preseason hype and with all the noise that happened there, you know, transfers, this and that," BYU defensive lineman Keanu Tanuvasa said. "There's still a lot of noise that happens outside of football season. As we learn to double down on our culture, our standard, and being ourselves in the off season, now going into the season, that's just a reminder that I'm trying to, to give to them is our culture is what brought us this far and who they are matters more than anyone's perception of them through interviews."
A win would also keep BYU in control of its push for what would be the program’s first playoff berth, while potentially shifting how the rest of the country views the Cougars.
"We're taking steps to become an elite program, and it just starts off with the head man Coach Kalani (Sitake)," BYU defensive lineman Viliami Po'uha explained. "He always just says, 'This is a team-led team, not a coach-led (team), so everything that the program moves is obviously what the captains want."
Notre Dame brings the nation’s top-ranked defense into the game, and BYU will be without reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year LJ Martin, who suffered a lower body injury in Week 5. Last week’s reports said his return timeline was four to six weeks.
The matchup figures to demand toughness up front, and BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick didn’t soften the challenge.
"Buckle your chin strap, these guys are good," Roderick said about Notre Dame's defense. "Nobody's been able to run the ball on them at all.
I think they've given up the fewest yards of any defense in college football this year, first or second in just about everything, they're very good. It's going to be a physical game.
These guys are tough."
There’s also a trend Notre Dame has to answer for under Marcus Freeman: the Irish are 0-3 in top-10 road games since he became head coach.
Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m. on ABC. College GameDay begins at 7 a.m. and will be live in front of Heritage Halls on campus.
In Other News...
BYU Fans Should Hate Where This Playoff Debate Is Headed
Nick Sabans latest College Football Playoff idea is the kind of proposal that gets plenty of attention because of who is saying it, not necessarily because of where the sport seems headed. He has floated a 16-team field instead of 24, and for BYU fans, the debate matters because the size of the playoff will help determine whether programs outside the traditional Power Four can realistically keep breaking through or whether the safest path stays mostly inside the same familiar lanes.
The bigger issue is that playoff expansion is no longer just about competitive balance, it is about money and leverage, and those forces usually push the conversation beyond the tidy version of the sport that coaches prefer. A 24-team format would create more openings for teams like BYU and would reshape the value of conference championship games across the country, but the push and pull around the final number says plenty about how college football is choosing to organize its future. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Faces A Tougher Notre Dame Test If Two Defenders Return
Notre Dame may look a little closer to whole when it meets BYU, and that matters for a Cougars offense that has to navigate a defense still built around speed and depth even after injuries. Head coach Marcus Freeman said cornerback Leonard Moore and defensive lineman Jason Onye have taken practice reps and are trending toward playing, which puts both players in position to be available after missing significant time.
Moore sat out the previous game with a concussion, while Onye has been sidelined since the season opener with an ankle injury. If both are back on the field, it gives Notre Dame a welcome boost on the back end and up front, and it raises the degree of difficulty for BYU in a game that already figures to demand clean execution. [Read more 🡒]
BYU's Notre Dame Stage Carries Huge Stakes Beyond The Score
A marquee night at LaVell Edwards Stadium is bringing more than just a big game to Provo. With College GameDay expected to be part of the buildup, BYUs meeting with Notre Dame has become the kind of spotlight moment programs spend years trying to create, and the Cougars will have a packed house of top prospects watching it unfold.
Among those expected on hand are Blake Wong, Kyle Nabrotzky, Ryan Wooten Jr., Gaige Weddle, Dennis Tu'aone, Eli Mortensen, Malakai Leilua, Lincon Fa'alafi, Jake Matsen and Kyran Majors, a group that includes recruits committed to BYU or holding offers from the Cougars and other major programs. For BYU, the stakes go well beyond the final score, because a showcase like this can leave an impression that lasts long after the national cameras are gone. [Read more 🡒]