No. 2 Notre Dame arrives in Provo unbeaten, but No.
8 BYU gets something Saturday night that the program has never had before: a top-10 home showdown. That alone gives this matchup a different weight, and if the Cougars pull it off, it would be a program-altering win.
BYU is 5-0 and 3-0 in the Big 12, riding a third straight 5-0 start. The Cougars have been sharp on both sides of the ball, putting up 34.6 points per game while giving up just 13.4.
The setting matters, too. BYU has been almost automatic in night games since 2019, going 36-4 overall and 21-3 in late kickoffs at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
Notre Dame comes in with the kind of profile that makes this a true measuring stick. The Fighting Irish are 6-0 and scoring 44.0 points per game, while allowing only 11.0. Their defense is ranked No. 4 in the nation, and the Irish are carrying the look of a team built for a run at its first national championship since 1988.
If BYU is going to make this interesting, Bear Bachmeier is the center of it. The sophomore quarterback is coming off a huge performance with 300 passing yards and 100 rushing yards last week, and he has become the kind of dual-threat problem that can tilt a game.
With no LJ Martin, the Cougars will need Bachmeier to help carry the run game while also challenging Notre Dame’s secondary through the air. He is 17-2 as a starter, and another win would push him into the kind of company that turns a good season into something much bigger.
BYU coach Kalani Sitake said, “This week is a different beast, obviously, and we know we’re facing a great Notre Dame team, ranked No. 2 for a reason. They could easily be No. 1 … So I think these games get the sense of urgency up a little bit quicker.
“I’m really excited for the opportunities and the things that we can accomplish this week, because it’s such a talented and prestigious program we are facing.”
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman framed it the same way from the other sideline. He said, “You want to play against the best, and (BYU) is going to be, on paper, the best opponent we’re going to see to date.
I think the approach we probably have each game is that the opponent is the best we’ve seen, but this one shows you with the record, it shows you with the ranking. So let’s go play against the best on their home field, right?
“You can tell that they have a culture, they play hard, they’re physical, and they take a lot of pride in what they do ... They play really well at home, and they play well at night. It’s going to be a great challenge for us.”
BYU’s schedule has already featured wins over Utah Tech, Arizona, Colorado State, TCU and Iowa State, and now the Cougars get the toughest test yet with Notre Dame coming to town. After this one, BYU goes to UCF on Oct. 24 before continuing through Arizona State, Utah, Baylor, Kansas and Cincinnati to close out the schedule.
In Other News...
BYU Faces A Program Defining Test In A Brutal Top 10 Showdown
Brigham Young steps into one of its biggest regular-season stages in years Saturday night, hosting Notre Dame in a clash between two unbeaten teams at LaVell Edwards Stadium. The setting alone gives it weight, but the matchup adds even more intrigue: the Irish arrive with the nations top total defense, while BYU is trying to keep rolling in front of a national audience on ABC.
The Cougars will have to navigate the game without their top running back because of injury, a challenge that makes the offensive approach even more important against a defense like Notre Dames. For BYU, this is the kind of top-10 measuring stick that can shape how the season is viewed long after Saturday night ends. [Read more 🡒]
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 🡒]