Saturday night’s No. 2 Notre Dame-Nos.
8 BYU matchup in Provo carries plenty of weight on the field, but it also lands with a long-running backdrop that has followed this series for decades. Both teams are unbeaten, and the winner will get a major boost in the College Football Playoff picture.
It’s also the first Top-10 meeting between Notre Dame and BYU in Provo.
The game has long been framed through its religious connections, too. Notre Dame is a Catholic university, while BYU is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which is why this matchup is so often labeled “Catholics vs. Mormons.”
For all the talk around the series, Saturday also ends a long wait. It will be the first time Notre Dame has played at BYU since 2004, when the Cougars beat the Irish 20-17.
That 2004 meeting came in the first week of the season, and BYU built the kind of early cushion Notre Dame couldn’t fully erase. The Irish were down 13-3 at halftime, then fell behind 20-3 midway through the third quarter before making things uncomfortable late. Brady Quinn connected with Rhema McKnight on a 54-yard touchdown, and a 38-yard pick-six off BYU quarterback Matt Berry - who had replaced starter John Beck in the first half - pulled Notre Dame within three.
The Irish nearly got one more crack at it. But with less than two minutes left, Berry found Todd Watkins on a 3rd-and-8 from BYU’s 25 to extend the drive and help the Cougars close it out.
What makes this trip to Provo stand out even more is how long Notre Dame has managed to avoid it. The schools agreed in 2010 to play two games at BYU, but the Irish didn’t make the return trip for years. Instead, they played in South Bend in 2012 and 2013, winning both before those results were later vacated because of academic misconduct.
The programs also met at a neutral site in Las Vegas in 2022, a game Notre Dame won 28-20. But that still wasn’t Provo.
One reason for the hold-up has been Notre Dame’s effort to protect its traditional rivalries as an independent, along with the reality of juggling five ACC games every season. The Irish have longstanding series with Stanford, USC and Navy.
Notre Dame also declined an invitation to face BYU in last season’s Pop-Tarts Bowl after a College Football Playoff snub, while BYU went on to beat Georgia Tech 25-21. There has also been outside chatter from some Cougar fans suggesting Notre Dame was scared to play in Provo.
The Notre Dame-USC relationship has factored into the scheduling picture, too. The two rivals, who have played mostly uninterrupted from 1926-2025, were unable to reach an agreement to meet this year. That series is paused for now and scheduled to resume in 2030.
As for the rivalry numbers, Notre Dame leads the series 5-2. BYU’s second win came in 1994 in South Bend. The Cougars also bring strong recent home form into Saturday night, having won 14 of their last 15 at home and starting 5-0 for a third straight season for the first time in school history.
In Other News...
Notre Dame Defense Faces A Threat It Hasn't Seen Yet
Notre Dames defense is heading into a different kind of test this weekend, one built less on flash than on patience and physicality. BYU brings a sturdy offensive line, a quarterback in Bear Bachmeier who can keep plays alive, and an attack that has been especially efficient at piling up yards per play and creating chunk gains. For the Irish front, that means the usual margin for error is slim, because winning first down and controlling the line of scrimmage will matter just as much as any highlight-reel stop.
The matchup also stretches beyond the trenches, with Notre Dames safeties likely to have a major say in how much damage BYU can do through the middle of the field and against tight end Walker Lyons. Preventing the Cougars from turning routine snaps into explosive ones is the real challenge here, and it is the kind of test that can expose even a defense that has looked comfortable most of the season. The Irish may be prepared for power football, but BYUs ability to stress all three levels gives this one a different edge. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Defense Is Earning National Respect At The Perfect Time
Notre Dames defense has spent the first six games of the season building a reputation that now carries national weight, and the Associated Press took notice at midseason. Cornerback Leonard Moore landed on the AP Midseason All-America first team, while edge rusher Boubacar Traore earned second-team honors, a tidy reflection of how much the Irish have leaned on that side of the ball while climbing the rankings.
Moore has been steady on the back end with four pass breakups and eight solo tackles, while Traore has brought the disruption up front that changes games, leading the team with 3.5 sacks and flashing in big moments with a strip sack and an interception in the same contest. For Notre Dame, the recognition is more than just individual praise, it is proof the defense is playing at a level that can travel deep into the season. [Read more 🡒]
Bryce Dortch Could Solve A Notre Dame Frontcourt Concern
Notre Dames frontcourt picture for 2026-27 may end up looking a little different if Bryce Dortch develops the way the staff believes he can. The junior from Somerville, Massachusetts is projected as a backup power forward, but what makes him interesting is not just where he fits on the depth chart. Last season at Rutgers, Dortch averaged 2.1 points and 3.2 rebounds per game, and the Irish are expecting him to bring a blend of defense and lineup flexibility that can help cover some of the needs around the basket.
Micah Shrewsberry has already pointed to Dortchs versatility and the progress he has made since joining the program, which matters for a team looking for dependable options in the frontcourt. A player who can handle multiple roles and hold up defensively gives Notre Dame more ways to manage rotation concerns, especially if the season forces the staff to adjust on the fly. Dortch may not arrive with headline numbers, but his value could come in the places that are easiest to overlook until they are needed most. [Read more 🡒]