Notre Dame is headed into the kind of game that tends to tell you more about a program than a month of comfortable wins ever can. On Saturday night in Provo, the Irish face undefeated No. 8 BYU in what amounts to a major checkpoint for Marcus Freeman’s team - and for Freeman himself.
There’s plenty Freeman has already checked off at Notre Dame. He’s ended the school’s major bowl win drought, improved recruiting and helped turn the Irish into a force on the trail.
He’s also guided them to 16 straight double-digit wins dating back to last season. But one piece of the resume still stands out for what it hasn’t included: consistent success against ranked teams away from South Bend.
Notre Dame has not won a true road game against a top-10 opponent since 2012, when it beat Oklahoma. Since then, the Irish are 0-7 in those spots. That’s the backdrop for this trip to Utah, where BYU enters at No. 8 and unbeaten through the first seven weeks of the season.
Freeman’s record in true road games against ranked opponents has been uneven. Since he took over, Notre Dame is 2-4 in those games. The losses came at Ohio State and USC in 2022, both top-10 teams at the time; at Louisville in 2023, when the Cardinals were No. 25; and at Miami to open the 2025 season, when the Hurricanes were ranked 10th.
The two ranked road wins under Freeman both came in 2023 against Duke, which was ranked 17th, and against Texas A&M to start the 2024 season, when the Aggies were No. 20.
That history is what makes Saturday such a meaningful test. It’s easy to get caught up in the names on the jerseys and the legacy attached to Notre Dame, but BYU is not a soft landing spot. The Cougars are in the mix to win their conference, stay in the hunt for the 12-team College Football Playoffs and protect an unbeaten start that has them exactly where they want to be.
For Freeman, this is another chance to knock down a door that has stayed shut. He’s done a lot of that already in South Bend.
This one, though, is still waiting. Notre Dame may be one of the leading favorites to make the 2026 CFP and chase a title run, but the road to that kind of season runs straight through games like this one in Provo.
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Notre Dame Defense Faces One Big Question Entering BYU Trip
Notre Dames defense could look a little different for its trip to BYU, with the injury report offering a mix of concern and relief heading into the matchup. Cornerback Leonard Moore is listed as questionable, while linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa has been cleared after being taken off the report, a useful development for a unit that has had to manage its depth carefully in recent weeks.
Jason Onyes status is also worth watching after he was upgraded to questionable following a left ankle injury that kept him out for more than five games. Brauntae Johnson, meanwhile, remains on a longer recovery path after foot surgery and is expected back around November, leaving Notre Dame to sort through just how much of its defensive backfield and front it can count on in a tricky road spot. [Read more 🡒]
BYUs Undefeated Start Faces Its Biggest Test Yet Against Notre Dame
The No. 2 Fighting Irish are headed into a Week 7 matchup that should say plenty about where both programs really stand, with undefeated BYU bringing its perfect start into South Bend for a top-10 clash. Notre Dame has looked like a legitimate heavyweight by the advanced numbers, and CJ Carr has already pushed himself into the Heisman Trophy conversation as the offense continues to gain national attention.
BYU, ranked No. 8, has earned this moment by staying unbeaten and steady through the first part of the season, but this trip will demand answers in every phase against a Notre Dame team built to test weaknesses. The betting market expects a tight one, which only adds to the stakes in a game that could reshape the picture for both teams in the second half of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Just Sent Another Message Before BYU
Notre Dame left no doubt against Stanford, rolling to a 58-7 win that showed just how complete this team can look when it is sharp on both sides of the ball. The offense moved with confidence, the defense smothered everything in front of it, and Marcus Freeman came away talking about execution and turnover margin as signs his team is playing winning football while still leaving room to clean up the penalty issues that surfaced.
At 6-0, the Irish have built a rsum that now has to travel with them into a tougher stretch, starting with Brigham Young on deck. The challenge from here is not proving they can dominate when things go right, but sustaining that level when the opposition gets better and the margin for error gets smaller. [Read more 🡒]