All of a sudden, the "Holy War" rivalry moniker would feel so much more appropriate between BYU and Notre Dame than the Cougars and their in-state public school rival, the University of Utah.
Yes, the Cougs and Utes have a much more storied history, and the high percentage of LDS participants on both sides of the duel makes for a heated and intense annual matchup -- especially now that both parties share conference affiliation for the first time since the early 2010's -- but perhaps "Holy War" is a more fitting title for the "Mormons vs Catholics" of BYU vs Notre Dame.
And with the pair of private schools set to clash on the field this season in a game that may hold stronger College Football Playoff implications than any other across the nation, the question on the minds of many is why BYU and Notre Dame don't face off more often.
According to a report from John Kurtz, BYU's athletic director, Brian Santiago, believes that there is interest from both sides to meet on the gridiron beyond the current contract's 2027 expiration date -- and they want to schedule more meetings in sports besides football.
BYU AD Brian Santiago tells me there is interest from both BYU and Notre Dame to continue the series in football beyond 2026 and 2027. Also says they want to play each other in sports beyond just football.
— John Kurtz (@jlkurtz) July 7, 2026
This is great news for BYU athletics, a Big 12 affiliate whose schedule alone hasn't been deemed worthy of entry into the College Football Playoff, despite winning more games (23) in the past two seasons than any other program locked out of the 12-team bracket.
A win-win is rare in the world of competition, but a loss to Notre Dame doesn't impact the Cougars' position in the Big 12 Championship standings -- an auto-bid is still within reach -- but a victory over one of the most storied programs in the history of college football looks tremendous for an at-large resume.
For the Irish, scheduling a rising program like BYU annually boosts the team's strength of schedule (a heavily factored metric for the CFP selection committee) that typically consists of ACC bottom-dwellers, USC, and whatever else they can scrap together without a conference affiliation. And, to be entirely honest, it's a matchup they'll likely dominate over time.
So a BYU-Notre Dame rivalry could be on the horizon. It only makes sense.
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