BYU football's scheduled matchup with Notre Dame could be Cougars' key to the CFP

For two straight seasons, BYU football has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the very best programs in the nation. The elite teams like Oregon, Alabama, Oklahoma, and even Notre Dame are all rivaled in record by the Cougs, who are the only team to win 23 games over the last two seasons without getting a chance at the national championship in the 12-team College Football Playoff.

Many factors play into this injustice, such as the Cougars' conference affiliation and comparatively weaker league schedule in the Big 12 -- at least when held to the standards of the SEC and Big Ten -- and lack of brand prestige and big television rating upside of a Georgia-type.

From ESPN's campaign of BYU ignorance to talking heads' admission that BYU had no chance to play for a national championship without beating CFP lock Texas Tech in the conference championship game. It was a blatant abuse of the selection committee's power, and a visible conspiracy to keep the most consistently successful Big 12 program out of the at-large window for one reason only

On3's Ari Wasserman dove into how BYU and Notre Dame's playoff snubs in 2025 birthed what may just be the ultimate win-win series for two programs outside of the exclusive SEC-Big Ten empire's postseason stranglehold.

"From BYU's perspective, who wouldn't want Notre Dame coming to your home stadium every two years? The path to the CFP is narrow for BYU right now, as winning the Big 12 seems like the only path. [...] Though Notre Dame is one of the most supremely talented programs in the country -- and only getting deeper under Marcus Freeman -- that nonconference game gives the Cougars a real shot to add to their resume in a way their conference schedule doesn't allow. Plus, losing to the Irish has no bearing on whether BYU can win the Big 12, so it's kind of a house-money game."

Wasserman's point is poignant to a fanbase that has only seen their program be repeatedly disrespected by the national media, even after two consecutive finishes in the top-13 of the College Football Playoff rankings. Perhaps a meeting with the likes of Notre Dame is the only way for BYU to get the big-time respect they believe they're entitled to.

And if BYU loses, big whoop, a close, "quality" loss could actually be a resume boost more than drawback

Two private, prestigious, and religious universities, BYU and Notre Dame, may be the most natural-born rivals in all of college football, to, well, not really be rivals. There's noise behind the scenes suggesting the Cougars and Irish are anxious to turn this battle into a regular event, and an annual matchup more deserving of the "Holy War" moniker than BYU's in-state rivalry with Utah.

Andy Staples went into greater detail on this topic, and described how a long-term agreement would make BYU vs Notre Dame one of the most engaging rivalries in college football.

"If you're Notre Dame, if you and BYU come to an agreement to play every year, that would be incredible for both programs."

BYU and Notre Dame will square off at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo this season on October 18 and again in 2027 in South Bend in the final regular-season game of the schedule. Both games could hold huge implications for the College Football Playoff selection committee's considerations.

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