It's the big one. The first top-10 matchup in LaVell Edwards Stadium history. The game upon which College Football Playoff hopes could be made... or destroyed. BYU football hosts Notre Dame this Saturday, and I cannot overstate the importance of this matchup for the Cougars.
BYU, as a program, has been overlooked and underrated for decades. That can be tied to its history as a WAC and Mountain West Conference member, having only paired with a Power Four league for four years after a history of comparative irrelevance on the national scale. Kalani Sitake has built a program that won 11 games in 2024, 12 games in 2025, and approaches this matchup with an undefeated 5-0 record. Only now is the nation turning its eyes to Provo.
Despite boasting the fourth-best record of any team in the nation over that three-year stretch, BYU has been repeatedly locked out of the 12-team College Football Playoff.
Notre Dame, on the other hand, was shocked to be excluded from the CFP last season despite losing twice in the regular season to a generally favorable schedule. The Irish are one of college football's pillars of excellence. They're a rock of success and the image of gridiron prowess. When they were the last team excluded from the CFP in 2025, they forfeited a consolation bowl appearance (which ironically would have been a matchup with BYU).
Their outrage delivered the independent Notre Dame specialized CFP consideration moving forward, guaranteeing the Irish a seat at the table so long as they're ranked in the top 12.
BYU doesn't have that benefit. They won't be forgiven so easily if they can't claim the Big 12 champions' auto-bid to the Playoff. Winning this game against a perceived championship contender could silence any doubts, and the Cougars will be hosting this critical contest.
Assuming you don't have a couple thousand dollars of petty cash laying around to dump on football tickets, you'll be glued to your television his Saturday for what may be the biggest BYU football game in history.
Here's how to watch.
Game information: BYU Cougars vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Date: Saturday, October 17, 2026
Time: 5:30 PM MT
Location: LaVell Edwards Stadium, Provo, UT
Channel: ABC
Odds: ND -11.5
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