PROVO, UT -- One has the weight of its conference on its shoulders. The other has the weight of expectations -- and the only potential path to a top-four seed in the College Football Playoff.
No. 2 Notre Dame at No. 8 Brigham Young hardly is just about undefeated football teams, head coaches part of a mutual admiration society for one another and private, religious institutions.
“I’ve been really impressed with their program, really impressed with the way Marcus (Freeman) is leading (Notre Dame),” said BYU coach Kalani Sitake, who in his June visit with USA TODAY Sports said he thought the Irish might be college football’s No. 1 team. “I think he’s a great example to all coaches and how you should do it. Has a great connection with the fan base
and even better connection with his players.”
Added Freeman, “You got two really good programs who have put their programs in position for (this) to be a top-10 contest. That’s what I love about it. You want to play great programs.”
The Big 12 Conference presently has three undefeated among the top 11 teams in the US LBM Coaches Poll, but if it wants to join the other Power-Four Conferences with multiple bids in the 12-team era, the league needs a signature, out-of-conference victory.
With ESPN GameDay on campus, a sold-out Lavell Edwards Stadium and tickets on the secondary market fetching $708 a pair and lower-bowl seats more than $1,300 per ticket as of Thursday, Oct. 15, this is BYU’s opportunity to be the conference standard-bearer.
“We’re taking steps to become an elite program,” said Cougars defensive tackle Viliami Po’uha, whose father, Sione, is BYU’s defensive line coach. “It just starts with the head man, Coach Kalani (Sitake). He always says this is a team-led team, not coach-led.
“So, everything that the program moves is obviously what the captains want … and we want to make it to the next level.”
Both teams have yet to face a ranked foe this season; the Cougars have just Notre Dame and archrival, undefeated No. 11 Utah next month for potential resume-builders.
The Fighting Irish kick-off the three games that will define their 2026 regular season with this visit to BYU; they host No. 3 Miami Nov. 7 in Notre Dame Stadium and also get one-loss, No. 22 SMU at home Nov. 21.
Notre Dame needs to sweep those three games plus handle business against its unranked opponents to keep alive its chance for a first-ever top-four seed in the 12-team era and subsequent opening-round bye.
Since the final two games of the 2023 season, Freeman has guided Notre Dame to an astounding 17-2 mark in games away from home. That stretch included neutral-site wins against Georgia and Penn State en route to the 2024 CFP national title-game.
This season, the Irish own wins away from home against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field, at Purdue and at North Carolina.
“I think it’s a reflection of preparation and in a game executing and not allowing the things that don’t matter to matter,” Freeman told USA TODAY Sports. “When I say that, the crowd noise matters but we’ve got to make sure we’re prepared for that.
“And, again, our execution will dictate how loud it gets. It’s a reflection of those guys buying in and controlling the things we can control.”
BYU, 14-1 in its last 15 home games, also is 5-0 for the third consecutive season – the first time in school history. But winning Saturday would be its biggest victory in the Sitake era.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Notre Dame-BYU clash carries College Football Playoff implications, Big 12 dreams
