Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman enjoys playing the weekly chess match each fall.
He likes it even more when the Fighting Irish are playing on the road.
Make no mistake, Freeman loves playing beneath Touchdown Jesus, inside a stadium dripping with history and occupied by a sea of blue, gold and green-clad fans roaring in South Bend. It's just that when he takes Notre Dame on the road, it's a different kind of challenge.
“Let's go play against the best
on their home field, in their environment, where's it's us against everybody,” the usually low-key Freeman said Monday. “I kind of like it there. Obviously, I love playing at home, but there's something about going on the road when it's us against everybody and it makes you say, ‘OK, we’ve got to do this together,' and I love it.”
That next opportunity comes Saturday when the second-ranked Irish (6-0) put a 16-game winning streak on the line as they visit No. 8 BYU (5-0) in one of two top-10 matchups this weekend. The other has unbeaten No. 5 Indiana hosting No. 4 Ohio State in a rematch of last year's Big Ten championship game.
All four teams have hopes of making the 12-team College Football Playoff field.
But for the Irish, who opted out of playing a bowl game last season after being snubbed by the CFP selection committee, this is their first — and perhaps best — opportunity to prove they're capable of winning their first national championship since 1988.
It's also the toughest matchup of the season so far for BYU.
So the Irish and Freeman, now in his fifth full season as Notre Dame's coach, know what to expect. The crowd will be loud and wild because when Notre Dame travels, it's always someone else's biggest game.
“Like this is what Notre Dame football does,” Freeman said. “We go into different places, and it's a big game and that's what we expect. That's why we're here. That's why we choose to come to Notre Dame. We love this. I love it, they love it, like this is exactly why we're at Notre Dame.”
This trip will be somewhat unusual for these Irish players and coaches. The teams last met in 2022 in Las Vegas, with Notre Dame winning 28-20. But this one is in Provo, Utah, a city that sits 4,551 feet above sea level and where the Irish have only played twice — winning 45-20 in 1993 and losing 20-17 in 2004.
Freeman has been brushing up the best practices for playing at altitude and recovering from playing at altitude. He may even ask cornerback DJ McKinney for some tips, since McKinney spent his previous two seasons at Colorado.
The unknowns don't bother Freeman. He's ready to hit the road.
“Part of it is the competitor inside who you are,” he said. “You want to play against the best and you know this is going to be, on paper, the best opponent we're going to see, to date. I love it. They love it because their competitors. So let's go do it.”
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