Matt Cashore, USA TODAY Sports
Oct 5, 2026 4:50 PM
Two undefeated powerhouses collide in Provo as Marcus Freeman’s surging Irish face a dual-threat test against Bear Bachmeier and the Cougars in a high-stakes primetime showdown.
Today, it was announced that the Notre Dame vs BYU matchup will be slated for a Saturday night kickoff on October 17 in Provo, Utah. This is Notre Dame's first trip out to Provo since 2004, a game the Irish lost 20-17. This is a matchup that generated a lot of attention earlier this offseason when the annual Notre Dame-USC rivalry came to an end. Up to this point, our hypothesis on the Cougars boosting their overall strength of schedule has been proven to be correct.
For the third straight season, head coach Kalani Sitake has BYU sitting at 4-0 to begin the season. They're currently 2-0 in conference and will likely be undefeated when the Fighting Irish roll into town with a home game against Iowa State on deck for this Saturday's slate. The Cougars are currently led by quarterback Bear Bachmeier who is off to a strong start in 2026 throwing for 704 yards and six touchdowns. The big-bodied signal caller has also rushed for 130 yards and four touchdowns on the ground and has only thrown one pick.
The Irish are 5-0 for the first time in Marcus Freeman's tenure. They're currently riding a 15-game win streak, winning all contests by 10 points or more. This weekend, that streak looks to continue as they prepare for Stanford in a battle for the Legends Trophy in South Bend.
Throughout the offseason, we speculated that this could be a night game matchup for the Irish out in Provo. Given the two hour time difference, it will be a 5:30 PM kickoff local time, but still a battle under the lights nonetheless which is something Freeman and the Irish have more than enough experience in.
During Freeman's tenure, the Irish have played in 11 primetime games away from Notre Dame Stadium. In those affairs, Notre Dame is 7-4, but three of those wins were in the Shamrock Series where the Irish were technically the home team (BYU - 2022, Army - 2024, Wisconsin - 2026). In true road contests, the Irish are 4-4 under Freeman in primetime matchups.
They beat Duke and Stanford on the road at night in 2023, Texas A&M in 2024 and Stanford in 2025. They have losses to Ohio State and USC in 2022, Louisville in 2023 and Miami in 2025. Freeman and the Irish are 2-4 against ranked teams on the road in night games since the start of his tenure, something that will be a major storyline next week when the Irish prepare to take on the BYU Cougars.
------
Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and our premium message board! Click on the link below for more.
Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time!
Comments
Powered by RoundtableBuilt on infrastructure designed for real-time media. Learn more at RTB.io.© Roundtable 2026. By using this site you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy