PROVO, Utah — Excitement is building as the time nears closer to kickoff for No. 2 Notre Dame vs. No. 8 Brigham Young University. ESPN College GameDay is set for its show, which airs live from BYU's campus on Saturday morning.
Its hosts, Rece Davis and betting analyst "Stanford Steve" Coughlin broke down the game and its possible implications on Friday afternoon.
"I think this is a great test for BYU," Davis said. "I think the stakes are enormous for both sides, and here's why: for BYU, they win, it gives them instant credibility in terms of being a playoff contender."
Davis outlined BYU's potential path to the College Football Playoff if they prevail against Notre Dame:
"It's two paths into the playoff for them; either win the Big 12, which they're very capable of doing, or getting an at-large (bid) with a victory over a really good Notre Dame team."
"This is the opportunity. Everything you can ask for," Coughlin said. "The way we like to compare and contrast now, this game's going to get dissected like no other, because you have the biggest brand in the sport coming to a conference that hasn't had success when it comes to the playoffs or not getting the right nod, as far as resume-wise."
Basically, a win for underdog BYU boosts respect for the entirety of the Big 12 conference and puts them in the driver's seat for a playoff bid.
Notre Dame hasn't won a top-10 road game since Marcus Freeman took over as head coach. The Cougars hope to keep that streak alive and capitalize on its hostile environment in LaVell Edwards Stadium.
"They have to play their A-game," Coughlin said of BYU. "No turnovers. You saw the full capability of Bear last game: 300 (passing yards), 100 (rushing yards). First time since what? 2013, Taysom Hill. Keep the crowd involved."
"Bachmeier's terrific, but he'll need some help in the running game, I think," Davis said, noting that the team is without star running back LJ Martin, who has been out with a lower body injury sustained in Week 5. "BYU's got to limit the explosives that Notre Dame can get and maybe have something go their way early; get the crowd on their side, Notre Dame tighten up a little bit. They haven't really been challenged deep in the game like I suspect they will be tomorrow night."
ESPN College GameDay starts at 7 a.m. outside Heritage Halls on BYU's campus. The game kicks off at 5:30 p.m. on ABC.