PROVO, Utah — The eyes of the college football world will be on Provo come Saturday night when No. 8 Brigham Young University hosts No. 2 Notre Dame.
Both are undefeated, and both were the two first teams left out of the College Football Playoff last season.
Watch Grace's report in the video player below.
Notre Dame chose to opt out of its bowl game following the CFP decision. The game the Fighting Irish would've played in was the Poptart's Bowl — against BYU. The Cougars ultimately defeated Georgia Tech 25-21 on Dec. 27, 2025, in the bowl game.
Each team knows how important a top 10 win would be to boost its resume looking ahead to the postseason. Notre Dame is an independent program and does not belong to a conference, meaning each regular season game carries an abundance of importance. For BYU, a win against Notre Dame helps the entire Big 12 reputation.
The Cougars are trying to block out the outside noise and playoff scenarios when it comes to their mindset this week.
"We did such a great job holding to our standard in the off season with all the preseason hype and with all the noise that happened there, you know, transfers, this and that," BYU defensive lineman Keanu Tanuvasa said. "There's still a lot of noise that happens outside of football season. As we learn to double down on our culture, our standard, and being ourselves in the off season, now going into the season, that's just a reminder that I'm trying to, to give to them is our culture is what brought us this far and who they are matters more than anyone's perception of them through interviews."
A win against the Fighting Irish not only would keep BYU in the driver's seat as they vie for their first-ever playoff bid, but also has the possibility to change the trajectory of the program and earn them respect in the national conversation.
"We're taking steps to become an elite program, and it just starts off with the head man Coach Kalani (Sitake)," BYU defensive lineman Viliami Po'uha explained. "He always just says, 'This is a team-led team, not a coach-led (team), so everything that the program moves is obviously what the captains want."
Notre Dame ranks first in the country in total defense, and BYU is without reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, running back LJ Martin, who sustained a lower body injury in Week 5. As of last week, reports had his timetable for a return between four to six weeks.
"Buckle your chin strap, these guys are good," BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said about Notre Dame's defense. "Nobody's been able to run the ball on them at all. I think they've given up the fewest yards of any defense in college football this year, first or second in just about everything, they're very good. It's going to be a physical game. These guys are tough."
Since Marcus Freeman has taken over as head coach, Notre Dame is 0-3 in top-10 road games, and BYU, of course, hopes to keep that streak alive when they defend LaVell Edwards Stadium. Kickoff is at 5:30 p.m. on ABC. College GameDay starts at 7 a.m. and will be live in front of Heritage Halls on campus.
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