BYU's upcoming matchup vs. Notre Dame has an unexpected bowl game connection originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Week 7 of the 2026 college football season features big matchups, including No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 8 BYU.
Notre Dame (6-0) faces its first ranked opponent this season. They come off a dominating 58-7 win over Stanford last week.
BYU (5-0) is coming off a huge conference win over Iowa State. The Cougars look stronger this year on both sides of the ball, especially at quarterback with Bear Bachmeier.
Bachmeier punishes every defender in his path whenever he carries the ball.
BYU and Notre Dame were supposed to meet in last year's Pop-Tart Bowl, but the Irish declined the invitation.
Both teams missed the CFP playoffs last season. BYU finished 11-2 last season with both losses to Texas Tech, the Big 12 champions.
Notre Dame started 0-2 in 2025, including a loss to CFP national runner-up Miami. Their 10-game win streak was not enough to sway the committee in their favor for the final spot.
The Fighting Irish could be without corner back Leonard Moore, who is listed as questionable with a concussion.
This will test whether the Fighting Irish or BYU has a national championship team, or if the committee was right to leave them out of the equation.
BYU will host Notre Dame on Saturday, October 17 (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
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Source: Yahoo Sports
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