Could ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ come to Provo for BYU-Notre Dame? ‘There’s a really good chance,’ says host

BYU’s clash with Notre Dame on Oct. 17 is already considered one of college football’s marquee matchups this season, but it could end up featuring even more national intrigue.

On Monday’s installment of the “ESPN College GameDay” podcast, host Rece Davis suggested that ESPN’s famed “College GameDay” pregame show is interested in featuring the Cougars and the Irish.

“I’m not trying to give away secrets, no decision has been made, but there’s a really good chance we’ll be at BYU (on Oct. 17),” Davis said.

Today on the College Gameday Podcast Rece Davis said “There’s a really good chance we’ll be at BYU…” for College Gameday when the Cougars match up with Notre Dame on October 17th.
Here’s the full clip for context. pic.twitter.com/6IAYtgp9eJ

— Jarom Jordan (@jaromjordan) September 28, 2026

Davis — who hosts “GameDay” alongside analysts Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee and Nick Saban — quickly acknowledged that he may have offered too much information, joking that he would “get in trouble with PR and management for even bringing that up.”

But Davis still made sure to explain why BYU-Notre Dame would be a compelling choice for “GameDay,” even if nothing is currently set in stone.

“We haven’t come close to making a decision on that yet,” Davis said. “I’m just looking at the schedule, and (BYU vs. Notre Dame) might be the best game of the weekend.

“Both (BYU and Notre Dame) might still be undefeated, and if they are, that would seem, even on a very competitive Saturday ... it would certainly be a contender.”

The Oct. 17 slate includes a number of notable games, including Florida at Texas, Ohio State at Indiana, Alabama at Tennessee and Mississippi State at LSU. Thus, competition will be fierce for landing “GameDay.”

However, there may not be a contest with heavier College Football Playoff implications than BYU-Notre Dame, especially if both teams enter the showdown undefeated, as is the current expectation.

BYU scoring a major upset over the Irish would be massive for the Cougars’ Playoff résumé and the Big 12 Conference’s national perception as a whole. Conversely, beating BYU would be Notre Dame’s top win of the season to date. Both teams finished on the wrong side of the Playoff bubble in 2025, and they’ll likely treat Oct. 17 similar to a postseason matchup with so much on the line.

Additionally, should ESPN broadcast the game, it would be a rare opportunity for the network to showcase Notre Dame, as Irish home games are exclusively broadcast on NBC. With this in mind, perhaps “GameDay” in Provo becomes more appealing to ESPN as a way to further capitalize on the Notre Dame brand.

BYU did appear on “College GameDay” in 2025, as the show traveled to Lubbock, Texas before Texas Tech stomped the Cougars by a 29-7 score.

“GameDay” has only gone to Provo once, broadcasting outside of LaVell Edwards Stadium in 2009 for a meeting between the Cougars and TCU.

Maybe the show will return to LaVell’s house 17 years later for the stadium’s biggest game in decades.