The Week 7 schedule is loaded with so many top 25 games, but the best game during the night slate is 100-percent #3 Notre Dame (6-0) visiting #8 BYU (5-0). Both of these defenses rank top 10 in the country for scoring and if you like dynamic quarterbacks, well CJ Carr versus Bear Bachmeier shapes up to be a treat. Notre Dame is coming off a dominant 58-7 win over Stanford and BYU beat Iowa State 24-10. Both quarterbacks combined for five touchdowns in Week 6. Let's see how many they can go for Saturday night!
Notre Dame wanted a rebound after beating North Carolina 37-26 and they got it. The Irish's offense scored on 10 out of 11 drives versus Stanford outside of knee downs, and outgained Stanford 598-203 in total yards and the Irish's defense forced three turnovers. Notre Dame's offense hasn't had any hiccups all year and have established a three-man backfield over the last two outings. Notre Dame ran for 361 yards versus Stanford and 241 against North Carolina — plus CJ Carr has eight total touchdowns in those two games. The Irish have steadily climbed the rankings while knowing the entire season comes down to two games: At BYU and Vs Miami (11/7), so, essentially, the season starts now for Notre Dame!
BYU enters this top 10 showdown a man-down as star running back LJ Martin will miss his second-straight game. However, last week against Iowa State, BYU's offense didn't skip a beat. The Cougars put up 506 yards of offense and had season-highs from Bear Bachmeier with 329 passing yards, 109 rushing yards, and two touchdowns. One of the only negatives of the offensive performance was outside of Bachmeier, the next highest rusher had 21 yards. BYU is relying heavily on Bachmeier to utilize his legs after 24 carries, 175 rushing yards, and two touchdowns in the last two games. The Cougars defense enters in dominant form with 13.4 points per game allowed this season and 44 total points given up through three conference games. It's a battle of two top 10 defenses in Provo!
Let’s dive into the schools on both sides of the ball, look at a few key players, and see where the numbers take us.
Game Details and How to Watch Notre Dame vs BYU
- Date: Saturday, October 17, 2026
- Time: 7:30 PM Eastern
- Site: LaVell Edwards Stadium
- City: Provo, UT
- TV/Streaming: Peacock | NBC
Game Odds for Notre Dame vs BYU
The latest odds as of Tuesday courtesy of DraftKings:
- Moneyline: Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-395), BYU Cougars (+310)
- Spread: Notre Dame -10.5
- Total: 46.5 points
#3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Head Coach: Marcus Freeman
2026 Record: 6-0
Offensive Points Per Game: 44.0 (4th)
Defensive Points Per Game: 11.0 (4th)
2026 Strength of Schedule: 63rd
2026 Remaining Strength of Schedule: 41st
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish Offense:
The Irish offense has been cooking. Even with a "setback" against North Carolina, Notre Dame scored on 10 out of 11 drives minus the last drive of the first and second half (kneel downs). Stanford was a great tune up game to gain confidence ahead of the road trip. Jonaz Walton has led Notre Dame in rushing back-to-back games with 120 and 181 rushing yards, plus two touchdowns. The Irish now have a three-man committee at running back mixed with CJ Carr playing excellent. Carr is now tied third in the Heisman betting odds and has 19 total touchdowns to one turnover on the year. Notre Dame's season-low is 27 points and BYU will certainly make 28 points a tough task in Provo, Utah.
Notre Dame Player to Watch on Offense: QB CJ Carr
CJ Carr has seven passing touchdowns in his last two games and 12 total touchdowns in the past three outings. He's been on fire with back-to-back games of 70-plus completion percentage, but had two streaks snapped in the 51-point win. Carr had his five-game streak of 200-plus passing yards snapped, as well as his rushing touchdown streak of three-straight. Carr will face a BYU defense that is stingy ranking 44th in pressure, 34th in rushing grades, and 11th in coverage grades per PFF. If Notre Dame can get their players in space, then they can find holes. BYU ranks 123rd in tackling success this season, so the more space, the better.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish Defense:
It's hard to name a unit that's been better than Notre Dame's defense. The Irish have current and up and coming stars all over the field. Notre Dame's allowed more than 13 points once at North Carolina (26 points), but rebounded with a dominant 58-7 win over Stanford. The Irish held Stanford to 203 total yards of offense, forced three turnovers, nine first downs gained, and a 2-of-11 mark on third downs. It doesn't get much better than that, but now Notre Dame steps up about 100 spots in the rankings to take on BYU. The Irish haven't faced a quarterback like Bear Bachmeier, and he hasn't faced a defense like Notre Dame. It will be quite the chess match. The Irish rank No. 1 in pressure grades, tied sixth in coverage grades, and No. 1 in rush defense per PFF.
Notre Dame Player to Watch on Defense: DL Boubacar Traore
Boubacar Traore has been a player on the rise this season. Traore got back in the sack column with one against Stanford, plus forced a fumble and recovered it on top of an interception! The 6-foot-5 250-plus pounder has been a force on the edge. He has 3.5 sacks on the year and 10 over the last 1.5 seasons. Bear Bachmeier will be the most mobile quarterback Notre Dame's defense faces all season, so keep an eye on how Traore sets the edge and creates pressure.
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#8 BYU Cougars
Head Coach: Kalani Sitake
2026 Record: 5-0 (3-0)
Offensive Points Per Game: 34.6
Defensive Points Per Game: 13.4 (T-8th)
2026 Strength of Schedule: 86th
2026 Remaining Strength of Schedule: 30th
The BYU Cougars Offense:
BYU will again be without running back LJ Martin who as the 2025 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. BYU beat Iowa State 24-10 in their first outing without him, and Bear Bachemier had a career-day with 329 passing yards, plus two touchdown tosses to go along with 109 rushing yards. BYU posted 506 total yards of offense which is encouraging ahead of hosting Notre Dame. BYU's offense has scored in seven-consecutive quarters and 19 out of 20 quarters on the season! The only quarter the Cougars didn't score in was the first quarter against TCU, which is when Martin was injured.
BYU Player to Watch on Offense: QB Bear Bachmeier
Without LJ Martin, Bear Bachmeier has a load of responsibility added to his plate for this top 10 matchup. In recent weeks, Bachmeier rushed 24 total times for 175 yards and two touchdowns. He's going to be dialed in for plenty of designed runs and asked to create on his own against one of the best defenses. Bachmeier has only been sacked three times in five games and he will surely be under duress in obvious pass situations. Against TCU, Bachmeier had more rushing attempts (15) than completions (11) and last week versus Iowa State, Bachmeier threw season-highs of 329 yards and two touchdowns. Last week was arguably his best outing, so we'll see how that carries over versus Notre Dame. I lean Bachmeier to go over his rushing props, and Over his 0.5 interceptions prop. He's only two one pick all season (At Colorado State).
The BYU Cougars Defense:
Like Notre Dame, BYU's defense ranks top 10 in points allowed per game (13.4) entering this matchup and will have to relinquish some of the pressure from Bachmeier. BYU's defense has allowed 44 total points in three conference games, 10 sacks, recorded 20 tackles for loss, and forced two turnovers. For the first time all season, BYU allowed more than 100 rushing yards and it came against Iowa State (102, 3.8 ypc). Notre Dame will absolutely try to establish the running game with their committee of backs, so it could be a battle of both teams gushing the clock. BYU's allowed 10 total second half points in three Big 12 games, so if the Cougars can put up points early, then BYU's defense is capable of closing late.
BYU Player to Watch on Defense: S Faletau Satuala
BYU's top-rated defensive prospect for the NFL has had a strong start to the season. Faletau Satuala has been an impact in all three conference games. Against Arizona and Iowa State, Satuala recorded seven tackles each and versus TCU, he had his first pick of the season and took it 59 yards the other way. He has a special place with BYU after being the first top-ranked in-state prospect to sign with BYU in over a decade. As a first year starter last year, Satuala posted 84 tackles, four pass deflections, three interceptions, one sack, and one touchdown as a sophomore.
BYU and Notre Dame Stats, Betting Trends
- BYU is an NCAA-best 5-0 ATS and 3-2 to the Under
- BYU is 4-1 ATS as a home underdog and 3-2 on the ML since 2023
- BYU is 4-1 to the Under in the last five as a home underdog
- The Cougars are 8-2 to the Under in the last 10 games versus ranked opponents
- The Cougars are 6-4 ATS and 4-6 on the ML against ranked opponent since 2023
- Notre Dame is 4-2 ATS and 4-2 to the Over
- Notre Dame is 5-4 ATS and 8-1 on the ML since 2024 as a road favorite
- The Irish are 7-4-1 ATS and 7-5 to the Over against ranked opponents since 2024
Rotoworld Best Bets
Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) likes the Under 47.5 points:
"With LJ Martin out, I am concerned on what BYU's offense will be able to do and how reliant it will be on Bear Bachmeier to move the ball with his arms and legs. The Cougars looked great against Iowa State, but Notre Dame is a top three defense in the country and will give BYU problems. BYU's scored 28 or fewer in all three conference games and getting to 20 should be a struggle here. Notre Dame hasn't played a defense this tough since Wisconsin, so we cannot expect too many explosive plays, especially since BYU's allowed 10 total second-half points in conference play.
BYU is 8-2 to the Under in the last 10 against ranked opponents and 4-1 in the past five as a home underdog. These two teams rank top 10 in opponent points per game at 11.0 and 13.4. I think we should trust the defenses and go Under the game total."
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