The Notre Dame Fighting Irish moved up to No. 2 in the AP Top 25 rankings this week after a dominant 58-7 win over the Stanford Cardinal.
However, they’ll face their first real test this Saturday night when they travel to Provo, Utah, to take on the No. 8 BYU Cougars at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
Both teams enter the matchup undefeated. Notre Dame sits at 6-0 and BYU at 5-0 after a 24-10 home win over Iowa State.
Notre Dame Makes Marcus Freeman Announcement
Ahead of the top-10 matchup, Notre Dame made an announcement about head coach Marcus Freeman, who continues to elevate the program.
The school announced that Freeman had earned a spot on the midseason Dodd Trophy watch list.
“The Golden Standard,” Notre Dame wrote on X. “Coach Freeman has been named to the Dodd Trophy Midseason Watch List.”
The Golden Standard ☘️
Coach Freeman has been named to the Dodd Trophy Midseason Watch List.
#GoIrish☘️ https://t.co/tqf1VbWoqT
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) October 13, 2026
Named after the great Bobby Dodd. The Dodd Trophy dates back to 1976 and honors FBS coaches who lead successful teams while encouraging their players to excel off the field and in the classroom.
Freeman Excited to Play BYU
Speaking to the media on Monday, Freeman made it clear that he’s excited to play a top-10 team on the road in a hostile environment.
“Let’s go play against the best on their home field. In their environment where’s it’s us against everybody,” Freeman said Monday. “I kind of like it there. Obviously, I love playing at home. But there’s something about going on the road when it’s us against everybody and it makes you say, ‘OK, we’ve got to do this together,’ and I love it.
“Like this is what Notre Dame football does,” Freeman added. “We go into different places, and it’s a big game and that’s what we expect. That’s why we’re here. That’s why we choose to come to Notre Dame. We love this. I love it, they love it, like this is exactly why we’re at Notre Dame.”
Notre Dame Makes Marcus Freeman Announcement Ahead of BYU Game