After Years of Avoiding BYU, Notre Dame Will Finally Make a Trip to Provo for Top 10 Clash

On Saturday night, No 8 BYU will host No. 2 Notre Dame in arguably the biggest game ever played in the history of LaVell Edwards Stadium. There are so many storylines coming into this game both on and off the field. Two religious institutions, ranked in the top 10 and vying for College Football Playoff positioning. BYU and Notre Dame have a history that goes beyond the nine games they have played on the gridiron. Saturday will be the first time Notre Dame has come to Provo since 2004 when the Cougars beat the Fighting Irish 20-17.

It's been a long time coming for BYU to host Notre Dame at home. When BYU went independent in 2010, the Cougars announced a six-game series with Notre Dame. The Notre Dame series was pivotal in BYU's decision to go independent. The Cougars and the Fighting Irish were scheduled to play four times in South Bend and twice in Provo.

Notre Dame was happy to host BYU in South Bend in 2012 and 2013, but when it came time, the Fighting Irish delayed, and eventually backed out of, their return trip to Provo.

The two teams didn't face each other for nearly a decade until 2022 when they met in Las Vegas, finally playing the third game of the original six-game series. Remember, Notre Dame owed BYU a home game, but they negotiated a neutral site game in Las Vegas instead. To add insult to injury, Notre Dame brokered a deal to be the home team for that game in Vegas and received the majority of the tickets. It was a pro-Notre Dame crowd in Las Vegas back in 2022. The history doesn't end there.

Notre Dame and BYU were the first two teams left out of the College Football Playoff. ESPN wanted BYU and Notre Dame to play each other in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. The Fighting Irish declined the invitation and BYU faced Georgia Tech instead.

Notre Dame declined to play the Pop-Tarts Bowl against BYU after missing the 2025 CFP.

This week, the No. 8 Cougars get a chance to fight the No. 2 Irish 😯 pic.twitter.com/a1lWxv9cJg
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) October 14, 2026

Then in December, Notre Dame and BYU scheduled a two-game series that will kickoff on Saturday in Provo. According to BYU head coach Kalani Sitake, it was Notre Dame that reached out to BYU and the Fighting Irish agreed to play the first game at BYU. So what changed? This time around, Notre Dame needed BYU.

BYU head coach Kalani Sitake doubles down and tells David Pollack he's proud Notre Dame put them on the schedule.

But Pollack wants to know how that conversation went:

"YES, there was no hesitation. We want to play that game."

🎥 See Ball Get Ball w/@davidpollack47… pic.twitter.com/P3afSRqFrS
— CathVSConf☘️ (@CathVSConf) October 14, 2026

USC backed out of its long-standing rivalry with Notre Dame and the Fighting Irish needed a game that could establish a playoff-worthy resume. BYU was quick to agree to a two-game series, and BYU head coach Kalani Sitake said he hopes the two teams can play each other more in the future. If you believe actions speak louder than words, Notre Dame's actions have spoken volumes about the way they view BYU the last decade. But this time around, Notre Dame needed BYU and the Cougars jumped at the chance to host them in Provo.

And come Saturday, the two teams will be at the center of the college football world.

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