BYU coach Kalani Sitake knows all the usual cliches as the No. 8 Cougars prepare to take on No. 2 Notre Dame in a prime-time contest Saturday.
Every game is important. Treat every opponent the same. Block out the noise.
Yet Sitake is willing to acknowledge the truth. This game is different.
BYU (5-0) will face Notre Dame (6-0) in Provo, Utah, in a contest that could carry significant implications in the College Football Playoff standings months from now. It’s the first-ever matchup between top-10 teams in Provo.
“The coach’s talk is, ‘This is just like every other week,'” Sitake said. “Our approach is the same, but it’s a different opponent. We know they’re ranked really high. We know that they’re very talented. So the sense of urgency actually ramps up a little bit more.”
The sense of urgency is heightened for Notre Dame, as well. The Fighting Irish have knocked off each of their first six opponents by double digits, including a 58-7 thrashing against Stanford last week, but BYU is by far its toughest opponent yet.
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman knows the difficulty ahead as he prepares for kickoff. The Fighting Irish have not defeated a top-10 opponent on the road since knocking off No. 8 Oklahoma in Norman in 2012.
“It’s going to be a great challenge for us,” Freeman said. “On offense, it all starts with the quarterback. He’s a special player. He can hurt you in the run and the pass.
“Defensively, they really play hard. They do a good job of stopping the run. … It’s going to be about our preparation and how we prepare.”
The quarterback grabbing Freeman’s attention is BYU signal-caller Bear Bachmeier, who has passed for 1,033 yards, eight touchdowns and one interception. He also has rushed 36 times for 239 yards and four scores.
Bachmeier’s importance is magnified by the absence of top running back LJ Martin, who is expected to miss Saturday’s contest due to a lower-leg injury sustained Oct. 3 in a win over TCU. Martin’s 344 rushing yards still lead the team.
For Notre Dame, CJ Carr will look to keep his team undefeated and strengthen his Heisman Trophy candidacy. Carr has passed for 1,378 yards, 16 touchdowns and one interception, and he has rushed for three touchdowns.
The Fighting Irish are also dealing with injuries to key players, though they hope several will be able to suit up Saturday.
Notre Dame’s top injury concern is Leonard Moore, a star cornerback who could be a high first-round pick in next year’s NFL draft. Moore is recovering from a concussion that kept him sidelined last week against Stanford, and his status against BYU is questionable.
Defensive tackle Jason Onye is also questionable for Notre Dame with an ankle injury. The Fighting Irish do expect to welcome back linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa (thumb), who is no longer on the injury report.
This is the 10th all-time meeting between the programs. Notre Dame holds a 7-2 series lead and has won the past four matchups, including a 28-20 win in Las Vegas in the teams’ most recent contest in 2022.