BYU Secures Notre Dame Game in Provo After Scheduling Push

BYU athletic director Brian Santiago confirmed that the Cougars will host No. 2 Notre Dame at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday night. The game, arranged after a brief exchange of messages and a scheduling gap created by Notre Dame’s uncertain rivalry with USC, pits the No. 8 Cougars against a top-ranked opponent for the first time in Provo since 2004.

Santiago said the contact began with a text to a Notre Dame alumnus, leading to a phone call with Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua. After both schools missed the College Football Playoff and a bowl invitation fell through, the two programs agreed to meet on the field.

"What if we played next year?" Santiago recalled asking during the negotiations.

The matchup follows a history of occasional games between the schools, including a 1994 win by BYU when its future head coach Kalani Sitake was a freshman. BYU’s senior athletic director Dallan Moody noted that fans were disappointed by previous neutral-site meetings but welcomed the chance to host Notre Dame.

"Iconic moments are what it's often all about," Moody said, adding that a victory could become a defining chapter in BYU’s recent rise.

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman described the contest as the toughest opponent the Irish have faced on the road since 2012, emphasizing the significance of the game for the national title picture.

BYU running back Preston Rex, whose father Byron Rex played in the 1992 BYU-Notre Dame game, said he will remember the experience and enjoy the moment. "He told me to remember everything, but have fun out there," Preston Rex said.