Undefeated No. 8 BYU turns to No. 2 Notre Dame after 24-10 win over Iowa State

BYU moved to 5-0 with a 24-10 win over Iowa State on Friday night, and the program’s attention quickly shifted to its next opponent. On Saturday, BYU players and coaches framed the coming matchup as the kind of game that measures whether a perfect start can hold up against elite competition, with No. 8 BYU set to face No. 2 Notre Dame.

The Cougars’ turnaround in public attention has been driven as much by their record as by their ability to keep games controlled. Against Iowa State, BYU’s win was described in the reporting as workmanlike, suggesting a steady approach rather than a signature outburst that depended on one unusual stretch.

For coach Kalani Sitake, the attention around the program did not pause even as the calendar changed. The same report notes Sitake celebrated his 51st birthday on Saturday by “eating a lot” and also by watching Notre Dame as it prepared to bury another overmatched opponent, in his own words. While that detail is light, it underscores how quickly BYU has been trying to convert momentum into sharper focus.

Notre Dame arrives with the kind of national positioning that turns a routine week into a title-picture moment. Coming in as the No. 2 team, the Irish represent a steep step up in opponent quality from a BYU schedule that has helped build its perfect start. The matchup carries obvious stakes because it is not just about maintaining a record, it is about confirming BYU’s credibility against an opponent that is already viewed as a national leader.

From a competitive standpoint, BYU’s challenge is straightforward: translate whatever has worked so far into execution against a team that is being treated as one of the top threats in the sport. The report’s framing also suggests BYU believes its current level is good enough to be tested, which is often the first mental checkpoint for teams trying to survive a week where one mistake can snowball.

The next step for both programs will be how each handles the tempo of a marquee matchup. BYU will likely be looking for a repeatable plan on offense and sustained discipline on defense, while Notre Dame will be focused on making the Cougars earn every possession and preventing the kind of game state that BYU has used to build and protect leads.

With limited detail beyond the game result and the matchup positioning, the specifics of how BYU and Notre Dame will match up remain to be seen. But the combination of BYU’s undefeated start and Notre Dame’s top-two status makes this one of the clearest “prove-it” opportunities of the early season for BYU’s national standing.