No. 2 Notre Dame visits No. 8 BYU at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Eastern on ABC. The Irish are 6–0, while the Cougars are 5–0. This is the first matchup between top-ten teams played at BYU's stadium.
Reported facts: quarterbacks and availability
CJ Carr leads Notre Dame's offense after a 58–7 win over Stanford. Bear Bachmeier leads BYU, which beat Iowa State 24–10 in its latest game. Carr has 1,378 passing yards with 16 touchdowns and one interception; Bachmeier has 1,033 yards with eight touchdowns and one interception.
KSL's depth-chart report states that BYU coach Kalani Sitake ruled running back LJ Martin out for this game. Preston Rex is listed first, followed by Journee Tonga and DeVaughn Eka. All three received carries against Iowa State.
The same report places linebacker Isaiah Glasker and safety Raider Damuni back on the depth chart, which is not itself a final participation guarantee. Notre Dame availability coverage lists cornerback Leonard Moore and defensive tackle Jason Onye questionable. Check the final pregame announcement rather than converting a depth-chart position or an award announcement into a medical clearance.
ISR analysis: assess the replacement jobs separately
Replacing Martin is not just a question of reproducing his rushing yards. The next backs must also handle protection, exchanges and receiving assignments. Those tasks can affect how much time Bachmeier has to consider his next option.
Watch whether BYU can create useful gains before obvious passing downs. A controlled early series may let Bachmeier threaten both a quick completion and an extended play. Repeated losses behind the line would ask him to solve a different defensive problem.
Notre Dame's own rushing arrangement deserves attention. Jonaz Walton has 409 yards this season, and the Irish can use their backs to ask BYU's linebackers to respect more than Carr's passing. Track which defenders move toward the first action and which passing lane that movement exposes.
Two unbeaten records make the setting compelling, but the actual matchup still comes down to assignments. Separate a difficult catch from a routinely open route, and a spectacular tackle from a defense consistently putting the runner in a narrow lane.
Factors to watch
- Final status of Moore, Onye and BYU's returning defenders.
- How Rex, Tonga and Eka divide the backfield work.
- Protection around Bachmeier when Notre Dame varies its pressure.
- Carr's available outlets when BYU commits extra attention to the run.
Market snapshot and source check
Source: DraftKings odds displayed by ESPN’s game page, checked October 17, 2026, 7:15 a.m. EDT. Displayed line: ND -10.5; total 46.5. This is a timestamped source snapshot, not a closing-line claim or a betting recommendation. Scheduled starters and availability may change before the game.
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