How BYU booked a program-defining date with Notre Dame in Provo

A single text message and an unexpected scheduling break helped the Cougars land the Fighting Irish for a top-10 showdown that could launch the program back onto the national scene

Oct 16, 2026 at 10:30 am ET • 5 min read

PROVO, Utah -- It took just a simple message. 

Last October, BYU athletic director Brian Santiago was working with a scheduling broker to find nonconference games for the Cougars. BYU was likely to lose a two-game series with California after the ACC moved to nine conference games, leaving the program searching for a power conference opponent. 

"Everyone in the world of college football knows filling a game a year out is super difficult," Santiago said. "We're scheduled out for years to come so we were going through a little schedule model." 

Then, someone brought up Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish had a spot open as their rivalry game against USC remained in limbo, but chances of getting the Golden Domers on the schedule on such short notice seemed like a longshot. Still, Santiago was intrigued. 

Santiago picked up his phone and typed a message to Ryan Sweeney, a Notre Dame grad and partner of BYU booster Ryan Smith: Can you connect me with Pete?

The next day, Santiago was on the phone with Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua. Both programs were in the middle of the College Football Playoff race and were working through their own scheduling complications. It was a cordial call, but Notre Dame felt confident it could resolve issues with USC. 

Two months later, BYU and Notre Dame were both left out of the College Football Playoff. The pair were on track to play in the Pop-Tarts Bowl before the Irish suddenly pulled out. As national backlash mounted, Santiago sent a message to Bevacqua giving his full support to Notre Dame for making the right decision for itself. Soon, Santiago got a call. 

"What if we played next year?" 

Chasing the Irish

Since the days of LaVell Edwards, BYU has had a special affinity for Notre Dame. From the earliest days of college football, Notre Dame has stood as a unique force. 

The small Catholic college in South Bend, Indiana, recognized the transformational power of sports faster than almost anyone else. Under Knute Rockne, they barnstormed the country playing any school that would have them, establishing themselves as an unmatched national brand with their iconic golden helmets. 

Legendary BYU coach LaVell Edwards matched that energy, taking an Any Team, Any Time, Any Place approach to scheduling. As BYU started its rise, it looked to Notre Dame's model for guidance. 

The teams first played in 1992, a dominant victory for the No. 10 Fighting Irish. Two years later, BYU coach Kalani Sitake was a freshman running back as the Cougars went on the road and beat No. 17 Notre Dame under the watchful eye of Touchdown Jesus. 

"The reaction, the class they had standing up and clapping for the team and for us as we walked off the field, I've never seen anything like that," Sitake said. "That left a huge impression on me as an 18-year-old. I had a whole different respect for Notre Dame after that game." 

When BYU decided to leave the Mountain West and go independent, administrators met with Notre Dame staff members in South Bend to learn how they navigated the complexities of putting together an independent schedule. 

BYU and Notre Dame signed a six-game scheduling agreement in 2011 that would send the Cougars to South Bend four times. But when the Irish announced a scheduling partnership with the ACC, it squeezed their schedule. To even get a matchup with Notre Dame, BYU surrendered its home game to a neutral site in Las Vegas and even let the Irish serve as the "home" team with a higher ticket allotment. 

"Our fans were very disappointed," said Dallan Moody, a BYU senior athletic director who worked closely with scheduling. "Notre Dame was great, they were great to work with, but they have objectives just like everybody does. That was the best that we could work out with still being able to play." 

But the Shamrock Series matchup in 2022 marked the fourth straight away from Provo, and BYU hoped to finally nail them down. When Notre Dame reached an impasse with USC, BYU was ready to answer the call. Convincing the Irish to follow the same home-away split they were tracking with USC wasn't hard. 

"Who knows, maybe there was a little divine intervention," Santiago said. 

Finally, the historic Golden Domers were coming back to Provo -- guaranteed. 

A monumental moment

The history of BYU football is written in moments. The 1980 "Miracle Bowl" win over Eric Dickerson's SMU. The 1984 national championship. Ty Detmer's Heisman Trophy, and historic upset over No. 1 Miami in 1990. The 14-13 stunner over No. 3 Oklahoma to open Cowboys Stadium in 2009. 

"Iconic moments are what it's often all about," Moody said. "They just punctuate and emphasize the trajectory that you're on. If BYU comes and beats Notre Dame this weekend, that becomes part of the lore of BYU." 

The stage is set for one of the great matchups of the season. No. 8 BYU will host No. 2 Notre Dame under the lights of LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday night. It marks the highest-ranked opponent coming to Provo since Pete Carroll's USC in 2004, and the first AP Top 5 opponent since joining the power conferences. 

"I had people talking to me even over the summer about how excited they were for the game," center Bruce Mitchell said. "You've got family trying to figure out who gets to come and who gets the tickets. There's just a lot of excitement." 

Just four years into power conference play, BYU is a program hoping to make its mark. The Cougars are an incredible 28-4 over the past three seasons, trailing only Indiana and Notre Dame. The latter two teams both played for national championships over the period. BYU was locked out of the College Football Playoff both years. 

There's no question, a win over Notre Dame would be a program-changing moment. The Cougars would all but assure themselves a spot in the playoff and cement themselves as the Big 12 favorite. National contention would suddenly be in the picture. 

The game is a significant one for Notre Dame as well, as the Irish work back into the national title picture. The Irish have not beaten an AP Top-10 opponent on the road since 2012. BYU marks Notre Dame's first ranked opponent of the season. 

"This is going to be, on paper, the best opponent we're going to see to date," Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said. "It shows with the record, it shows with the ranking, and so let's go play against the best in their home field, in their stadium, in their environment where it's us against everybody."

Approaching the game, BYU running back Preston Rex heard a key piece of advice from his father, former All-American tight end Byron Rex. The elder Rex played in the 1992 matchup against Notre Dame. He only regrets falling short. That responsibility now falls on the younger. 

"He told me to remember everything, but have fun out there," Preston said. "Even though my pops is almost 60 now, he still talks about the day he played Notre Dame."