College Football analyst exposes Notre Dame's weakness ahead of major BYU contest

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When the BYU Cougars announced the home-and-home series with Notre Dame ahead of the 2026 college football season, there was hype about how good the matchup was going to be. But nobody had a clue this would be one of the biggest games in the country coming at the middle of the season.

What was initially a replacement game for Notre Dame after abruptly losing USC from their schedule has become one of the best games in Provo. After both teams were held out of last year's College Football Playoff, this could be one game to make or break a possible at-large bid for the Cougars.

The Athletic's Stewart Mandel recently weighed in on the significance of this non-conference game for both schools. In the process, he explained why the Fighting Irish have one of the biggest weaknesses in the country that nobody talks about right now.

"There's a lot riding on that Notre Dame game," Mandel said. "Both for BYU and for the Big 12.

"(BYU) doesn't have many weaknesses and guess what? I think Notre Dame does. Everybody is just like, 'Oh losing two first round running backs' is no big deal. They still have CJ Carr. Well, it turns out they can't really run the ball as well. They don't have any explosive plays back there. So, you know, their defense is unbelievable, like their defense could be one of the best in the country. But they've definitely got some questions on offense."

As it turns out, maybe Notre Dame is starting to show a streak as being one-dimensional on offense. It's hard to accurately predict how this matchup will be nearly a month out. However, this could be the type of top-10 battle that brings ESPN GameDay to Provo.

While Notre Dame is lacking offensive firepower out of the backfield, BYU is the complete opposite. The Cougars have been running wild and free thus far in 2026. Through three games, Kalani Sitake's team has racked up 788 total rushing yards, including a 332-yard game last week at Colorado State. Pro Football Focus currently rates BYU as the No. 2 rushing offense in the country, ranking behind only Georgia.

LJ Martin is showing shades of what Jeremiyah Love looked like last year for the Irish.

The Doak Walker Award candidate leads the Big 12 with 42 carries for 328 yards and three touchdowns. His total yards are currently 16th-best in the nation, but he's also still in the top-20 without playing this week. Martin is on pace to smash last year's total and could leave Provo as one of the best running backs in school history.

Notre Dame will be making its third appearance at BYU when it faces the Cougars at LaVell Edwards Stadium for the first time since 2004. When BYU travels to face the Irish in 2027, it will mark the first meeting in South Bend since 2013, and the seventh matchup overall in Notre Dame Stadium dating back to the start of the series in 1992.

BYU has a 1-1 record against the Irish in LaVell Edwards Stadium, while Notre Dame boasts a 5-1 record against the Cougars in South Bend and a 1-0 mark in their neutral site Shamrock Series.

The Cougars and Irish will meet on October 17th with game time and TV to be announced.