Why ESPN College GameDay chose BYU-Notre Dame over multiple SEC matchup in Week 7

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There was speculation for weeks about whether ESPN College GameDay would be coming to Provo for one of college football's biggest matchups between No. 8 BYU and No. 2 Notre Dame. All things considered, the Worldwide Leader in Sports made a solid decision for this week.

ESPN host Rece Davis teased the trip to the Beehive State, saying last month, "It might be the best game of the weekend and both might still be undefeated." Needless to say, he didn't miss his analysis. Notre Dame is coming in hot as one of the best in the country. However, this will be the first real test for the Irish, who were snubbed during last year's selection Sunday. The same applies for BYU, who has yet to face a ranked opponent nearly seven weeks into the season.

The decision to bring “College GameDay” to BYU has been in the works for weeks. With both teams undefeated, this will be a major selling point for a rating boost outside the traditional SEC route. Friday night’s 24-10 win over Iowa State and Notre Dame’s 58-7 rout at Stanford less than 24 hours later set everything in motion for the Cougars to play the role of host.

“We evaluate the upcoming slate of games and storylines every week,” ESPN spokesperson Courtney Clawson told The Salt Lake Tribune. “Each week, site selections are typically made either Saturday night or Sunday morning based on the most compelling matchup and storylines.”

This Notre Dame-BYU game has gained interest as the weeks have flown by to start the college football season. The return to Provo this weekend for the first time since 2009 seemed to be a no-brainer for ESPN's cast and crew. If the goal is to always bring the "biggest games" with the most "compelling storylines" each week, they definitely got this one right. There are other interesting games on the entire slate, but none like this with a non-conference format.

As for the game itself, BYU comes in as an underdog at home. This will be the first opportunity during the season for the Cougars to prove they belong on the national stage. While a loss would mean more for Notre Dame as an independent team. There is no road to recovery and a possible conference title bid in the process for the Irish. The pressure was on from Day 1 with an undefeated mentality.

Exciting is building for the show on Saturday. If BYU can pull out an upset win over Notre Dame, and Utah can remain undefeated, there's a chance GameDay might return for the Holy War matchup on November 7.

No. 8 BYU hosts No. 2 Notre Dame on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.