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Notre Dame is gearing up for the biggest test of the 2026 season thus far. Saturday night, they travel out to Provo, Utah to take on the 5-0 and 8th-ranked BYU Cougars in a matchup under the lights. This is what college football season is all about. Two Top 10 teams, undefeated with College GameDay in town, battling it out under the lights for playoff implications. 

The Fighting Irish offense has been good this season, but there's another level it can certainly achieve. This is also going to be the most difficult defense they've faced in 2026 up to this point as well. If the offense is going to be what we think they can be this postseason, their matchup with BYU is going to tell us quite a bit. Here are the key players and matchups to watch in this heavyweight fight. 

THE OFFENSIVE LINE 

It feels like a cop out to just say 'the entire offensive line' but I couldn't single out just one individual player. Notre Dame's offensive line has the potential to be one of the best, if not the best, unit in the country. It was a slow rise to start the season, but over the past couple of weeks, this unit is starting to find its footing. From left to right, this is the most complete and talented unit Joe Rudolph and Marcus Freeman have had to date. Saturday night, they're going to be tested in multiple different ways with the environment, the elevation and the players they'll be matched up against. 

Matchup To Watch: BYU rotates quite a bit in their front seven. Through five games, they don't have that singular dominant player like a Boubacar Traore or a Bryce Young, but they have a host of players that can come at you in waves. As a team, according to Pro Football Focus, the Cougars have 70 total pressures and 30 hits plus sacks on the quarterback through five games. But not one individual player has more than six total pressures. Edge rusher Tausili Akana leads the team in sacks with 3.5 but there's a host of players with 0.5 sacks or more. This game is going to come down to trench warfare. 

WR JADEN GREATHOUSE 

Over the last couple of games, the Fighting Irish offense has make a concerted effort to get senior wide out Jaden Greathouse going. I don't know if they're forcing the issue or if he and quarterback CJ Carr are really hitting their stride. But what I do know is that Greathouse needs to continue being a focal point in the offensive gameplan. For the first time since the 2024 playoffs, the 6-1, 212-pound slot receiver has receiving touchdowns in back to back games. His skillset compliments the other receivers in the room and Greathouse has proven his worth in the biggest moments and Saturday will be one of those moments. 

Matchup To Watch: Due to an injury to slot cornerback Cannon DeVries, BYU star cornerback Evan Johnson has played nickel corner the last two games. Coming into the season, we raved about Johnson's ability in coverage. He's one of their best defenders on the roster, and there's a good chance we see him matched up on Greathouse routinely throughout the evening. We've seen the Texas native win battles against premier slot corners in the past. If Notre Dame is going to get the perimeter offense going, Greathouse is going to have to win against Johnson. 

QB CJ CARR 

During the offseason, we talked about how Carr's 2026 season would really come down to his performance in three games: BYU, Miami and SMU. Well, Saturday night is his first major test of the 2026 season. The Saline, Michigan native has performed very well through the first six games, but like any big time matchup, you need your 'dudes to be dudes' and the Irish don't have a bigger 'dude' on offense than Carr. In the first half of the regular season the 6-2, 215-pound signal caller has thrown for 1,378 yards, 16 touchdowns, only one interceptions, completed 70.8% of his passes and rushed for three scores on the ground. 

Last season, it was running back Jeremiyah Love that the offense and team turned to in these types of games to get things going. In 2024, it was quarterback Riley Leonard who was relied upon to generate some offense. Saturday night, it will be about Carr and his ability to thrive in the moments we've seen him thrive in before in the past. There's no individual matchup to watch with Carr, but it comes down to his ability in the biggest moments of their biggest game thus far to be the guy we believe he is. 

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