BYU is playing for a nice resume boost on Saturday, Notre Dame is fighting for its CFP life

Saturday’s game at BYU gives Notre Dame a rare opportunity to impress against a ranked opponent

For No. 8 BYU, Saturday night's home showdown with the Fighting Irish offers a chance to show the College Football Playoff selection committee a closer look is necessary at one of the Big 12's best ahead of the first rankings later this season. On the other end, No. 2 Notre Dame is accustomed to spotlight opportunities. Chasing the program's first national championship since 1988, the Fighting Irish were snubbed from the CFP field last season after finishing 10-2, and a loss to the Cougars would bring doubt considering Notre Dame still has to play Miami and SMU, among others. Notre Dame's ranked No. 1 in the country in total defense through its first six games, giving up 25 yards less per game (241.2) than its next closest competitor, North Dakota State.

"You want to play against the best, and this is going to be, on paper, the best opponent we're going to see to date," Freeman said of BYU. "I think the approach we probably have each game is that the opponent is the best we've seen, but this one shows you with the record, it shows you with the ranking. So let's go play against the best on their home field, right? "I love playing at home, but there's something about going on the road when it's us against