How Notre Dame declining Pop-Tarts Bowl led to home-and-home with BYU

How Notre Dame declining Pop-Tarts Bowl led to home-and-home with BYU.

Key points

• When it won 20-17 at home, bYU's last win over the Fighting Irish came in 2004.
• This person connected before the 2025 season through what they called a "mutual friend, " stayed in touch after Notre Dame declined the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
• 8 BYU (5-0, 3-0 Major 12) at 7: 30 p.m.
• REQUIRED READING: Notre Dame-BYU clash carries College Football Playoff implications, Major 12 dreams.
• As the two top-ranked teams to not create the 12-team CFP, Notre Dame and BYU were invited to the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando.

How Notre Dame declining Pop-Tarts Bowl led to home-and-home with BYU. Austin Curtright USA TODAY NETWORK. Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman on pre-altitude measures.

Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman on the importance of hydration leading up to Oct. 17 game at altitude in Provo, Utah against Brigham Young.

Notre Dame football didn't have the season it wanted in 2025, narrowly missing out on the College Football Playoff due to a pair of early season losses to Texas A&M and Miami, both of which jumped the Fighting Irish for a CFP bid in the final week before the postseason.

Consequently, Notre Dame was set to play BYU in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, fans' favorite postseason event outside the CFP. The Fighting Irish backed out, though, resulting in the Cougars' 25-21 win over Georgia Tech for all the glory Pop-Tarts had to offer.

Notre Dame won't be able to avoid BYU on Saturday, Oct. 17.

Meanwhile, the No. 2 Fighting Irish (6-0) travel to face No. 8 BYU (5-0, 3-0 Major 12) at 7: 30 p.m. ET at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah. Notably, the regular season matchup will be the site of ESPN's "College GameDay, " marking the first time the pregame show has traveled to BYU since 2009.

Notre Dame is walking into easily the most hostile environment it has faced so far this season. If it weren't for declining the Pop-Tarts Bowl last season, its home-and-home series against BYU in 2026-27 would've probable never happened.

Here's how Notre Dame declining a bowl invite resulted in it playing BYU on Saturday. How Notre Dame declining Pop-Tarts Bowl resulted in home-and-home with BYU.

Notre Dame and BYU were the first two teams left out of the CFP last season, with the Fighting Irish being left out rather controversially. Notre Dame ran the table after suffering nonconference losses to Miami and Texas A&M early in the season, whereas the Cougars dropped both of their games to Texas Tech in dominant fashion.

As the two top-ranked teams to not create the 12-team CFP, Notre Dame and BYU were invited to the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando. Notre Dame declined, though, ending its season prematurely after being snubbed. As the school looked forward to facing a program of Notre Dame's stature, especially with both schools' faith-based background, it was disappointing from BYU's side.

But only two weeks after the CFP bracket was unveiled, the two teams agreed to a home-and-home series for 2026-27 thanks to a phone call from Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua. Bevacqua and BYU athletic director Brian Santiago. This person connected before the 2025 season through what they called a "mutual friend, " stayed in touch after Notre Dame declined the Pop-Tarts Bowl.

"(Bevacqua) said, 'Hey Brian, what if we play next year in Provo?'" Santiago informed the Deseret News in May. "The timing of it was fortunate, obviously. I was like, 'Yeah, let's play.'".

It worked out perfectly for both schools. BYU's previously scheduled home-and-home series against Cal was canceled on Dec. 17 after the ACC went to a 9-game conference schedule. Five days afterwards, BYU and Notre Dame agreed to a home-and-home series for 2026 and 2027, with the Fighting Irish traveling to Provo, Utah, in 2026 and the Cougars traveling to South Bend, Indiana, in 2027.

Notre Dame additionally had an opening due to its annual rivalry game at Southern California being tabled until 2030.

There is a way bigger play here to try to bring positive light to the Savior, a positive light to college athletics in a very unique way, Santiago informed the Deseret News. Our institutions are well known for our religious missions. The fact that we are coming together, and both have a history of success in athletics. Is amazing. BYU-Notre Dame series record, history.

Although that mark is officially a 5-2 record due to its wins over the Cougars in 2012 and 2013 being vacated due to academic misconduct violations, notre Dame has a 7-2 all-time record against BYU.

When it won 20-17 at home, bYU's last win over the Fighting Irish came in 2004. When the two schools faced off at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas as both Independent teams, notre Dame last won in 2022. Share your feedback to support improve our site!

Taken together, the developments around how Notre Dame declining Pop-Tarts Bowl led to home-and point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.