Notre Dame Fighting Irish at BYU Cougars

Injuries noted

Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Quincy Porter (out) — Wide receiver listed out with a knee injury in October 16 game reporting.; Charles Jagusah (out) — Offensive lineman listed out with an arm injury.; Chris Terek (out) — Offensive lineman listed out with a knee injury.; Christopher Burgess Jr. (out) — Defensive lineman listed out with a tibia injury.; Tiki Hola (out) — Defensive lineman listed out with a knee injury.; Ko'o Kia (out) — Linebacker listed out with a shoulder injury.; Chaz Smith (out) — Defensive back listed out; October 16 report attributes the absence to a wrist injury.; Brauntae Johnson (out) — Safety listed out with a foot injury.; Jason Onye (questionable) — Defensive lineman remains questionable with a left ankle injury. Freeman said October 15 that he practiced and was expected to help Saturday if progress continued.; Leonard Moore (questionable) — Cornerback remains questionable with a concussion. Freeman said October 15 that he practiced and was expected to help Saturday if progress continued.

BYU Cougars: LJ Martin (out) — Starting running back ruled out against Notre Dame with a lower-body injury.; Andrew Gentry (out) — October 14 preview reports the starting right tackle ruled out; injury details are unspecified.; Jovesa Damuni (out) — Running back listed out with a knee injury in October 16 game reporting.; Isaiah Glasker (questionable) — Linebacker listed questionable with a leg injury in October 16 reporting.; Sione Moa (probable) — October 16 report lists the running back probable with a knee injury. October 14 reporting quotes Aaron Roderick confirming medical clearance while leaving game participation undecided.; Cannon DeVries (questionable) — October 14 preview describes the nickel defender and returner's availability as uncertain while returning from injury; this is not an official questionable designation.

QUARTERBACK

• CJ Carr is ND's confirmed starter

  9.57 Y/A

  CJ Carr is ND's confirmed starting quarterback. October 12 reporting reproduces Notre Dame's released BYU-week depth chart with Carr first at quarterback. 2026 line: 1378 passing yards, 70.8% completions, 9.57 yards per attempt, 16-1 TD-INT over 6 games.

• Bear Bachmeier is BYU's projected starter

  8.91 Y/A

  Bear Bachmeier is BYU's projected starting quarterback. October 14 Notre Dame game preview identifies Bachmeier as BYU's offensive leader at quarterback; no explicit game-day starting announcement was retrieved. 2026 line: 1033 passing yards, 66.4% completions, 8.91 yards per attempt, 8-1 TD-INT over 5 games.

PACE & SCRIPT

• ND: 44 points per game to BYU's 34.6

  9.4 PPG

  Notre Dame's scoring is close to last season's 42, which makes their number the steadier one here. BYU is up from 31.4 to 34.6 over five games, a real jump on a smaller sample. Notre Dame has a full season showing this level, so expect it to hold. The question is whether BYU's improvement holds up at home against a team that has scored like this for two seasons.

TURNOVERS

• ND: 2.33 takeaways per game to BYU's 1.4

  0.93 TO

  Notre Dame forces 2.33 turnovers a game over six games, and BYU forces 1.4 over five. Takeaways are among the streakiest defensive stats, so expect both numbers to drift toward the middle. Notre Dame still has the better chance to win the turnover battle on the road. That can matter for close spreads, but it's a lean, not the main reason for a bet.

REPLACEMENT

• Quincy Porter (WR) is out for ND

  OUT

  Wide receiver listed out with a knee injury in October 16 game reporting. What Though the Odds: Notre Dame Football Betting Info for the BYU Game (2026-10-16)

• Charles Jagusah (OL) is out for ND

  OUT

  Offensive lineman listed out with an arm injury. What Though the Odds: Notre Dame Football Betting Info for the BYU Game (2026-10-16)

• Chris Terek (OL) is out for ND

  OUT

  Offensive lineman listed out with a knee injury. What Though the Odds: Notre Dame Football Betting Info for the BYU Game (2026-10-16)

• Christopher Burgess Jr. (DL) is out for ND

  OUT

  Defensive lineman listed out with a tibia injury. What Though the Odds: Notre Dame Football Betting Info for the BYU Game (2026-10-16)

• Tiki Hola (DL) is out for ND

  OUT

  Defensive lineman listed out with a knee injury. What Though the Odds: Notre Dame Football Betting Info for the BYU Game (2026-10-16)

• Ko'o Kia (LB) is out for ND

  OUT

  Linebacker listed out with a shoulder injury. What Though the Odds: Notre Dame Football Betting Info for the BYU Game (2026-10-16)

• Chaz Smith (CB) is out for ND

  OUT

  Defensive back listed out; October 16 report attributes the absence to a wrist injury. What Though the Odds: Notre Dame Football Betting Info for the BYU Game (2026-10-16)

• Brauntae Johnson (S) is out for ND

  OUT

  Safety listed out with a foot injury. What Though the Odds: Notre Dame Football Betting Info for the BYU Game (2026-10-16)

• LJ Martin (RB) is out for BYU

  OUT

  Starting running back ruled out against Notre Dame with a lower-body injury. Fighting Irish Preview 101: BYU (2026-10-14) What Though the Odds: Notre Dame Football Betting Info for the BYU Game (2026-10-16)

• Andrew Gentry (OL) is out for BYU

  OUT

  October 14 preview reports the starting right tackle ruled out; injury details are unspecified. Fighting Irish Preview 101: BYU (2026-10-14)

• Jovesa Damuni (RB) is out for BYU

  OUT

  Running back listed out with a knee injury in October 16 game reporting. What Though the Odds: Notre Dame Football Betting Info for the BYU Game (2026-10-16)

SITUATIONAL

• ND: 66.7% fourth-down conversion rate to BYU's 0%

  66.7 PP

  Notre Dame converts two of three fourth-down tries this season, while BYU has gone 0% across five games. BYU was at 58.1% last season, so a zero almost certainly reflects only a handful of attempts and should rise. Notre Dame is up from 54.8%. At home, BYU's fourth-down results are the number most likely to move, so don't assume they will keep coming up empty.

• No. 2 Notre Dame at No. 8 BYU

  #2 VS #8

  Voters have Notre Dame close to the top: 1630 points and a first-place vote, against 1237 for BYU, so the gap here is wide even with both sides unbeaten. Notre Dame climbed a spot this week at 6-0, and BYU held steady at 5-0. A No. 2 team on the road has the most to lose, because one loss can cost it a lot of ground. BYU gets the home crowd and a chance to show its 5-0 start belongs in the top tier, which makes this a spot where the lower-ranked host tends to get some respect.