If No. 2 Notre Dame is going to finish inside the top 12 of the final College Football Playoff rankings and secure a spot in the field, beating either No. 8 BYU or No. 3 Miami is an absolute necessity. The Fighting Irish get their crack at BYU in a Week 7 road showdown that may be equally as important for the Cougars.
Because the Big 12 is light on marquee opportunities, BYU has little margin for error. Outside of winning the Big 12 Championship Game and securing an automatic bid, the Cougars will need something special on their resume in order to CFP consideration. A win over Notre Dame would likely fit the bill.
It will be only the eighth all-time meeting between them and the first in Provo, Utah, since 2004. Additionally, both teams are ranked for the first time in series history. The early line favors Notre Dame by 11.5 points, but the Fighting Irish will be entering a hostile environment and facing their most significant test of the season to date.
The BYU-Notre Dame showdown is one of several bangers highlighting a big Week 7 slate. Here is the early look at the odds for the biggest matchups of the coming week.
Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.
The big games
No. 4 Ohio State (-3.5) at No. 5 Indiana: A rematch of last season’s Big Ten Championship Game pits a pair of top-10 teams and national title contenders against each other as Ohio State makes its first trip to Indiana since Curt Cignetti arrived at IU. This will be the most highly anticipated home game of Cignetti’s tenure as the Hoosiers put their 6-0 mark on the line against a 5-1 Ohio State team that has been humming along dominantly since a Week 2 loss at Texas.
No. 13 Missouri at No. 9 Ole Miss (-6.5): Former Ole Miss quarterback Austin Simmons is returning to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium to take on his former team and the quarterback who took his job. The Simmons vs. Trinidad Chambliss QB battle headlines the ninth-ever meeting between the Rebels and Tigers and their third as SEC foes. With schedule treachery still ahead for both teams, this one is critical for CFP positioning.
No. 6 Alabama (-6.5) at No. 14 Tennessee: Tennessee has won its past two meetings with Alabama inside Neyland Stadium, but since taking down the Crimson Tide in 2024, the Volunteers have dropped four straight home games against ranked opposition. Bama will be eager to smoke a victory cigar — as per the rivalry’s tradition — inside enemy confines for the first time since 2020. Given Tennessee’s quarterback struggles, the Tide’s defense will be eager to unleash some frustration following a Week 6 loss to Georgia.
No. 2 Notre Dame (-11.5) at No. 8 BYU: In the 12-team playoff era, it’s rare to see a battle of undefeated top-10 teams that means this much. Normally, such highly ranked teams have more margin for error. But because their schedules are relatively weak compared to their Big Ten and SEC peers, Notre Dame and BYU both desperately need this win. Lavell Edwards Stadium will be in electric form for the the Fighting Irish’s first visit in over 20 years.
Wisconsin at No. 12 UCLA (-3.5): On the heels of a stunning 17-15 win at Oregon, UCLA is 5-0 (3-0 Big Ten) and looking like a prime contender to make the playoff in coach Bob Chesney’s first season. Wisconsin has quietly improved to 4-1 (2-0 Big Ten) since a Week 1 loss to Notre Dame and is coming off a bye. With a win over the Bruins, the Badgers will start to look like CFP contenders themselves.
