Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs BYU Cougars Prediction, 10/17/2026 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs BYU Cougars

Date: Saturday, October 17, 2026

Location: LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, UT

TV: ABC

Odds/Point Spread: Cougars (+9.5)

Total/Over-Under: 47

The BYU Cougars (5-0) are hosting the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-0) at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday, October 17, 2026. Notre Dame opens this matchup as 9.5-point favorites from Vegas oddsmakers. The total has been set at 47.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish come into this matchup with a record of 6-0 for this season. In their last contest, the Fighting Irish played the Stanford Cardinal and went home with a win by a final score of 58-7. When it came to the battle of the line of scrimmage, the Fighting Irish conceded 58 yards on 21 tries, which is 2.8 yds per run allowed. Notre Dame surrendered 12 completions on 23 tries for a total of 144 yards, and a completion percentage of 52.2%. Overall, they ran 74 plays which gave them a total of 598 yds. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish ended up running the ball 47 different times and tallied 361 yards, which came out to an average of 7.7 yards per tote.

The Fighting Irish have tallied 2,740 total yards for the season. When it comes to getting the ball in the endzone, Notre Dame has totaled 17 touchdowns through the air and 15 rushing touchdowns. They have turned the ball over 1 times. Notre Dame has tallied 135 1st downs, and they have committed 18 penalties for 166 yds. As a unit they average 194.8 yards via the ground game ranking them 37th in D-1. When it comes to putting the ball in the endzone, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are averaging 44.0 points per contest.

The Fighting Irish rank 4th in the country regarding team defense, giving up 11.0 points per game. They are allowing teams to run for an average of 2.1 yards per running attempt and 58.3 yards on the ground per contest so far this season. Overall, they have given up 350 yards on the ground through 6 outings. Concerning yards via the pass, the Fighting Irish have given up 935 yds which ranks them 25th in college football. They are giving up 155.8 yards per game through the air as well as conceding a completion percentage of 60.7%. In total, they have surrendered 214.2 yards/contest ranking them 1st in college football. They have conceded 6 touchdowns through the air in addition to 1 touchdown via the ground game.

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The Cougars head into this game 5-0 this season. When they last stepped on the gridiron, the Cougars got the victory with a final of 24-10 against the Iowa State Cyclones. BYU rushed for 5.7 yds per attempt, finishing the game with 177 yds on 31 attempts. The Cougars finished the game with 506 yds and they ran 61 plays (8.3 yds per play). The Cougars pass defense conceded a completion percentage of 55.2%, relinquishing 98 yards on 16 out of 29 through the air. BYU allowed 27 attempts on the ground for 102 yards (3.8 yards per rush).

The BYU Cougars average 433.4 yards/contest, which ranks them 44th in Division 1. The BYU offense has compiled 284 penalty yards on 33 violations, which is 90th in college football in terms of hurting your team. They are averaging 223.8 rushing yards per game and have run for 1,119 yards for the year. They have given away 2 picks while conceding 1 fumble and they have recorded 100 first downs. Regarding this team's ability to score points, the Cougars are ranked 46th in the country scoring 34.6 PPG. During this campaign thus far, the Cougars have thrown for a total of 1,048 yards via the pass not to mention holding an average of 209.6 passing yards per contest, which is ranked 88th in D-1.

BYU has conceded a total of 402 yards via the ground game (80.4 yards/game) in addition to 3 touchdowns via the rush this year. They have conceded 5 touchdowns through the air and 174.0 yards/contest, which puts them in 27th in the nation. Over the course of the season, they have conceded 67 points in total. Their defense has earned 1 fumble recovery and 6 picks this year. The Cougars defense has taken part in 294 plays, which ranks 8th in college football. The Cougars are conceding 13.4 PPG, which has them ranked 10th in D-1.

Who will win tonight's Fighting Irish/Cougars college football game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Cougars +9.5

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