Notre Dame vs. BYU Prediction, CFB Week 7 Odds & Best Bets (10/17)

Fact checked at 6:49 AM ET, Oct 17, 2026

Odds as of Oct 17, 6:27 AM ET

Two unbeaten teams meet in Provo, and the case for Notre Dame is hard to argue with. The Irish are 6-0 and ranked second. They have won by 28, 52, 17, 39, 11 and 51 points, scoring 44 a game and allowing 11. BYU is 5-0 and ranked eighth, and its defense is good too, at 13.4 points allowed per game. Its last two wins, 17-10 at TCU and 24-10 over Iowa State, were low-scoring.

The trouble for BYU is the matchup. The Cougars run for 223.8 yards a game, and Notre Dame allows 58.3, third-fewest in the FBS. BYU has also been without running back LJ Martin since he hurt his lower leg against TCU, so Bear Bachmeier has been carrying the ground game himself, with 175 rushing yards over the last two games. When BYU had to throw at TCU, he went 11 of 24 for 62 yards.

The total opened at 54.5 and has fallen to 47.5, while the spread has crept from Notre Dame -10 to -10.5. Fewer points, a slightly bigger margin: that is the game we're betting. Notre Dame's defense keeps a BYU offense without its lead back in check, and the Irish backs finish enough drives to pull away.

Kickoff at LaVell Edwards Stadium is 7:30 PM ET on ABC, with a dry, nearly windless forecast in the upper 60s.

Notre Dame vs. BYU Predictions

• Pick #1: Notre Dame -10.5 (-110)
• Pick #2: Nolan James Jr. Anytime Touchdown (-115)

PICK #1: Notre Dame -10.5 (-110)

Notre Dame's closest game this season was an 11-point win at North Carolina. BYU beat Arizona, Colorado State, TCU and Iowa State by 11, 18, 7 and 14, and none of them looks like the Irish. Laying 10.5 at -110 (a 52.4% break-even) is a bet that the double-digit wins keep coming.

Most of the edge is up front. Notre Dame has held five of six opponents to 13 points or fewer while giving up those 58.3 rushing yards a game. Without Martin, BYU's backfield has been a committee of Preston Rex and Journee Tonga, who combined for 40 yards on 14 carries against Iowa State, and offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said this week that none of his backs is ready to play every snap the way Martin might. Sophomore Sione Moa has been cleared to play, though Roderick said that isn't a done deal. Notre Dame, meanwhile, should get cornerback Leonard Moore back from a concussion. He is listed questionable, and Marcus Freeman said the Irish are "expecting" him to play.

BYU's defense is the obstacle, and a total in the 40s leaves less room for a double-digit margin than a shootout would.

PICK #2: Nolan James Jr. Anytime Touchdown (-115)

James has scored in all six of Notre Dame's games, eight touchdowns in all. Six of them came from 6 yards or closer: runs of 2 yards against Stanford and Michigan State, two 1-yard runs against Rice, a 6-yard catch at North Carolina and a 3-yard catch at Purdue.

He doesn't need many touches to get there. Against Rice he carried six times and scored twice. Jonaz Walton and Aneyas Williams take their share of the carries, so he won't get every chance near the goal line, but he has gotten enough of them to score every week. At -115 the bet is priced at 53.5%, which is a modest ask for a back who hasn't been kept out of the end zone yet.

21+ (18+ where permitted). Odds subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER.