BYU vs. Notre Dame: TV Info, Spread, Injury Updates, Game Time and More

Bye-bye, BCS. When the Notre Dame Fighting Irish last entered the purview of the national collegiate football culture, they were awkwardly waving goodbye to their chance at a second straight major-money January payout, with the backdrop of the Three Rivers bidding them adieu.  

Notre Dame's 28-21 loss to Pittsburgh two weeks ago was at once somewhat expected and an upset. The Irish had been teetering on the brink of such a defeat for weeks now, first nearly losing to what we thought was an imploding USC squad (whoops) and then narrowly escaping at home against Navy. They had become the best in the nation at escaping the shrill cries of the upset ukulele, winning close games they had no business winning with a jarring level of proficiency.

But all good things must come to an end, and that's a feeling pervading through South Bend as this roster barrels toward uncertainty in the regular season's final two weeks.

This week, the Irish find themselves in a pick 'em against BYU—actually an unfair indicator of what that really means. Vegas, as a rule, gives the home team a three-point edge when initially setting the line. The bookmakers then decide how far they want to move the line one way or another. In other words, Vegas is saying BYU is a field goal better than Notre Dame on a neutral field.

The veracity of that statement will be tested Saturday. The Cougars have won six of their past seven games since starting 1-2, but only Wisconsin represented a true test—unless you have some allegiance to these particular iterations of Houston or Boise State football.

With that in mind, let's check in with a complete preview of this Week 13 matchup, complete with close-eyes-and-point prediction about who will win (jkjkjk). 

Game Information

When: Saturday, Nov. 23 at 3:30 p.m. ET

Where: Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind.

Watch: NBC

Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra

Spread: PK (Vegas Insider)

Player	Pos.	Injury	Status
Spencer Hadley	LB	Knee	Doubtful
Devin Mahina	TE	Groin	Doubtful
Brett Thompson	WR	Quad	Doubtful
Eric Thorton	WR	Undisclosed	Out
Mitch Mathews	WR	Shoulder	Out
J.D. Falslev	WR	Hand	Out
Austen Jorgensen	LB	Knee	Out

Player	Pos.	Injury	Status
Austin Collinsworth	S	Neck	Questionable
Kona Schwenke	DE	Ankle	Questionable
Ishaq Williams	LB	Knee	Questionable
Ben Councell	LB	Knee	Out
Tony Springmann	T	Knee	Out
Christian Lombard	G	Back	Out
Greg Bryant	RB	Knee	Out

Key Storyline 

Can the Irish Slow Down the Game? 

Meet Brigham Young University, the latest institute of higher education to employ an all-out sprinting offense that often feels like it's blitzing defenses rather than the other way around. 

The Cougars aren't recognized as one of the nation's top offenses—they've shown propensity for being a 20-to-20 team on more than one occasion, resulting in their kind of pedestrian 33.5 points per game—but their yardage numbers could change that conversation. Coming into Week 13, only 12 teams are averaging more than BYU's 503.7 yards per contest.

In fact, they're last of the teams still averaging over 500 yards a game at this late juncture. (Baylor, for what it's worth, is averaging 684.8 yards, which is more than 100 per game better than anyone else. That is very, very good.)

The offense is led by Taysom Hill, an inenarrable quarterback who has quietly developed into one of the most fun in the nation. Hill, a sophomore, has not only thrown for 2,379 yards and 16 touchdowns (against 12 picks) but is also the team's leading rusher at 956 yards. He's just ahead of running back Jamaal Williams, who as at times looked destined to play on Sundays. 

That could create some problems for Notre Dame, a team that has struggled to corral mobile quarterbacks all season. Devin Gardner was a revelation against the Irish in Week 2, seemingly becoming a superstar before our eyes—right until the rest of the schedule played out and exposed his mediocrity. Down the line, it's been a mostly similar story, with the Irish getting run all over by Air Force and Navy in recent weeks.

Being so high-octane with such young players can lead to mistakes, though. BYU has a minus-three turnover ratio this season, which should create some opportunities for the Irish, who are plus-eight for the season.

Still, it's unlikely that calming the game down with one or two turnovers will be enough. Tommy Rees and the Notre Dame offense are going to have to control the pacing on the other side as well, using the clock to their advantage and establishing some sort of rhythm. The Irish have been inconsistent offensively for much of the season, showing adeptness at creating the big play but struggling to find the one area that works regularly.

That's most evidenced by Brian Kelly's treatment of the running back system, which can be described as a schizophrenic platoon at best. It seems every week there's a new No. 1 guy. Though there's been some success in that regard, the Cougars make for an interesting test. According to Football Outsiders' FEI rankings, BYU has the sixth-best defense in the country, just ahead of Florida State. 

To be fair, however, Notre Dame grades out swimmingly despite its offensive inconsistencies. FEI ranks the Irish 13th, though their questionable grade in "methodical drives" may make it more difficult than expected to chew apart the clock.

Prediction

There isn't all that much separating these teams. Neither is inherently great nor inherently bad. They're the type of outfits you see in forgettable late-December bowl games on a massive department store TV while you're out spending your kid's Christmas cash. That's not an indictment on the quality of play, but merely a statement of fact.

When the 31st and 32nd best teams in the nation clash, what the heck happens? One, we can assume something resembling a close game; pick 'ems are pretty rare for a reason. Two, if we're assuming a close game, it's very likely that one or two plays will largely determine the outcome. And three, if we assume that, which team is more likely to make the plays that could swing the game—for better or for worse?

The answer you're looking for, yes, is the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Rees is a two-toned lightning rod of criticism. He at one minute can make you look foolish for ever doubting him and in the very next make a play so confounding that it gives you PTSD. 

The BYU defense is just good enough to make me think we'll see more of the latter than the former on Saturday. Rees has thrown two picks in each of the Irish's past two games, and the Cougars play a style consistent enough to coax out some of those deficiencies.

We could go either way here, but BYU feels like the safer call.

Score: BYU 31, Notre Dame 24

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