The No. 8 BYU Cougars are hosting the No. 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the biggest home game in stadium history.
BYU enters as one of college football's most efficient programs. The Cougars have built a No. 8 ranking and the sixth-best winning record since 2020 with a roster cost that ranks 40th nationally—far below programs like Texas and other top spenders.
Within the Big 12, BYU's spending is above average. But it lags significantly compared to the nation's elite programs. The Cougars have built competitive success without matching the financial output of most peers.
The matchup gives BYU a chance to test itself against elite competition and further validate its on-field efficiency. The program has extracted elite results from a roster that is not funded at the level of many competitors.
