Notre Dame football finally gets its first true test of the season. The Fighting Irish sit at 6-0 and No. 2 in the latest AP poll, and now they travel to Provo, Utah, for a primetime, top-10 showdown with the undefeated BYU Cougars on Saturday night.

It is Marcus Freeman against Kalani Sitake, with two unbeaten teams and a whole lot of attention. People have spent weeks taking shots at Notre Dame’s schedule, even though it hasn’t been nearly as soft as some want to act like. This is the stage where the Irish can quiet that noise.

A loaded college football weekend

It’s hard to find an early-season slate this strong. Along with Notre Dame at BYU, the weekend features Ohio State vs. Indiana, Alabama vs. Tennessee, Ole Miss vs. Missouri, Oklahoma State vs. Houston, and Mississippi State vs. LSU. Every one of those is a matchup between two top-25 teams.

On top of that, Miami and Florida State meet in a rivalry game. Florida State has struggled, but rivalry games have a way of leveling the playing field. Georgia and Auburn round things out.

Despite all of those options, College GameDay picked Provo.

Ohio State and Indiana or Alabama and Tennessee would have been easy choices. Instead, the show is heading to Notre Dame vs. BYU, and that says a lot about the pull the Irish bring to any field. This is must-see TV, and just about everyone will be watching.

BYU is no pushover

Notre Dame enters as a heavy betting favorite despite playing on the road. It’s easy to see why. The Irish have an elite defense, a very good quarterback in CJ Carr, a vastly improved run game, a talented offensive line, and a couple of high-level pass catchers. That is the profile of a team that can compete for a national championship.

BYU, however, deserves real respect. The Cougars play in a Big 12 that some people still don’t take seriously, but this roster is loaded with players who will be on NFL rosters. Linebacker Cade Uluave is a tremendous player. Bear Bachmeier is a quarterback I like a ton, and Isaiah Glasker and cornerback Evan Johnson are among the many legitimate pros on this team.

BYU will be without star running back LJ Martin, who is out for a couple of weeks with an injury. Still, Bachmeier ran the football well last week and looked improved as a passer. Add in home-field advantage and a really good coach in Sitake, and this BYU team looks ready for the challenge.

Why perception matters for the Fighting Irish

There is an optics element to this game that can’t be ignored. The critics are out there. Michigan State isn’t good. Wisconsin isn’t good. Who cares about Purdue? Notre Dame beat Stanford 58-7 last week, and the response from some corners was a shrug.

If Notre Dame dominates BYU, a few people will still say, “It’s just BYU.” That will never fully go away. But a lopsided win against a top-10 opponent will start to change minds, even among the doubters who won’t admit it out loud.

Look at what this team has.

Carr is one of the best quarterbacks in college football. The offensive line features several future NFL players. True freshman running back Jonaz Walton just ran for 181 yards against Stanford and posted right around 200 yards of total offense, a freshman record. The receiver room has NFL talent, and the defense is littered with it on all three levels.

I never got the sense last year that anyone believed Notre Dame was going to win a championship. Some thought the Irish could be dangerous after rattling off win after win to finish 10-2, but that was about it. This season feels different. Championship expectations are high, and the program has every ingredient needed to finally get over a hump that dates back to 1988.

That includes a dynamic head coach, a coaching staff with continuity (Chris Ash is in at least his second season), multiple recruiting classes under Freeman’s belt, and a deep, talented roster. This is Freeman’s team now.

A close win over BYU wouldn’t mean the Irish aren’t a title contender. A statement win, though, is how they start to grab national attention. Do it again against Miami a couple of weeks later, and the conversation shifts. People will start to believe Notre Dame is very real and could beat anybody.

If you ask me, Notre Dame can beat any team in the country this season. The Irish just have to prove it, and that starts Saturday night in Provo.