Things did not go according to plan for head coach Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame football this past weekend. The Fighting Irish fell on the road to No. 8 BYU 28-24. A win over a top-10 team away from South Bend could have pushed Notre Dame to No. 1 in the latest AP poll, which makes the loss sting even more.

Instead, the Irish came out sloppy and trailed 21-10 at halftime. They stormed back and seemed to take control of the game.

Then they gave up a late score, and the game ended with a controversial finish near the goal line involving quarterback CJ Carr. Those miscues added up to one of the more disappointing losses of the Freeman era.

BYU head coach Kalani Sitake and the Cougars climbed all the way to No. 2 as a result. Notre Dame sits at No. 4, though a lot of uncertainty sits on the horizon.

Bye week comes at the right time for Notre Dame

The one saving grace for the Fighting Irish is the schedule. Notre Dame now heads into a bye week, and it’s much needed for several reasons.

That includes a chance to get some of their better players healthy, such as DJ McKinney, who got banged up against BYU. It also gives the locker room time to regroup after a deflating result.

Navy is up next after the off week. Notre Dame will most likely handle the Midshipmen, but this team needs a mental reset before a very important two-game stretch.

Preparing for the triple option always demands a diligent week of work. The game after that is the one everybody in South Bend has circled.

Why the Miami game is now a must-win

On Nov. 7, Notre Dame welcomes head coach Mario Cristobal and the Miami Hurricanes to South Bend. It was already the biggest test on the schedule. After the loss to BYU, it has become exponentially more important.

Even though the Irish didn’t fall much in the AP poll, their margin for error is nearly microscopic at this point. This matchup has gone from a potential great win to a must-win.

Notre Dame learned just a year ago what a 10-2 record buys. It left them on the outside of the College Football Playoff. After a full offseason spent obsessing over strategy, training, nutrition, and process, staring at another 10-2 finish would be an abject disaster. Freeman and the rest of the program cannot allow it.

Miami also enters ranked No. 1 in the country. The Hurricanes didn’t have their best showing this past weekend, narrowly getting past rival Florida State 43-35 in overtime at home. Still, they beat Notre Dame to open the 2025 season, so a revenge angle is on the line as well.

That doesn’t even touch on the history. The Catholics vs. Convicts rivalry is fresh in everybody’s minds. Another primetime game in South Bend should also bring a deep list of recruits from the 2028 and 2029 classes to campus. Those prospects will get a firsthand look at the Fighting Irish against one of the hottest teams in college football.

What Notre Dame has to prove

This game carries weight on several fronts, and kickoff is just three short weeks away.

It starts with keeping playoff and national championship hopes alive. At its foundation, though, this is about validating months of preparation and showing where Notre Dame stands in college football.

Is this a good team that beats the opponents it should and remains a step away from the sport’s elite? Or was BYU just an unfortunate blip on the way to reaching its goals?

The Irish need to attack the next three weeks the right way, and a lot is still on the line. All eyes will stay locked on that date with Miami.