Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said this week that playing in hostile environments against ranked opponents is part of the program's identity and one of the reasons he and his players chose to be in South Bend.
"This is what Notre Dame football does, we go into different places and it's a big game," Freeman said. "That's why we're here, why we chose to come to Notre Dame. We love it, I love it, they love it."
The remarks came as the 6-0, No. 2 Irish prepare for a Saturday night trip to No. 8 BYU in the first top-10 matchup ever played at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
Freeman's true road record against ranked teams
Freeman is 4-4 in true road games against AP top-25 opponents during his tenure as head coach at Notre Dame. The losses came at No. 2 Ohio State in the 2022 season opener, at No. 5 USC later that season, at No. 25 Louisville in 2023, and at No. 10 Miami to open the 2025 season. The ranked road victories were a 41-24 win at No. 16 Syracuse in 2022, a 21-14 win at No. 17 Duke in 2023, a 23-13 season-opening win at No. 20 Texas A&M in 2024, and a 37-15 win at No. 23 Pitt in 2025.
Notre Dame has not won a true road game against a top-10 opponent since beating No. 8 Oklahoma in 2012, a span of seven consecutive losses in those settings that includes Freeman's three top-10 road defeats.
The Miami loss is what a lot of Canes fans — rightfully so — pointed at when Freeman made his comments.
No. 10 Miami defeated No. 6 Notre Dame 27-24 at Hard Rock Stadium last year. Carter Davis kicked a 47-yard field goal with just over one minute remaining after the Irish had rallied from a 21-7 deficit to tie the game. The defeat contributed to Notre Dame finishing 10-2 and missing the College Football Playoff.
Freeman has described the upcoming game in Provo as, on paper, the best opponent Notre Dame has faced this season. The Irish have not played a ranked team through their first six games and (obviously) have not had the rematch against Miami yet.
Neutral-site and overall ranked record
Freeman's record against ranked teams improves when neutral-site games are included. Notre Dame won three College Football Playoff games in 2024, with the first victory coming at home against No. 10 Indiana in the first round. The two neutral-site wins were against No. 2 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl and No. 5 Penn State in the Orange Bowl before falling to Ohio State in the national championship game.
His teams have also recorded ranked wins at home against teams such as No. 5 Clemson in 2022, No. 10 USC in 2023 and No. 20 USC in 2025.
College Football Playoff implications
BYU is 5-0 and led by sophomore quarterback Bear Bachmeier. Notre Dame has won 16 consecutive games by double digits, a streak that began with a 56-30 win over Purdue on Sept. 20, 2025.
Both teams were left out of the College Football Playoff a season ago, with Notre Dame finishing 10-2 and BYU going 11-2 with a loss in the Big 12 championship game. BYU eventually won its bowl game and ended the season 12-2.
A win in Provo would give Freeman his first top-10 road victory as Notre Dame's coach and strengthen the Irish's CFP resume with home games against Miami and SMU still on the slate. A loss would leave Notre Dame in a must-win position for the matchup against Miami on Nov. 7.
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