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✦ TOP STORYLINES: NOTRE DAME VS. BYU BY LOU SOMOGYI ALL THE 'TRAPPINGS' Prior to the 2012 season, if there was one game on the Notre Dame schedule that could be singled out as an "upset spe- cial," it was Brigham Young. It met all the prerequisites to be the proverbial trap game, the one that bites most every team annually. Brigham Young is sandwiched in be- tween two preseason top-10 foes — Stan- ford Oct. 13 and at Oklahoma Oct. 27 — that were considered red-letter matchups for the Fighting Irish. It is the battle of fighting a letdown after Stanford while avoiding looking ahead to Oklahoma. Stanford had defeated Notre Dame three straight times, and Notre Dame was on an emotional high to avoid having the senior class finish 0-4 against the Cardinal. Host- ing ESPN GameDay on campus for the first time in seven years helped fuel that showdown. A thrilling fourth-quarter rally and then a sensational goal-line stand in overtime took the energy level to the max in the 20-13 Irish victory. Next week Notre Dame will make its first trip to Norman, Okla., since 1966. The showdown between two of the blue bloods in college football history has be- come one of the most anticipated events in the state, and that too will require a huge emotional investment from both sides. Lurking in between are the BYU Cou- gars — who have quietly finished with at least 10 victories in five of the last six seasons, and 11 three times. "You're only going to have three weeks out of the year — maybe — where the whole team is at an emotional peak," for- mer Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz told Blue & Gold Illustrated after his first season with the Irish in 1986. The corollary to that was that for each peak, a valley also was likely, at least emotionally. That's where physical talent often had to take over. Against a team like BYU, though, which is laden with mature 22- to 24-year-old men who have served two-year Mormon missions, the physical challenge might be greater. "It's college football each and every week," Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said of maintaining an even keel, tuning out the noise and concentrating only on the here and now. "Look to the North Carolina State-Florida State game [a 17-16 upset by the Wolfpack over the top-five Seminoles]. Go to West Virginia versus Texas Tech [with the top-five Mountaineers getting crushed, 49-14]. "Why does that happen? Well, you forgot how you got there. They are 'trap games' if you forget how to go to work and do those things … they are all trap games, every one of them, if you take a breather. But if you just stay on the course, continue to do what you're doing, we'll be fine." If one had to pick out the most taxing three-week stretch of this season for Notre Dame, it would be the Stanford, BYU and Oklahoma triumvirate. To be at an emo- tional and physical peak in each game is unlikely, so mental resolve will be put to the test during the midseason grind. One benefit on Notre Dame's side might be that the week of practice for Brigham Young is when the university is on its mid-term fall semester break. The ability to concentrate on football while not hav- ing to attend classes, write papers or take scholastic exams that week should aid Notre Dame's preparation. Furthermore, Brigham Young entered Under the leadership of head coach Bronco Mendenhall, the Cougars have won at least 10 games in five of the last six seasons (including 11 three times). PHOTO COURTESY BYU ✦ PAGE 8 its own three-game gauntlet from Oct. 5 through the Oct. 20 game at Notre Dame. After emerging with the victory in the 6-3 slugfest with Utah State at home Oct. 5, the Cougars hosted 4-0 and No. 10