In the fresh College Football Playoff standard, Notre Dame appears to be at a disadvantage given its independence. In the 12-team frame, which made its debut this time, the four first-round byes all go to meeting champions, a name that Notre Dame soccer, which eschews conference membership, could not possibly keep.
Economically, however, Notre Dame has a calf up on foes ensconced in meetings. ND’s first-round opponent, the Indiana Hoosiers, received just$ 222, 000 of the$ 4 million that it earned for the Big Ten Conference by qualifying for the CFP. The Irish got to keep all$ 4 million.
Notre Dame will receive another$ 4 million for its quarterfinals matchup against Georgia on January 1st, in addition to the$ 4 million from the first round. If it reaches the championship game, an outcome DraftKings currently pegs at + 250 odds, the school will have earned a total of$ 20 million, plus$ 3 million per round to cover expenses. If a Big Ten group such as Oregon or Ohio State runs the board, it will only get in$ 1.1 million.
Similar to March Madness, College Football Playoff winnings are typically distributed to meetings rather than individual universities. A conference receives$ 4 million for each team that enters the CFP,$ 4 million for each team that advances to the quarterfinals,$ 6 million for each team that makes it to the semifinals, and$ 6 million for each team that makes it to the national championship game. That’s in addition to the$ 3 million for each team in each round to cover expenses.
Each conference’s method for distributing this funds among its members differs. Some organizations give big prizes to the CFP participants. While the Big Ten splits the pot evenly among all 18 schools in the conference, the SEC dishes out$ 3 million,$ 3.5 million,$ 3.75 million and$ 4 million to teams participating in the first round, quarterfinals, semifinals and finals, respectively, plus a travel allowance for each round as determined by the SEC Executive Committee. The remaining funds are then divided among the part organizations’ equal securities.
The Fighting Irish are not required to do any of that math, even though they have plenty of bills to pay. The team’s football budget of$ 71.9 million in the 2022-23 season was the second largest of any of this year’s 12 CFP teams, trailing Ohio State’s$ 72.4 million by a narrow margin.
Notre Dame would be the No. 1 choice based on its financial stability and on-field success. Any meeting seeking to include a football team should use this as their first realignment candidate. The system has stood its ground in keeping soccer independence despite competing on many of the school’s sports teams in the ACC. Notre Dame sport producer Pete Bevacqua told ESPN in March,” I think our place as being independent in sports is undoubtedly more distinct than ever, but also more important than ever.”
In the new six-year CFP agreement starting in 2026, Notre Dame is expected to receive a base payout of approximately$ 12 million, which nearly equals the ACC and Big 12 schools ‘ ( 13 million and$ 12 million, respectively ). Additionally, The Fighting Irish just extended their media license agreement with NBC through 2029. Despite receiving a smaller annual test than the around$ 21 million that SEC and Big Ten programs receive, as well as potential dynamic disadvantages and scheduling issues, the school feels safe in its position.
Our money determine for us is very high, and the fact that we can generate more revenue when we meet the CFP position puts us in a much stronger placement,” Bevacqua said in the ESPN interview. We are in a very strong position in comparison to the rest of the college sports world when you take a step back and examine the sum of those three components, namely the NBC marriage, the ACC Network partnership, and the CFP.