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Notre Dame Earns Massive Payout After Sugar Bowl Victory Over Georgia

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Michael Gallagher | Last updated Jan 2, 2025 10:02 PM ET

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish had just two College Football Playoff appearances in the previous 10 years since the NCAA adopted the postseason format in 2014, and both times it ended in heartbreak.

Notre Dame was boat-raced 30-3 by Clemson in 2018 and handled 31-14 by Alabama in 2021, and both teams went on to win the national championship those respective years.

But the third time may be a charm for the Fighting Irish, who have taken out Indiana and Georgia en route to the semifinals on Jan. 9.

Notre Dame dominated the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs, who were without starting quarterback Carson Beck, Thursday night in the Sugar Bowl 23-10, and the team is a 1.5-point favorite over No. 6 Penn State in the Orange Bowl next week.

And while the Fighting Irish will likely take some time to celebrate and enjoy knocking out one of the biggest college football powerhouses, it also has another reason to celebrate.

College football teams are highly motivated to make a deep run in the College Football Playoff, but the bonus money earned by each team per win is also a nice incentive not to lose, and Notre Dame cashed in on Thursday.

The three other teams that made it to the College Football Playoff semifinals — Penn State, No. 5 Texas and No. 8 Ohio State — earned $14 million per school to go to their respective conferences.

However, because Notre Dame is an independent, the $14 million it earned goes directly to the school and won’t be shared with anyone else.

Though Notre Dame is not a member of any of college football conference, it does get paid $17 million per year through its scheduling agreement with the ACC, which has been trying to add the historic university as a member for years.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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