Why Notre Dame Must Pay Northern Illinois $1.4 Million Despite the Shocking Loss?

The Northern Illinois Huskies handed the Notre Dame Fighting Irish an upset loss on their home turf. Despite the unforeseen loss, Notre Dame will pay Northern Illinois $1.4 million as part of a practice known as “guarantee games,” a common practice in the NCAA.

Power 5 schools like Notre Dame often pay smaller schools in the Group of 5 or FCS to travel to their stadiums with the expectation that the they will reign.

But Northern Illinois Huskies totally flipped the script! The Huskies, a Mid-American Conference foe, defeated the 7th-ranked Fighting Irish 16-14–the former’s first-ever win against a top-10 team.

Notre Dame paid Northern Illinois $1.4 million to play them today and, in theory, lose.

NIU won.

NIU enters the team wing in the Business of Sports Hall of Fame.

— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) September 7, 2024

According to the deal, the money would be delivered to Northern Illinois no later than 60 days after the game, as reported by the South Bend Tribune.

Guarantee games are important for many smaller schools, as they provide much-needed financial support to these smaller programs.

For the University of Notre Dame, the loss was a double blow. Firstly, it derailed their hopes of climbing the rankings. Secondly, they still had to pay Northern Illinois the agreed-upon $1.4 million despite losing the game.

Similarly, two years ago, Marshall University handed a 26-21 upset loss to the Irish on their home ground and still collected a $1.25 million cheque.

Yes, Notre Dame Fighting Irish’s $1.4 million payout to Northern Illinois Huskies is significant, but it is not in the top largest guarantee game payouts this season. In fact, it’s not even in the top 10.

The ones that tie for the highest payout at $1.9 million include :

• Alabama vs Western Kentucky (Aug. 31, Alabama won 63—0)
• Auburn vs New Mexico (Sept. 14)
• Georgia vs UMass (Nov. 23)

Notre Dame’s upset loss is a rude awakening that in football, there’s no such thing as a “guaranteed win” — not even in these so-called “cupcake games.”