Notre Dame’s Independent Status Means $14 Million CFP Payday

The College Football Playoff awards millions of dollars to conferences for each of their schools that earns a spot, and the money keeps rolling as teams advance.

But for independent Notre Dame, all that cash is going to South Bend.

The Fighting Irish have earned $14 million for their postseason prowess thus far. That’s the same amount that Texas, Ohio State, and Penn State have made, but their dollars will go to the SEC and Big Ten to then be divided among schools as the conferences see fit.

The four schools earned $4 million for making the CFP, $4 million for advancing to the quarterfinals, and $6 million for continuing on to the semifinals. The two teams that make it to the national championship game will earn an additional $6 million.

Notre Dame is raking in more money than the ACC ($8 million for SMU and Clemson), Big 12 ($8 million for Arizona State), and Mountain West ($8 million for Boise State). The school trails the SEC ($26 million so far for Texas, Georgia, and Tennessee) and Big Ten ($40 million so far for Ohio State, Penn State, Oregon, and Indiana).

Conferences also get $3 million per round for travel expenses and $300,000 for each team that meets certain academic standards.

The Big Ten divides its NCAA distributions equally, meaning Ohio State and Penn State will each take in about $2.2 million from the current pot. The SEC’s model is more performance-based, so Texas would go home with $3.75 million of the current amount.

The payout model is similar to NCAA units awarded during March Madness. Men’s teams bring about $2 million to their conference for each game they play. During the NCAA convention later this month, a vote could add units to the women’s March Madness. Those payments would start with $15 million in the 2025–2026 fiscal year and grow to $25 million by 2027, before increasing at the same rate as other NCAA distribution funds—2.9% annually.