Notre Dame Took Home A Monster Payout From CFP, While Other Teams Have To Split The Pot

So you think Notre Dame should join a conference for college football? 

Judging by the payout they received from making the CFP national championship game compared to what other schools did during the playoff, I think the Fighting Irish are content with their decision. 

As we put a bow on the 2024 season, with Ohio State set to host their championship celebration on Sunday afternoon in Columbus, the financial gains from the college football playoff have been settled. And my goodness, I know Notre Dame did not hoist the trophy in Atlanta, but their athletic department is getting a massive payout that they don’t have to share, while the Buckeyes will have to split their earnings. 

I know some of this might come as a shock, but the schools that participated in the college football playoff do not get to take home all of their earnings, unless you're Notre Dame. The athletic department in South Bend will receive a $20 million check from the CFP for their postseason run. 

The best part? Since the Irish are not part of a conference, they don't have to split any of this money, meaning they can use the over $20 million for whatever they want moving forward. Obviously, this is just another reason why it does not make sense for Notre Dame to join a conference right now, especially with the current landscape of college athletics. 

When you control your own television revenue, postseason payouts, along with getting a spot in the college football playoff - if you are ranked high enough -, there's a reason why conferences have struggled to pull Notre Dame fully into the boat. 

The Big Ten, ACC, SEC, Big 12 and others agreed to split the revenue from postseason appearances, which has been common practice for years. So, a school like Michigan actually benefited from Ohio State winning the national championship on Monday night. Pretty crazy, right? 

How Much Did Playoff Participating Conferences Make? 

You're probably wondering how much a national champion will take home from winning the final game of the season. It's actually not much at all, with Ohio State set to receive a check for $2.6 million for their postseason run. 

The Big Ten has an agreement that money made during the postseason, whether that's the CFP or the Taxslayer Bowl, will be divided up between all its conference members from one big pot. The same can be said for the SEC, but with a twist. For a school like Texas, for winning two games in the CFP, it will make an additional $10.25 million from the conference. 

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JANUARY 01: Head coach Steve Sarkisian of the Texas Longhorns holds the trophy after defeating the Arizona State Sun Devils 39-31 during the second overtime in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 01, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia.  (Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images)

If you're a team that did not make the playoff, you will still receive a postseason check from your respective conference, which is divided up from the total sum paid out for every bowl game. Seemingly, it's just a base payout, given that each conference negotiated their terms with the college football playoff as well. 

So, at the end of the day, the argument for Notre Dame to join a conference will continue to fall on deaf ears to the folks inside the athletic department. Even though there have been calls for the Irish to get out of the independent scene, financially, it doesn’t make sense at the moment. 

Now, going forward, with Notre Dame receiving a bid to the postseason if they are worthy of the spot, it's hard to argue for them to jump into the Big Ten, or even the ACC as full-time members.