Photo byHere, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Talk about a good problem to have. Notre Dame Football is so rich that it’s willing to pay teams over a million dollars to beat it. Yes, that’s right. I said teams, as in plural.

Northern Illinois

It’s bad enough that Notre Dame lost a 16–14 stunner to Northern Illinois.

According to USA Today, Notre Dame paid $1.4 million for the honor.

Surely, one of the most iconic college football brands in history doesn’t make a habit out of this sort of thing, right?

Marshall

Twice isn’t quite a habit, but it’s definitely concerning.

In 2022, in Freeman’s second game as head coach, the Irish lost 26–21 to Marshall, which it paid $1.25 million to make the trip to South Bend.

Thankfully, the Fighting Irish don’t have to worry about his sort of thing again until next year, right?

Who’s Next?

It will host Miami (Ohio) on Sept. 21 and has agreed to pay $1.25 million for the game.

Miami (Ohio) is the reigning MAC champion and was picked to win the league this season, two spots ahead of Northern Illinois.

Notre Dame will still be favored going into that game, but it’s clearly possible for them to lose.

Final Thoughts

Sure, it’s easy to kick a team while it’s down. But this is getting out of hand. Paying teams millions of dollars to beat you in your stadium is fiscally irresponsible, no matter how rich your program is. Surely that money could be better used somewhere else, right?