Notre Dame to payout Northern Illinois $1.4 million for trip to South Bend

Northern Illinois delivered the first upset of the college football season on Saturday afternoon, knocking off No. 5 Notre Dame 16-14 in South Bend.

With the win, the Huskies secured their first top-10 win in school history. They entered the game as a 28-point underdog, too.

NIU will also be leaving South Bend with a seven-figure payday. According to the contractual agreement signed on Feb. 19, 2019, the Huskies will receive $1.4 million from Notre Dame “no later than 60 days” after Saturday’s game. Details of the contract were previously reported by the USA Today Network.

Two years ago, Marshall knocked off Notre Dame 26-21 and collected a $1.25 million payout. Nicknamed “buy games,” matchups against Group of 5 teams during the nonconference slate typically come with a hefty payout. When Miami (Ohio) visits Notre Dame later this month, they’ll land a $1.25 million payday, per USA Today.

The Fighting Irish’s loss Saturday comes a week after they traveled to Texas A&M and picked up a 23-13 win in primetime.

NIU kicked a 35-yard field goal with 31 seconds remaining to go up 16-14. Notre Dame attempted to get in field goal position, however, the Fighting Irish’s 62-yard field goal attempt was blocked to seal the upset. Notre Dame turned the ball over twice in Saturday’s loss.

“They are going to be a confident group that has a history of being competitive in beating Power Four schools,” Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said earlier this week. “We’re looking forward to a team coming in here confident and being ready to roll.

“… Our team understands the challenge and is really putting in the work in terms of the physical preparation. We have to continue to make sure our bodies heal up and we don’t stop with the mental preparation of what this opponent, the challenges it will bring.”