? Oh no! Things do not look good for Notre Dame Fighting Irish football. It’s more like a ‘look how the tables turned’ kinda situation for Marcus Freeman’s squad. Only a week before, No.5 Notre Dame got all the hype for their toughness, and a week later they lost to Northern Illinois in a heartbreaking 16-14 loss. While they were being stripped off on social media, entered the NFL legend to further add to the bitterness. The ex-New England Patriots safety’s outlook for Freeman’s program is all dark. Why wouldn’t it be? Notre Dame’s loss did not just affect their scoreboard, it even left a hole in their pocket! 

It was not just a hiccup Saturday for the Fighting Irish! Even though they looked promising at the start, Freeman’s star QB Riley Leonard failed them by coming up with a poor second interception. And on the other side, there was Northern Illinois’ bullish offensive line. It turned out to be a costly loss for Freeman and Co. when Thomas Hammock’s star player Amariyun Knighten returned it with only 6 minutes 31 seconds remaining.  

This performance made Notre Dame almost sink to the bottom of the ratings chart. Going by the AP Top 25 CFB Poll, Freeman’s program is down by 13 points. Last season they were at No.5 and their first loss this season to Northern Illinois now landed them at No.18. This was then taken up on the CBS Sports podcast. Host Erik Kuselias chose the NFL legend ex-Patriots’ safety Logan Ryan for his take, “Is that a fair ranking right now putting them still inside the top 20 after losing at home to Northern Illinois?”

To which the 2x Super Bowl champion replied, “I mean the sky is falling in South Bend and it should because you can’t lose games like that. You didn’t look good at all.” What he believes is that even though there are certain games where Freeman’s luck might favor, their chances in a conference run low, and “it’s going to be really hard for them to get in.” Thereby, their playoff journey would soon come to an end. Forget ratings, what about their finances? 

Marcus Freeman’s financial fiasco continues

As per the reports, Freeman had to shell off a hefty amount of $1.4 million. All these were part of the contract that Notre Dame signed with Northern Illinois back in 2019, which clearly stated that if they lose, they owe Huskies the amount that must be paid no later than 60 days after the game’s completion.

If you think that Freeman is all done with his dues? Not really! It is not the only “buy game” that the Fighting Irish has this season. The list is pretty long! On Sept. 21, Notre Dame will host Miami (Ohio). In case, even on that day, they fail to establish their power and get crushed like they got against Northern Illinois, Freeman has agreed to pay $1.25 million as per the contract. 

However, it seems to be part of Notre Dame’s history by now. Back in 2022, when it was Marcus Freeman’s second game as HC, they lost 26-21 to Marshall. Guess how deep they had to dig into their wallets for this one? $1.25 million to make the trip to South Bend. Let’s hope Notre Dame figures out how to boost their rankings and stop their bank accounts from getting thinner!