A National Championship title opportunity presented itself for Ryan Day and Ohio State. The Cotton Bowl saw the Buckeyes knock Steve Sarkisian and Texas out of the CFP semifinals in a double point victory! With this win, OSU bags another fat playoff reward to prepare against the Orange Bowl winner Notre Dame for the ultimate CFB showdown! But the difference in the payout is miles apart. 

It was quite a night for Ohio State! As the game clocked at 28-14 in their favor, the energy and excitement was electric both from the players and fans. And now comes the dough. As Front Office Sports on January 10, “Ohio State’s win over Texas in the Cotton Bowl adds another $6 million to the Big Ten’s CFP earnings, bringing the total to $46 million.” 

The Big Ten comprising 18 teams profited from OSU’s Cotton Bowl win. This conference topped the season by generating the most playoff money by producing four playoff teams — the Buckeyes, Penn State, Oregon, and Indiana. The Hoosiers and the Ducks earned $4 million and $8 million, respectively, in the playoffs. James Franklin and the Nittany Lions contributed a total of $14 million to the B1G conference by advancing to the CFP Semifinals. 

With this latest win, OSU’s total playoff payout has reached $20 million. The $46 million CFP money that the Big Ten conference earned will be split between the 18 members. So the Buckeyes total gain is $2.5 million for winning the CFP semifinals representing their conference. If you think that’s lucrative, just think about independent Notre Dame!

Huge disparity in CFP payout between Ohio State and Notre Dame 

Being part of a conference has its advantages but in a situation like this, don’t we wish to be an independent team? Without a conference to share their reward with, Notre Dame bags the full amount for themselves. After Thursday’s victory over Penn State in the Orange Bowl, the Irish’ playoff payout rose to $20 million, the most an independent team could earn from the CFP. 

Consider this. The Irish earned $4 million for making it to the CFP. They added another $4 million for qualifying for the quarterfinals. They also received a total of $12 million for winning the semifinals and advancing to the national championship game. 

While there’s unrest among the fans regarding this disparity, there’s nothing that can really be done. It has always been like this. An independent team is by itself for itself. Rather, it’s more of a shoutout to Marcus Freeman who beat all odds to lead Notre Dame to their first national championship appearance since 2013.