Notre Dame Football: Cincinnati Will Be Paid $1.2 Million Guarantee for 2021 Game

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will pay a $1.2 million guarantee to the Cincinnati Bearcats to play on Oct. 2, 2021 in Notre Dame Stadium, according to an agreement obtained by One Foot Down.

If one or the other side needs to cancel the game, they’ll pay $500,000 if it’s more than one year before the game and $1.2 million if notice is given less than one year out.

Cincinnati will receive up to 6,000 tickets to the game and, if they bring their band, that will count against the ticket allotment. (Cheerleaders and the mascot get in for free).

The agreement is just for one game, so there will be no return visit to Nippert Stadium or any other agreed upon location. The contract was agreed upon March 27, 2018.

This will be the second ever game between Cincinnati and Notre Dame and the first since 1900.

Notre Dame is paying $1.25 million to the Marshall Thundering Herd for a 2022 game and allowing the West Virginia college to purchase up to 5,000 tickets. The Irish are also paying $1 million to the Alabama Crimson Tide to visit in 2028, but the Tide return the $1 million when the Irish come to Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Tide got a 5,000 ticket allocation.

The Irish’s complete 2021 schedule was released last week.

Monday, Sept. 6 at Florida State Seminoles
Saturday, Sept. 11 vs. Toledo Rockets
Saturday, Sept. 18 vs. Purdue Boilermakers
Saturday, Sept. 25 vs. Wisconsin Badgers (at Soldier Field, Chicago)(Shamrock Series)
Saturday, Oct. 2 vs. Cincinnati Bearcats
Saturday, Oct. 9 at Virginia Tech Hokies
Saturday, Oct. 16 BYE WEEK
Saturday, Oct. 23 vs. USC Trojans
Saturday, Oct. 30 vs. North Carolina Tar Heels
Saturday, Nov. 6 vs. Navy Midshipmen
Saturday, Nov. 13 at Virginia Cavaliers
Saturday, Nov. 20 vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Saturday, Nov. 27 at Stanford Cardinal

Agreement between Notre Dame and Cincinnati