Miami CFP prize money, explained: Why ACC is giving Hurricanes special share of 2026 earnings originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers are set to face the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes in the National Championship on Monday night.
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Miami started the season with an impressive 5-0 record but stumbled afterward, losing to two unranked teams. Their playoff hopes were in jeopardy after losses at home to Louisville and on the road to SMU, which nearly kept them out of the College Football Playoff.
After choosing to exclude Notre Dame, the committee is standing by that decision. On Monday night, the Hurricanes aim to make history as the lowest seed ever to win a national championship.
Even before kickoff, the Hurricanes have already secured a significant prize pool from the ACC.
The Sporting News has everything you need to know about why the ACC is awarding Miami a special share of its 2026 earnings.
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MORE CFP CHAMPIONSHIP GAME NEWS:
Miami College Football Playoff payout
Every football conference distributes revenue, but how it’s actually split varies by conference.
A conference like the BIG Ten shares CFP revenue evenly among its members. Whereas the SEC payouts are based on playoff rounds.
However, the ACC does things its own way when it comes to this payout.
Miami’s National Championship Game run has been quite lucrative for the program. Just by making the title game, the Hurricanes have earned an extra $20 million from the ACC.
Miami is set to receive an estimated $70 million in revenue, roughly $20 million more than the next-highest program in the ACC.
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For a school such as Miami, which has heavily invested in its football program, it’s a nice bonus for the Hurricanes.
MORE: Miami on verge of historic underdog run
CFP prize money breakdown
Here is how the Hurricanes received an extra $20 million from their deep run.
|
Round |
Payout |
|
First |
$4M |
|
Quarterfinals |
$4M |
|
Semifinals |
$6M |
|
Championship |
$6M |
Why Miami’s CFP payout isn’t shared with ACC
The ACC is the only Power Four conference that allows its programs to fully take home what they’ve earned. Miami earned CFP bonuses for its success and playoff wins, so the conference rewards this.
When asked about this way of handing out bonuses, ACC commissioner Jim Phillips claims there have been no complaints.
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“Now the dollars haven’t been distributed, and you always want to see how things go. I think it’s very innovative and an industry leader,” Phillips said. “The most successful, earn the most. It’s a motivator for investment across all of our schools.”
Miami lawsuit vs. ACC
The legs of this lawsuit were entirely unrelated to Miami, as neither the plaintiff nor the defendant was from there. However, they certainly benefited from the result.
The lawsuit was filed by fellow ACC members Florida State and Clemson against the ACC. This was to challenge their gigantic exit fees from the conference.
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This case was settled in early 2025 and did indeed result not only in a reduction in exit fees but also in a brand-new revenue model.
This was part of the settlement with Florida State and Clemson. The ACC uses an uneven revenue distribution model largely based on success and television ratings.
