DeKALB — NIU is already set to make a pretty penny from its revenue-rich affiliate membership in the Mountain West Conference, which becomes official July 1, but the Huskies’ haul will grow even larger thanks to their upcoming non-conference football schedule.

NIU will receive over $10 million in game guarantees for future road non-conference football games played between 2026 and 2032. Through multiple Freedom of Information Act requests, the Northern Star obtained contract details for a total of 12 road games —  most against Power Four opponents — five of which come with a seven-figure payout. 

The Huskies will collect a combined $3.3 million from Iowa for two future road trips to Kinnick Stadium, including this year’s season-opener on Sept. 5 ($1.6 million) and a game on Sept. 15, 2029 ($1.7 million).

NIU will also visit two other Big Ten opponents: Nebraska on Sept. 4, 2027, for a $1 million guarantee and college football powerhouse Ohio State on Sept. 16, 2028. The matchup against the Buckeyes will pay the Huskies $1.8 million — one of the largest game guarantees in school history, if not the largest.

That’s a total of $6.1 million from Big Ten teams alone. The ACC’s Pittsburgh will add another $1.1 million to the pile for a matchup on Sept. 2, 2028 at Acrisure Stadium.

In addition to the five games mentioned above, NIU will meet a Big 12 opponent in back-to-back seasons. This year, the Huskies will play at Arizona on Sept. 19 ($700,000) before facing Colorado on Sept. 18, 2027 ($800,000) in Boulder. NIU will also make two trips into SEC country as part of a three-game series with Missouri. The Huskies won’t receive a guarantee for a Sept. 30, 2028, matchup with the Tigers, but they’ll be paid $750,000 for a return trip on Sept. 4, 2030.

Lastly, NIU will hit the road to face a trio of Group of Six opponents: Georgia State (Sept. 26, 2026), Middle Tennessee (Sept. 22, 2029) and San Diego State (Sept. 20, 2031). NIU will collect a combined $700,000 from those contests, though the Middle Tennessee game doesn’t come with a payout.

Altogether, the school will rake in $10,150,000 from the 10 non-conference contests that carry guarantees.

But why is NIU being paid all that money to play on the road? It’s all part of one of college football’s longest and most expensive traditions. For decades, big-name institutions have paid smaller schools to come play them at home, usually during the first few weeks of the season.

These “buy games” are generally a good deal for both sides. The bigger school gets a guaranteed home game to generate gameday revenue and a cupcake on the schedule early in the year in a sport with no preseason. The smaller school receives a nice payout, often north of $1 million, and a chance to play on the big stage and gain national exposure — both game-changing benefits for a program like NIU’s.

All in all, it’s a win-win until the lesser squad decides to shock the world and pull off an upset — which the Huskies famously did just two years ago against fifth-ranked Notre Dame. Along with the eternal bragging rights, NIU collected a $1.4 million guarantee for its visit to South Bend. For context, that single payout was nearly $200,000 greater than the combined ticket revenue NIU generated across all sports during the 2024-25 academic year.

The funds earned from guarantee games won’t go directly into NIU’s pocket, however. A portion of those guarantees is offset by travel expenses such as airfare, hotels, buses and meals. The university spent $703,688 on football team travel in FY2025.

Profits will be further reduced by guarantees NIU must pay to schools visiting Huskie Stadium in the coming years. The Huskies will host reigning FCS runner-up Illinois State ($350,000) in 2026, Stony Brook ($325,000) and South Florida ($200,000) in 2027, Rhode Island ($400,000) in 2028, and Big 12 foe BYU ($350,000) in 2030. Other future home games against Missouri in 2029 and Middle Tennessee in 2030 do not carry guarantees.

Anything left over will likely be invested into the athletic department, which, as athletic director Sean Frazier once described, operates under an “eat-what-you-kill” financial model. 

Still, NIU’s looming paydays will be significant chunks of change for an athletic department that ran a $6,660,617 deficit in FY2025 — nearly triple the nearly $2.25 million deficit it recorded just two years earlier in FY2023.

NIU’s future non-conference schedules

2026

Sept. 5: at Iowa

Sept. 12: Illinois State

Sept. 19: at Arizona

Sept. 26: at Georgia State

2027

Sept. 4: at Nebraska

Sept. 11: Stony Brook

Sept. 18: at Colorado

Sept. 25: South Florida

2028

Sept. 2: at Pittsburgh

Sept. 9: Rhode Island

Sept. 16: at Ohio State

Sept. 30: at Missouri

2029

Sept. 15: at Iowa

Sept. 22: at Middle Tennessee

Sept. 29: Missouri

2030

Sept. 14: Middle Tennessee

Sept. 21: BYU

2031

Sept. 20: at San Diego State

2032

Sept. 4: at Missouri