15,000 students win free steak dinner if Northern Kentucky pulls NCAA Tourney upset

Thanks to their Norse team name, Northern Kentucky has already established itself an NCAA tournament darling even before they tip off against Kentucky Friday night.

Sure, the allure of beating Kentucky sounds great for the No. 15 seed Northern Kentucky. But the students at the school have more skin in the game: A Cincinnati restauranteur named Jeff Ruby has offered every Northern Kentucky student — all 15,000 of them — a free steak dinner if the Norse can pull off the shocker over the No. 2 seeded Wildcats.

Ruby owns three steak houses in the the Southeast and claims that it could cost him around $1 million if he has pay off the bet. Ultimately, though, he doesn't seem to mind.

"Yes, this could get very expensive," Ruby told WCPO in Cincinnati. "But it’s important to me to show support to our hometown organizations. NKU is a real asset to the community as they continue to produce extraordinary, talented leaders for our region and beyond."