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Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Auburn paid a combined $1.9 million to four FCS schools Saturday.
That’s somewhat of a bargain for the SEC programs. (For example, Florida paid Idaho a reported $975,000, and that game didn’t even get played.)
| Team | Opponent | Payday |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Western Carolina | $480,000 |
| Auburn | Samford | $425,000 |
| Florida | Eastern Kentucky | $550,000 |
| Georgia | Charleston Southern | $450,000 |
SEC teams, and other power-conference programs, get criticized every year for playing weak non-conference opponents. The SEC requires each of its teams to play a power-conference opponent as part of the non-conference schedule every year starting in 2016.
In the two noon ET kickoffs, Florida and Georgia won by a combined 107-12.
Paying smaller-division teams is not a new practice. SEC teams may need this sort of game even more next year as the season starts the first week in September and the teams get one off weekend instead of two.
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
