Now is the time of year when critics of the SEC swoop down to chide the conference for staging mostly payment games in the second-to-last week of the season.
For years now, the SEC has taken to playing Group of 5 or FCS foes ahead of Rivalry Week, and that’s still true this season. Eight league teams are paying lower-level opponents to visit their stadiums, while the other six faces off across three games.
But these tune-ups don’t come cheap for SEC teams. According to a tweet from Steve Berkowitz, a sports projects reporter and editor for USA Today, non-conference opponents are being paid anywhere between a few hundred thousand dollars to $1.6 million this weekend.
The guarantees SEC teams are paying non-conference opponents Saturday:
Texas A&M: $1.6M, UAB
Georgia: $1.5M, UMass
LSU: $1.4M, Rice
Kentucky: $1.255M, MTSU
Auburn: $1.25M, Liberty
Florida: $1.2M, Idaho
Alabama: $500K, The Citadel
South Carolina: $400K, Chattanooga https://t.co/71v4kityRg— Steve Berkowitz (@ByBerkowitz) November 16, 2018
While the SEC fields plenty of criticism for playing these games late in the season instead of September like most other Power 5 conferences, they’re still good for the college football ecosystem. The money from major programs flows down to crash-strapped teams at the sport’s lower levels, and SEC teams get a break from the rigors of their conference schedule before Rivalry Week.
It’s worth noting that the biggest payday will go to UAB, which is 9-1 and certainly looking to upset Texas A&M in College Station.
Marcus covers SEC football for Saturday Down South.
