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By Alex Byington Sports Writer
Alabama to pay $6.71M to non-conference foes
TUSCALOOSA ā Alabamaās non-conference football schedule for the next decade is taking shape.
The Crimson Tide will pay a combined $6.71 million for four home non-conference games between 2021 and 2029 after agreeing to host Southern Miss, Utah State and Western Kentucky for an average price tag of $1.9 million between 2021 and 2023, according to game contracts obtained through a public records request by The Decatur Daily.
Alabama also finalized a home-and-home series against Notre Dame for 2028 and 2029, with each home team paying the visitor $1 million.
The Crimson Tide will pay $1.9 million for home games against Southern Miss on Sept. 25, 2021, and Western Kentucky on Sept. 9, 2023, as well as $1.91 million to Utah State for a game Sept. 3, 2022.
The guaranteed $1.91 million is the most Alabama has paid to a visiting opponent and is believed to be the fourth-highest amount paid by a Power 5 program for such a game.
The Tideās previous high was the $1.85 million payout to Southern Miss for their Sept. 21, 2019, matchup, followed by $1.75 million for a Sept. 26, 2020, game against Kent State. Alabama is also obligated to pay $1.7 million for home games against Arkansas State (Sept. 8) this coming season and New Mexico State in 2019.
The sub-$2 million amount falls in line with the rising cost of SEC powerhouses scheduling games against Group of Five opponents, including the $1.9 million Auburn is paying UMass for a pre-Iron Bowl home game Nov. 14, 2020, and the $1.9 million Georgia is paying Kent State for a 2022 game in Athens.
The largest payout to a non-conference opponent came in 2013 when Nebraska shelled out $2.125 million to have Southern Miss move a contest originally scheduled for Hattiesburg, Mississippi, to Lincoln, Nebraska, according to a report by FBSchedules.com.
Florida is obligated to pay Colorado State $2 million for its Sept. 15 game this coming season in Gainesville as part of the record $7 million buyout settlement when the Gators hired Jim McElwain from CSU in late 2014. Coincidentally, the former Alabama offensive coordinator wonāt be in attendance for the game after Florida fired McElwain late last season.
As part of its home-and-home contract with Notre Dame ā in which the Crimson Tide open the 2028 season in South Bend, Indiana, on Sept. 2, 2028, and the Fighting Irish make the return trip to Tuscaloosa on Sept. 1, 2029 ā both teams have the ability to cancel the series with written notice prior to Jan. 1, 2020, but then must pay as much as $3 million if either side submits a notice of cancellation within āone year or lessā from the scheduled date of the cancelled game.
TUSCALOOSA ā Alabamaās non-conference football schedule for the next decade is taking shape.
The Crimson Tide will pay a combined $6.71 million for four home non-conference games between 2021 and 2029 after agreeing to host Southern Miss, Utah State and Western Kentucky for an average price tag of $1.9 million between 2021 and 2023, according to game contracts obtained through a public records request by The Decatur Daily.
Alabama also finalized a home-and-home series against Notre Dame for 2028 and 2029, with each home team paying the visitor $1 million.
The Crimson Tide will pay $1.9 million for home games against Southern Miss on Sept. 25, 2021, and Western Kentucky on Sept. 9, 2023, as well as $1.91 million to Utah State for a game Sept. 3, 2022.
The guaranteed $1.91 million is the most Alabama has paid to a visiting opponent and is believed to be the fourth-highest amount paid by a Power 5 program for such a game.
The Tideās previous high was the $1.85 million payout to Southern Miss for their Sept. 21, 2019, matchup, followed by $1.75 million for a Sept. 26, 2020, game against Kent State. Alabama is also obligated to pay $1.7 million for home games against Arkansas State (Sept. 8) this coming season and New Mexico State in 2019.
The sub-$2 million amount falls in line with the rising cost of SEC powerhouses scheduling games against Group of Five opponents, including the $1.9 million Auburn is paying UMass for a pre-Iron Bowl home game Nov. 14, 2020, and the $1.9 million Georgia is paying Kent State for a 2022 game in Athens.
The largest payout to a non-conference opponent came in 2013 when Nebraska shelled out $2.125 million to have Southern Miss move a contest originally scheduled for Hattiesburg, Mississippi, to Lincoln, Nebraska, according to a report by FBSchedules.com.
Florida is obligated to pay Colorado State $2 million for its Sept. 15 game this coming season in Gainesville as part of the record $7 million buyout settlement when the Gators hired Jim McElwain from CSU in late 2014. Coincidentally, the former Alabama offensive coordinator wonāt be in attendance for the game after Florida fired McElwain late last season.
As part of its home-and-home contract with Notre Dame ā in which the Crimson Tide open the 2028 season in South Bend, Indiana, on Sept. 2, 2028, and the Fighting Irish make the return trip to Tuscaloosa on Sept. 1, 2029 ā both teams have the ability to cancel the series with written notice prior to Jan. 1, 2020, but then must pay as much as $3 million if either side submits a notice of cancellation within āone year or lessā from the scheduled date of the cancelled game.
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