🏈 Alabama football contracts revealed: How much Crimson Tide will pay USF (and Marshall) - Tuscaloosa News / Yahoo!

Alabama football contracts revealed: How much Crimson Tide will pay USF

In early December, Alabama football announced some future schedule shuffling.

sports.yahoo.com

In early December, Alabama football announced some future schedule shuffling.

The Crimson Tide announced it would move a previously-scheduled 2026 game against South Florida to Sept. 11, 2032, and replace the open 2026 date with a game against Chattanooga.

According to game contracts acquired by The Tuscaloosa News, Alabama will pay South Florida $300,000 within 30 days following the original 2026 game date against the Bulls. The remaining balance of the contract − $700,000 − will be paid within 30 days of the rescheduled game date.

Alabama will pay Chattanooga $500,000 to play Saturday, Nov. 21, in Tuscaloosa.

How much is Alabama paying Marshall to play in 2027?​

Alabama also added a game against Marshall Sept. 4, 2027, in Tuscaloosa, one that could move to Aug. 28, 2027, given "a rule, regulation, or directive that moves the permissible state date of the college football season to 'Week Zero.'"

The Crimson Tide will pay the Thundering Herd $1.35 million for the 2027 matchup.

Tuscaloosa unveiled a statue in 2025 honoring four former Druid High School students who played at Marshall and died in a 1970 team plane crash.

Alabama​

What does Alabama's final 2026 schedule look like? Here are the official dates:

• Alabama vs. East Carolina; Saturday, Sept. 5 at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
• Alabama at Kentucky; Saturday, Sept. 12 at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky
• Alabama vs. Florida State; Saturday, Sept. 19 at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
• Alabama vs. South Carolina; Saturday, Sept. 26 at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
• Alabama at Mississippi State; Saturday, Oct. 3 at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi
• Alabama vs. Georgia; Saturday, Oct. 10 at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
• Alabama at Tennessee; Saturday, Oct. 17 at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee
• Alabama vs. Texas A&M; Saturday, Oct. 24 at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
• Alabama at LSU; Saturday, Nov. 7 at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
• Alabama at Vanderbilt; Saturday, Nov. 14 at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee
• Alabama vs. Chattanooga; Saturday, Nov. 21 at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
• Alabama vs. Auburn; Saturday, Nov. 28 at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Alabama football future schedules​

2027

• Marshall: Sept. 4
• At Ohio State: Sept. 18

SEC opponents

• Mississippi State
• Tennessee
• Florida
• Missouri
• Texas
• At Auburn
• At Arkansas
• At Ole Miss
• At Oklahoma

2028

Non-conference

• Ohio State: Sept. 9
• UT Martin: Sept. 16
• At Oklahoma State: Sept. 23

SEC opponents

• Auburn
• Kentucky
• LSU
• Vanderbilt
• At Mississippi State
• At Tennessee
• At Georgia
• At South Carolina
• At Texas A&M

2029

Non-conference

• At Notre Dame: Sept. 1
• Oklahoma State: Sept. 15

SEC opponents

• Mississippi State
• Tennessee
• Arkansas
• Ole Miss
• Oklahoma
• At Auburn
• At Florida
• At Missouri
• At Texas

2030

Non-conference

• At Georgia Tech: Aug. 31
• Notre Dame: Sept. 14

2031

Non-conference

• Georgia Tech: Aug. 30
• At Boston College: Sept. 13

2032

Non-conference

• Arizona: Sept. 4
• At Minnesota: Sept. 18
• South Florida: TBD

2033

Non-conference

• At Arizona: Sept. 3
• Minnesota: Sept. 17

2034

Non-conference

• At Virginia Tech: Sept. 2
• Boston College: Sept. 16

2035

Non-conference

 

[50+yeartidefan]

Some sure enough good scheduling

 

[alabama mike]

Much better non conference games than the directional schools.

 

[50+yeartidefan]

Much better non conference games than the directional schools.

Yes it is. Think about all those years with crap schedule. We still
Made the games. But it was 3 crap n 1 neutral site. .....plus ..... would get vandy. Ky. Msu. Awful.

Probably keep our tics though 30 season ( ND at home) . Will be enough i guess. Got campi- parking-tickets paid. Hard to not go. Kids aren't really that interested. But i think 3-4 a year would satisfy me.

 

[TerryP]

Some sure enough good scheduling

Remember seeing this today. I hope and pray half of those OOC games are canceled with a good chance of my hopes and prayers coming true.

 

[UAgrad93]

While these OOC matchups look appealing to the fans, until there is som type of common guidelines for scheduling, why put a potential playoff appearance at risk? Play your 9 designated conference games and 3 cupcakes.

 

[50+yeartidefan]

While these OOC matchups look appealing to the fans, until there is som type of common guidelines for scheduling, why put a potential playoff appearance at risk? Play your 9 designated conference games and 3 cupcakes.

@TerryP

Got to be kidding.
That what we love.
Competition.
9 conference games
2 p4
1 g5

We have enough conference games that are disguised as p4. Msu. Vandy. Ky.

Be the best. Play the best.
And putting 100 fans in those seats is as important as cfps

 

[TerryP]

Got to be kidding.

The last three national champions have played a total of ZERO P4 OOC games in their title years. Bama is required to play one.

If anything all of this has exposed the move to nine games, in this era, was a bad decision.

There isn't any logical reason to give a conference another leg up when they already have one.

 

[50+yeartidefan]

The last three national champions have played a total of ZERO P4 OOC games in their title years. Bama is required to play one.

If anything all of this has exposed the move to nine games, in this era, was a bad decision.

There isn't any logical reason to give a conference another leg up when they already have one.

2 of 3 last national champions have both beat Alabama to get to nc game and win
Ohio state beat 2 sec teams in route to theirs
And big 10 plays 9 conference games.

Looks like getting more sec teams in to CFP doesn't really help.

If sec wants to win more. Gonna have to get better... not more... teams in

Playing tough p4 schedule is good for game. Not worse.

 

[TerryP]

Playing tough p4 schedule is good for game. Not worse.

Playing P4 vs not gives a very distinct advantage to allow those teams to beat the SEC teams they have en route to their titles. They were good ball teams. I'm not slighting them in the least. I've never suggested "if they played this schedule, they have __ losses."

I will stand by saying, often, their advantage is found in how healthy they tend to be.

 

[UAgrad93]

@TerryP

Got to be kidding.
That what we love.
Competition.
9 conference games
2 p4
1 g5

We have enough conference games that are disguised as p4. Msu. Vandy. Ky.

Be the best. Play the best.
And putting 100 fans in those seats is as important as cfps

I’m dead serious!!! Nothing to be gained AT ALL by loading up your OOC schedule. This isn’t baseball or basketball where you get credit for scheduling up and taking a loss.
For as much as we made fun of Texas and their early season struggles, they were likely in the CFP had they not scheduled Ohio State and taken an L.

 

[BamaFan334]

I’m dead serious!!! Nothing to be gained AT ALL by loading up your OOC schedule. This isn’t baseball or basketball where you get credit for scheduling up and taking a loss.
For as much as we made fun of Texas and their early season struggles, they were likely in the CFP had they not scheduled Ohio State and taken an L.

I'm still taking the schedule of playing teams we have scheduled. I still want to beat the best regardless of the row we have to hoe. I'll say it again, I don't care that we lose, it's more about how we lose. If we can't make a 12 team Playoff with our schedule, we don't need to consider ourselves national title worthy anyways. I like the value of my money getting Ohio State and Notre Dame coming to town. Not something you see very often.

 

[UAgrad93]

I’m not saying I don’t like the marquee games. I’m just saying there is no benefit to playing 2-3 of those games along with a 9 game league schedule. @50+yeartidefan , this isn’t the 80’s SEC anymore with multiple doormats. NIL and the transfer portal have changed that. Just look at Ole Miss, Vandy for example. Parity is likely at its highest it has ever been. Shit! Indiana, worst D1 school in college football history just won the Natty!!
So let’s say we finish 7-2 in conference and 1-2 in OOC, we will be headed to the PopTarts Bowl at 8-4! Meanwhile, Another school finishes 7-2 in the SEC, plays 1 P4 and 2 directional schools and finishes 10-2. They are headed to the CFP! Even though we might have beaten them in head to head, say UGA, once again. No two schedules are alike! So why in the Hell should we hamstring ourselves? I want to compete for and win National Championships. Shooting myself in both kneecaps to start the season ain’t it!!

 

[TerryP]

Shooting myself in both kneecaps to start the season ain’t it!!

@50+yeartidefan last night's basketball game? Perfect timing with this thread. The basketball team has the potential to make a strong run in both tournaments. But, games like Tennessee make the row tougher to hoe. Or, as 93 put it, "shot themselves in the kneecaps."

The thought crossed my mind yesterday. It's like being equal to another golfer, but allowing them to play from the reds while I'm teeing from the black.

Harder or smarter?