Georgia and Clemson are guaranteed a payout of at least $5 million when they meet Aug. 31, 2024, in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, according to an agreement signed with Peach Bowl Inc., which operates the event.
The 19-page contract, signed late last August, was released Wednesday in accordance with state open record laws.
In order to receive the “full settlement,” the schools must sell at least 28,500 tickets each. But with opportunities to receive additional tickets thereafter, the respective programs can earn even more money. The contract calls for a “guaranteed payment” of $5 million or 80 percent of ticket revenue, “whichever is greater.”
Average payout for the game in recent years has been $5.2 million per school. Georgia makes about $3.5 million on average when it plays at home in Sanford Stadium.
Georgia and Clemson have played each other 64 times in football, but only four times since 1995. They first met in 1897 and most recently in a home-and-home series in 2013 and 2014. Georgia leads the overall series 42-18-4. The teams are not scheduled to meet again before the 2024 event.
Clemson has played in three of the last four College Football Playoff National Championship Games, winning two, including this past season's title over Alabama. Georgia played in the 2019 national championship and has won 24 games the last two seasons, including the 2017 SEC Championship.
“We think it’s going to be a tremendous, blockbuster game,” said Gary Stokan, president and CEO of Peach Bowl Inc., which operates the annual kickoff game. “You’ve got to believe the 2024 game will be between Top 5 teams the way Georgia and Clemson are recruiting and performing on the field.”
The agreement provides several other perks for the participating teams, including complimentary hotel rooms, suite and bench passes, parking passes and tickets to the College Football Hall of Fame.
The 2024 game will mark Georgia’s fifth appearance in Atlanta’s annual season-opening event. The Bulldogs will open the 2022 season against the Oregon Ducks at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. They previously participated in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff against Boise State in 2011, North Carolina in 2016 and Virginia in 2020.
