Georgia Bulldogs

UGA spending nearly $4 million on non-conference games in 2018

Georgia head football coach Kirby Smart manages a smile while taking the field to watch over the first day of spring football practice at the University of Georgia Tuesday, March 21, 2017, in Athens.
Georgia head football coach Kirby Smart manages a smile while taking the field to watch over the first day of spring football practice at the University of Georgia Tuesday, March 21, 2017, in Athens.
By Seth Emerson
April 19, 2017

The Georgia football team’s home non-conference schedule may not be anything special next year, but the school is paying a lot for it to happen.

Middle Tennessee State will receive $1.7 million in exchange for playing at Georgia on Sept. 15, 2018, according to a game contract released by UGA on Wednesday. That's among the highest guarantees that Georgia has ever paid, but not the most. (Arkansas State is getting $1.8 million to come in 2019.)

Austin Peay, which will serve as Georgia’s 2018 season opener on Sept. 1, will receive a guarantee of $500,000.

UMass is also visiting next year (Nov. 17), in a deal announced last year, which will pay that school $1.5 million for the game. As part of that deal, Georgia’s basketball team will visit UMass this upcoming season, with the Minutemen coming to Stegeman Coliseum during the 2018-19 season.

Georgia Tech also visits Sanford Stadium next year, as part of the annual rivalry.

Georgia announced the scheduling of those non-conference home games on Tuesday, via its own web site. It released the game contracts a day later, on an open records request that was made on Jan. 19.

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Seth Emerson

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