Several Payouts In Week 1 Of 2025 College Football Season Top $1.25 Million

ANN ARBOR, MI – A Michigan cheerleader waves a giant flag with the Michigan block “M” logo after a touchdown during the fourth quarter between the Northwestern Wildcats and the Michigan Wolverines on November 23, 2024 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

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College football’s haves and have nots are often revealed through guarantee games and the sums they pay. Of course, there is no guarantee when it comes to the outcome. Still, there is a major gap in revenue among the 136 teams that comprise the Football Bowl Subdivision. That is why many athletic departments look forward to seven-figure paydays that accompany visits to power-conference opponents.

The first full week of the 2025 college football season, which gets underway Thursday evening, includes a handful of games with hefty payouts. With financial details obtained from published reports and/or athletic communications departments, here is a look at a few of those payouts. (Some schools, such as private institutions, do not disclose financial information.)

$1.8 Million: New Mexico at Michigan

In addition to paying New Mexico a substantial chunk of change, Michigan also has an agreement to give Central Michigan $1.5 million to visit Ann Arbor on September 13. The $3.3 million due the Mountain West and MAC programs falls shy of the $3.65 million paid to Fresno State ($1.85 million) and Arkansas State ($1.8 million) for trips to the Big House last season, which resulted in 30-10 and 28-18 wins, respectively, for the maize and blue. The encounter with the Lobos will be the first meeting between the schools.

$1.7 Million: Marshall at Georgia

The only previous meeting between the Thundering Herd and Bulldogs was 2004 when the latter prevailed at home, 13-3. Georgia is paying even more to Charlotte for a November 22 visit to Athens, a $1.9 million deal that was agreed upon six years ago. That is the same amount UMass received for its 59-21 loss to the Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium last season.

$1.6 Million: Georgia State at Ole Miss

As with Marshall playing at Georgia, this is a Sun Belt team visiting one from the SEC, and in a matchup that was originally scheduled for 2026. This first meeting between the teams will be the Panthers’ ninth against an SEC foe in their 16^th season on the gridiron. They also play at Vanderbilt (financial terms not disclosed) on September 20, a year after defeating the visiting Commodores, 36-32, for their second win against the conference. The first was a 38-30 decision at Tennessee in 2018, a game that paid GSU $950,000.

$1.6 Million: Miami (Ohio) at Wisconsin

The RedHawks’ previous trip to Madison in 2015 resulted in a 58-0 embarrassment. The start of Chuck Martin’s 12^th season at the helm in Oxford likely will not be such an unsightly affair. In fact, Miami won at Northwestern, 17-14, in 2022, and in overtime at Cincinnati, 31-24, in 2023, the rival Bearcats’ first season in the Big 12 after moving from the American. Martin’s squad lost to both teams last season: 13-6 in Evansville against the Wildcats and 27-16 at UC.

$1.5 Million: Western Michigan at Michigan State

For the second time in four seasons the Broncos and Spartans open against each other in East Lansing. The 2022 matchup also carried a $1.5 million payout and resulted in a 35-13 Michigan State win. The teams met early in the 2019 season, a 51-17 MSU victory that included a $1 million guarantee. The Spartans have won 13 straight in a series they lead 15-2.

$1.45 Million: Nevada at Penn State

The contract for this game was signed eight years ago and was to be played in 2020. The pandemic took care of that, and the game was rescheduled for Saturday when the schools meet for the first time. The Wolf Pack paid a visit to another Big Ten school last year when they traveled to Minnesota. The 27-0 loss came with a $1.2 million guarantee.

$1.3 Million: Old Dominion at Indiana

A bit of ODU history will be made in Bloomington as this will be the program’s first matchup with a Big Ten opponent. The Monarchs played at Maryland in 2013 when the Terps were in the ACC. The largest paycheck ODU received from a game was $1.5 million from a trip to South Carolina last season, a game the Monarchs led in the fourth quarter before losing, 23-19.