The Southern Conference and football “money” games
In a recent Sunday piece he takes a good look at SoCon football “money” games.
An excerpt:
While FCS teams have been taking beatings (usually) and cashing big checks from big-time opponents for years, the money is more than ever a crucial revenue stream now, according to Samford athletic director Bob Roller. The Bulldogs open their season at Central Florida on Sept. 5, and that game is expected to earn Samford more than $250,000.
“We absolutely have to have one,” Roller said of the guarantee games. “It’s a salve. (The money) will all be used and it will go toward the athletic department, not just football.”
Another:
Appalachian State, again a preseason favorite to win the national championship, isn’t facing the same kind of financial difficulties that UTC, Furman and some other SoCon schools are having to endure. Because of the Mountaineers’ recent success — three straight national championships from 2005 to ’07 — donations and ticket sales remain strong. In eight games last season, counting the playoffs, ASU’s average attendance was 25,161.
That strong financial footing allows the Mountaineers to schedule games against bowl subdivision teams with an eye toward opportunity, rather than money — the win at Michigan to open the 2007 season being a prime example.
“I’d hate to think that we’d ever get into the situation where we’re playing these games for financial reasons,” Appalachian State athletic director Charlie Cobb said, “but I understand that some schools have to do that.”
Read Frierson’s piece — along with a sidebar list of league money games — here.
Tags: appalachian state, Chattanooga, Chattanooga Times-Free Press, NCAA, Southern Conference
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